Techniques for object representation

A method of generating a representation of an object to be manufactured, the method comprises a step of simulating manufacture of the object in a design space based on: i) a manufacturing protocol which defines one or more manufacturing parameters relating to the manufacture of the object; ii) a design protocol which defines one or more design parameters relating to the object to be manufactured; and ii) at least one boundary condition which defines at least one boundary of a design region within which material forming the object to be manufactured is allowed to exist. The representation may comprise e.g. a drawing of the representation or a computer-readable description of the representation.In another embodiment a simulation unit for simulating the manufacture of an object, comprises at least one virtual agent ants operable to move between volume elements within a virtual design space and to perform a simulated manufacturing operation (e.g. adding/subtracting material) at a given volume element. The virtual agent may be operable to follow movement instructions comprising a pheromone map.