STEAM CAD UI and UI Operation

Introduction to the STEAM CAD UI and Its Operation

If STEAM CAD were to be implemented, I propose the following as a possible user interface (UI) and UI operation for its first iteration: STEAM CAD 1.0. The goal of this initial design is to make the system intuitive while aligning directly with its purpose—constructing and manipulating data structures.

The UI would feature three primary toolbars and an output workspace where the output table(s) appear based on selections made through the toolbars. Each toolbar corresponds to one of the three fundamental inputs that define the production of output tables: structures, components, and operations.

• The structures toolbar and components toolbar operate in a parallel manner. Each consists of a series of drop-down menus (DDMs) that cascade from left to right, such that the selection made in one menu determines the available choices in the next.
  
  

  • For example, if a user selects Mathematics from the Departments DDM, the following DDM will display all disciplines within mathematics, such as calculus, Euclidean geometry, topology, and graph theory. Further choices refine the selection, narrowing the scope step by step.
    
    

  • After the desired component or structure is chosen, it is entered into the output table by pressing the Enter key.
    
    

• The operations toolbar governs how the chosen structures and components will interact. Here the user selects the operator, which determines the operation applied to the inputs from the other two toolbars.
  
  

Once all three selections (structure, component, and operation) have been made, they are displayed collectively in the output table.

In addition, the UI features an autopopulate function that can automatically generate and fill the output array of the output table. This allows STEAM CAD to explore and display the complete set of possible combinations defined by the chosen structures, components, and operations. In this way, the user can either build data structures step by step through manual input, or allow the system to fully enumerate and populate the table automatically.

The interface and its operation are illustrated in Figures 1–5 for a single output structure and 3D print. 

(Figure 1)

(Figure 2)

(Figure 3)

(Figure 4)

(Figure 5)

Conclusion

Figures 1–5 represent the production of a single output compound structure, a process that may be termed cellular production. While this illustrates the most basic mode of operation, the software is equally capable of generating vector outputs (arranged vertically or horizontally) as well as array outputs that combine multiple results in systematic configurations. When these outputs are further organized into nested hierarchies, they can define entire hierarchical systems extending beyond mathematics into other STEAM departments. When all STEAM departments are combined, they form a comprehensive blueprint for STEAM University, as depicted in Figure 6. In this way, STEAM CAD demonstrates not only its role as a tool for localized data-structure construction, but also its broader capacity to model and interconnect disciplines across the full STEAM spectrum.