What is Ivy

Ivy is a small toolbox that helps organizing parametric studies. It relies on the formalism of multidimensional grid introduced hereinafter. It allows to seamlessly store, browse and interpolate results over a parametric space. This tool is a methodological effort and contribution to the field of parametric design and analysis.

Context

In a parametric study, a system is analyzed regarding several variables named parameter. Each parameter can vary in a discrete or continuous range of scalar values. If not, the modeling of the system can easily be reinterpreted in that way (for instance a (x,y,z) point parameter can be understood as 3 scalar parameters).

Complex multivariable systems often lead to complex and costly analysis process. In practice, it is almost impossible to know the state of the system for every state of inputs ; nor analytically ; nor numerically. It might be a question of pure feasibility but it might also be a question of time or money.

Thus, it is common to analyze the system in a finite number of interesting states, where the choice of those states and the corresponding values of the input parameters belong to the knowledge of the designer.

Depending on the sharpness of the grid, the designer would be interested in the results at grid nodes or, possibly, to interpolate results to predict any state of the system, thus reducing its margin of error.