topics: [“design philosophy”, “CAD”, “FreeCAD”, “LaTeX”, “Klayout”, “Git”]
In this series, starting from mechanical design,
we have explored the idea of reconstructing design with “code as the subject.”
We have covered:
In this final article, we take one step back and abstract the discussion to answer a single question:
What was Full Code Design, in the end?
Let us start with the conclusion.
Full Code Design is a design approach in which the primary source of truth is not the artifact, but its generator.
Here, “generator” refers to:
GUI files, PDFs, STEP files, and GDS are not rejected.
However, they are not treated as the core of the design.
In many design environments, implicitly:
are treated as the “authoritative” source.
In such a structure:
do not remain as history.
Design changes become “work,”
and diffs lose their meaning.
Although the fields differ, the structure is the same.
[ Generator (Code) ]
↓
[ Artifact (for viewing / manufacturing) ]
Examples include:
All design changes return to the generator.
This is the common structure of Full Code Design.
When the generator is code:
all become textual diffs.
Those diffs can include:
As a result,
design reviews become possible.
No, they are not.
It is important to emphasize that Full Code Design:
GUIs are extremely effective for:
What matters is that
GUI operations do not become the primary source of design information.
Not everything needs to be coded.
If everything is coded, design can actually break down.
The key is this:
Only leave in code the decisions you want to be able to explain later.
In real work, these questions are sufficient:
If the answer is YES,
the design qualifies as Full Code Design.
What this series has discussed is not a new technology.
It is simply a matter of
aligning, as a structure, the discomfort many designers have long felt.
Design moves from:
to long-term, reusable assets.
If this series has helped clarify one way of organizing that transition,
it has fulfilled its purpose.
Full Code Mechanical Design / End