Giha Woo

We have a tool to draw a line, a compass to draw a circle and a tool to measure an angle. However, we have never had any tool to draw an ellipse of a desired shape in human history. He had to draw an ellipse using geometrical construction. The advent of computer graphics resolved this problem so easily. However, the fact that there has never been an analog method to draw an ellipse is a stimulant to a designer like me.

I wanted to know the definition of an ellipse before contemplating a way to draw it. It seems that if I know the definition, then I will be able to find out the rules. Then, if I know the rules, I believe that I will be able to discover a method. Finally, if I know the method, then I will be able to create a tool.

As everyone is well aware of the definition of a circle, it is a group of points located at an equidistance from one point. However, the definition of an ellipse is a bit more geometrically complex. An ellipse is a curve on a plane surrounding two focal points such that a straight line drawn from one of the focal points to any point on the curve and then back to the other focal point has the same length for every point on the curve.

I discovered the rules through the aforementioned definition and found out a method for drawing an ellipse. And I designed a tool that can be used to create ellipses more easily and freely.