CumInCAD is a Cumulative Index about publications in Computer Aided Architectural Design
supported by the sibling associations ACADIA, CAADRIA, eCAADe, SIGraDi, ASCAAD and CAAD futures

PDF papers
References

Hits 1 to 20 of 484

_id avocaad_2001_16
id avocaad_2001_16
authors Yu-Ying Chang, Yu-Tung Liu, Chien-Hui Wong
year 2001
title Some Phenomena of Spatial Characteristics of Cyberspace
source AVOCAAD - ADDED VALUE OF COMPUTER AIDED ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN, Nys Koenraad, Provoost Tom, Verbeke Johan, Verleye Johan (Eds.), (2001) Hogeschool voor Wetenschap en Kunst - Departement Architectuur Sint-Lucas, Campus Brussel, ISBN 80-76101-05-1
summary "Space," which has long been an important concept in architecture (Bloomer & Moore, 1977; Mitchell, 1995, 1999), has attracted interest of researchers from various academic disciplines in recent years (Agnew, 1993; Benko & Strohmayer, 1996; Chang, 1999; Foucault, 1982; Gould, 1998). Researchers from disciplines such as anthropology, geography, sociology, philosophy, and linguistics regard it as the basis of the discussion of various theories in social sciences and humanities (Chen, 1999). On the other hand, since the invention of Internet, Internet users have been experiencing a new and magic "world." According to the definitions in traditional architecture theories, "space" is generated whenever people define a finite void by some physical elements (Zevi, 1985). However, although Internet is a virtual, immense, invisible and intangible world, navigating in it, we can still sense the very presence of ourselves and others in a wonderland. This sense could be testified by our naming of Internet as Cyberspace -- an exotic kind of space. Therefore, as people nowadays rely more and more on the Internet in their daily life, and as more and more architectural scholars and designers begin to invest their efforts in the design of virtual places online (e.g., Maher, 1999; Li & Maher, 2000), we cannot help but ask whether there are indeed sensible spaces in Internet. And if yes, these spaces exist in terms of what forms and created by what ways?To join the current interdisciplinary discussion on the issue of space, and to obtain new definition as well as insightful understanding of "space", this study explores the spatial phenomena in Internet. We hope that our findings would ultimately be also useful for contemporary architectural designers and scholars in their designs in the real world.As a preliminary exploration, the main objective of this study is to discover the elements involved in the creation/construction of Internet spaces and to examine the relationship between human participants and Internet spaces. In addition, this study also attempts to investigate whether participants from different academic disciplines define or experience Internet spaces in different ways, and to find what spatial elements of Internet they emphasize the most.In order to achieve a more comprehensive understanding of the spatial phenomena in Internet and to overcome the subjectivity of the members of the research team, the research design of this study was divided into two stages. At the first stage, we conducted literature review to study existing theories of space (which are based on observations and investigations of the physical world). At the second stage of this study, we recruited 8 Internet regular users to approach this topic from different point of views, and to see whether people with different academic training would define and experience Internet spaces differently.The results of this study reveal that the relationship between human participants and Internet spaces is different from that between human participants and physical spaces. In the physical world, physical elements of space must be established first; it then begins to be regarded as a place after interaction between/among human participants or interaction between human participants and the physical environment. In contrast, in Internet, a sense of place is first created through human interactions (or activities), Internet participants then begin to sense the existence of a space. Therefore, it seems that, among the many spatial elements of Internet we found, "interaction/reciprocity" Ń either between/among human participants or between human participants and the computer interface Š seems to be the most crucial element.In addition, another interesting result of this study is that verbal (linguistic) elements could provoke a sense of space in a degree higher than 2D visual representation and no less than 3D visual simulations. Nevertheless, verbal and 3D visual elements seem to work in different ways in terms of cognitive behaviors: Verbal elements provoke visual imagery and other sensory perceptions by "imagining" and then excite personal experiences of space; visual elements, on the other hand, provoke and excite visual experiences of space directly by "mapping".Finally, it was found that participants with different academic training did experience and define space differently. For example, when experiencing and analyzing Internet spaces, architecture designers, the creators of the physical world, emphasize the design of circulation and orientation, while participants with linguistics training focus more on subtle language usage. Visual designers tend to analyze the graphical elements of virtual spaces based on traditional painting theories; industrial designers, on the other hand, tend to treat these spaces as industrial products, emphasizing concept of user-center and the control of the computer interface.The findings of this study seem to add new information to our understanding of virtual space. It would be interesting for future studies to investigate how this information influences architectural designers in their real-world practices in this digital age. In addition, to obtain a fuller picture of Internet space, further research is needed to study the same issue by examining more Internet participants who have no formal linguistics and graphical training.
series AVOCAAD
email
last changed 2005/09/09 10:48

_id 4931
authors Breen, Jack
year 1996
title Learning from the (In)Visible City
source Education for Practice [14th eCAADe Conference Proceedings / ISBN 0-9523687-2-2] Lund (Sweden) 12-14 September 1996, pp. 65-78
doi https://doi.org/10.52842/conf.ecaade.1996.065
summary This paper focuses on results and findings of an educational project, in which the participating students had to develop a design strategy for an urban plan by using and combining endoscopic and computational design visualisation techniques. This educational experiment attempted to create a link between the Media research programme titled 'Dynamic Perspective' and an educational exercise in design composition. It was conceived as a pilot study, aimed at the investigation of emerging applications and possible combinations of different imaging techniques which might be of benefit in architectural and urban design education and potentially for the (future) design practice. The aim of this study was also to explore the relationship between spatial perception and design simulation. The point of departure for the student exercise was an urban masterplan which the Dynamic Perspective research team prepared for the workshop 'the (in)visible city' as part of the 1995 European Architectural Endoscopy Association Conference in Vienna, Austria. The students taking part in the exercise were asked to develop, discuss and evaluate proposals for a given part of this masterplan by creating images through different model configurations using optical and computer aided visualisation techniques besides more traditional design media.The results of this project indicate that an active and combined use of visualisation media at a design level, may facilitate communication and lead to a greater understanding of design choices, thus creating insights and contributing to design decision-making both for the designers and for the other participants in the design process.
series eCAADe
email
more http://www.bk.tudelft.nl/Media/
last changed 2022/06/07 07:54

_id 3451
authors Harrison, Beverly L.
year 1996
title The Design and Evaluation of Transparent User Interfaces. From Theory to Practice
source University of Toronto, Toronto
summary The central research issue addressed by this dissertation is how we can design systems where information on user interface tools is overlaid on the work product being developed with these tools. The interface tools typically appear in the display foreground while the data or work space being manipulated typically appear in the perceptual background. This represents a trade-off in focused foreground attention versus focused background attention. By better supporting human attention we hope to improve the fluency of work, where fluency is reflected in a more seamless integration between task goals, user interface tool manipulations to achieve these goals, and feedback from the data or work space being manipulated. This research specifically focuses on the design and evaluation of transparent user interface 'layers' applied to graphical user interfaces. By allowing users to see through windows, menus, and tool palettes appearing in the perceptual foreground, an improved awareness of the underlying workspace and preservation of context are possible. However, transparent overlapping objects introduce visual interference which may degrade task performance, through reduced legibility. This dissertation explores a new interface technique (i.e., transparent layering) and, more importantly, undertakes a deeper investigation into the underlying issues that have implications for the design and use of this new technique. We have conducted a series of experiments, progressively more representative of the complex stimuli from real task domains. This enables us to systematically evaluate a variety of transparent user interfaces, while remaining confident of the applicability of the results to actual task contexts. We also describe prototypes and a case study evaluation of a working system using transparency based on our design parameters and experimental findings. Our findings indicate that similarity in both image color and in image content affect the levels of visual interference. Solid imagery in either the user interface tools (e.g., icons) or in the work space content (e.g., video, rendered models) are highly interference resistant and work well up to 75% transparent (i.e., 25% of foreground image and 75% of background content). Text and wire frame images (or line drawings) perform equally poorly but are highly usable up to 50% transparent, with no apparent performance penalty. Introducing contrasting outlining techniques improves the usability of transparent text menu interfaces up to 90% transparency. These results suggest that transparency is a usable and promising interface alternative. We suggest several methods of overcoming today's technical challenges in order to integrate transparency into existing applications.  
series thesis:PhD
email
last changed 2003/02/12 22:37

_id ddssar9618
id ddssar9618
authors Kanoglu, Alaattin
year 1996
title Application of General Purpose Project Planning & Programming Software for Production Planning & Control in Plants which Produce Prefabricated Building Components
source Timmermans, Harry (Ed.), Third Design and Decision Support Systems in Architecture and Urban Planning - Part one: Architecture Proceedings (Spa, Belgium), August 18-21, 1996
summary The "open systems" in building prefabrication may be qualified more flexible to some extent compared to the closed ones and may use the tools and approaches used in industrial production areas for the es-timation of demand and production. As for the closed systems in particular, it is not possible for these systems to apply this kind of an approach. Their production must be based on absolutely assured de-mands and projects. Because of this, they need detailed projects and assembly schedules for produc-tion. As a result of this, their production modes can be qualified "custom-made" type and production planning functions must provide the demand values from the assembly schedules of contracted pro-jects. The problem can be solved by integrating the work schedules of the sites that are served by fac-tory. Integration of data on a computerized system will be preferable and it is possible to realize the model in two alternative ways. The first is developing a new conceptual model and convert it into a software and the second is developing an approach for customizing general purpose project planning and programming software for using them in production planning. The second solution is studied in the paper following this. The aims of this study are analyzing outstanding general purpose project planning & programming software from the point of view of requirements of production planning function and their customizability; comparing the requirements of the model designed for production planning and capabilities of general purpose planning software and developing the conceptual and practical dimensions and basic principals of the model for using the general purpose planning and programming software for production planning.
series DDSS
last changed 2003/08/07 16:36

_id acadia16_140
id acadia16_140
authors Nejur, Andrei; Steinfeld, Kyle
year 2016
title Ivy: Bringing a Weighted-Mesh Representations to Bear on Generative Architectural Design Applications
source ACADIA // 2016: POSTHUMAN FRONTIERS: Data, Designers, and Cognitive Machines [Proceedings of the 36th Annual Conference of the Association for Computer Aided Design in Architecture (ACADIA) ISBN 978-0-692-77095-5] Ann Arbor 27-29 October, 2016, pp. 140-151
doi https://doi.org/10.52842/conf.acadia.2016.140
summary Mesh segmentation has become an important and well-researched topic in computational geometry in recent years (Agathos et al. 2008). As a result, a number of new approaches have been developed that have led to innovations in a diverse set of problems in computer graphics (CG) (Sharmir 2008). Specifically, a range of effective methods for the division of a mesh have recently been proposed, including by K-means (Shlafman et al. 2002), graph cuts (Golovinskiy and Funkhouser 2008; Katz and Tal 2003), hierarchical clustering (Garland et al. 2001; Gelfand and Guibas 2004; Golovinskiy and Funkhouser 2008), primitive fitting (Athene et al. 2004), random walks (Lai et al.), core extraction (Katz et al.) tubular multi-scale analysis (Mortara et al. 2004), spectral clustering (Liu and Zhang 2004), and critical point analysis (Lin et al. 20070, all of which depend upon a weighted graph representation, typically the dual of a given mesh (Sharmir 2008). While these approaches have been proven effective within the narrowly defined domains of application for which they have been developed (Chen 2009), they have not been brought to bear on wider classes of problems in fields outside of CG, specifically on problems relevant to generative architectural design. Given the widespread use of meshes and the utility of segmentation in GAD, by surveying the relevant and recently matured approaches to mesh segmentation in CG that share a common representation of the mesh dual, this paper identifies and takes steps to address a heretofore unrealized transfer of technology that would resolve a missed opportunity for both subject areas. Meshes are often employed by architectural designers for purposes that are distinct from and present a unique set of requirements in relation to similar applications that have enjoyed more focused study in computer science. This paper presents a survey of similar applications, including thin-sheet fabrication (Mitani and Suzuki 2004), rendering optimization (Garland et al. 2001), 3D mesh compression (Taubin et al. 1998), morphin (Shapira et al. 2008) and mesh simplification (Kalvin and Taylor 1996), and distinguish the requirements of these applications from those presented by GAD, including non-refinement in advance of the constraining of mesh geometry to planar-quad faces, and the ability to address a diversity of mesh features that may or may not be preserved. Following this survey of existing approaches and unmet needs, the authors assert that if a generalized framework for working with graph representations of meshes is developed, allowing for the interactive adjustment of edge weights, then the recent developments in mesh segmentation may be better brought to bear on GAD problems. This paper presents work toward the development of just such a framework, implemented as a plug-in for the visual programming environment Grasshopper.
keywords tool-building, design simulation, fabrication, computation, megalith
series ACADIA
type paper
email
last changed 2022/06/07 07:58

_id d320
authors Rihani, R.A. and Bernold, L.E.
year 1996
title Methods of control for robotic brick masonry
source Automation in Construction 4 (4) (1996) pp. 281-292
summary The major use of brick masonry units in the U.S. is in facades for office buildings and single family homes. The traditional method for building masonry walls is on-site by bricklayers. An alternative method is panelization or prefabrication of brick panels in a plant environment. While many mechanical problems exist, the real-time control represents a challenging aspect of robotizing brick masonry work. This paper presents an effort to study the development of an experimental robotic masonry system and its relevant control modules. It also describes two control frameworks for different levels in a robotic brick masonry prototype: (a) local control, and (b) global control. The local control system includes three work cells: (a) gripping and handling, (b) quality control, and (c) brick placement. First, the components and equipment used in a work cell are listed, then the experimental work performed with them is discussed to show how sensors are used for dehacking, brick placement, brick color detection, and brick size measurements. The paper then continues to describe a global control system that will integrate the three local work cells utilizing a hierarchical structure.
series journal paper
more http://www.elsevier.com/locate/autcon
last changed 2003/05/15 21:23

_id e09a
authors Rüdiger, Bjarne
year 1996
title The Masonry House Raised as an Exhibition and Information Building
source Education for Practice [14th eCAADe Conference Proceedings / ISBN 0-9523687-2-2] Lund (Sweden) 12-14 September 1996, pp. 387-390
doi https://doi.org/10.52842/conf.ecaade.1996.387
summary At many schools of architecture the studies are directed to practical, professional use, and this fact results in different attitudes. But normally, it will be so that the longer the student goes in the study the more aspects from practice will be involved. Therefore, the studies passes from the work with the design itself and the more artistic sides to the work with planning and production. The basis of the educational progress and the professional level is research and development. Within CAD it is important that this research develops as well the theoretical foundation and includes experience in the practical use. An attitude which prioritizes the practical qualifications late in the studies has of course an effect in the CAD instruction. Tendencies to consider the computer to be a tool of drawing and visualization will dominate, and the work with structuralized information models for a general documentation has had minor interest until now, and this also includes the use of professional applications developed from different conventions in support of collaboration and quality control. The dialogue between the environment of education and research on one hand and the professional business in practice must be considered important for the developing process in the use of CAD and for the building of usable IT models. The work with "The Masonry House" and later "The Building Trade House" tries to expose how a deliberate structuralization of the CAD model early in the sketching- and planning process can support as well the more esthetic estimates as the building technology documentation. And also point out the professional qualifications bound up with 11 to be integrated in the study course.
series eCAADe
email
last changed 2022/06/07 07:56

_id 31f5
authors Alfares, M. and Seireg, A.
year 1996
title An integrated system for computer-aided design and construction of reinforced concrete buildings using modular forms
source Automation in Construction 5 (4) (1996) pp. 323-341
summary The study reported in this paper investigates the feasibility of automating the on-site construction of reinforced concrete residential buildings. The basic construction tasks are identified, analyzed and modified with a view towards potential for automation. Emphasis is placed on developing modular forms that facilitate automation. The majority of work in the field of construction robotics has focused on the adaptation of existing industrial robots to automate traditional construction processes. This paper outlines a computer-aided construction system approach specially suited for integrating design and implementation by on-site robots. A Computer-Integrated Construction (CIC) system, similar to CIM, is developed that includes a CIC data-base, a construction design system, a construction production/process planning system, and a robotics execution system. This approach is intended to minimize the redesign effort as well as the need for on-site manual work.
series journal paper
more http://www.elsevier.com/locate/autcon
last changed 2003/05/15 21:22

_id aa7c
authors Amirante, M. Isabella and Burattini, Ernesto
year 1996
title Automatic Procedures for Bio-Climatic Control
source Education for Practice [14th eCAADe Conference Proceedings / ISBN 0-9523687-2-2] Lund (Sweden) 12-14 September 1996, pp. 29-40
doi https://doi.org/10.52842/conf.ecaade.1996.029
summary The experiences illustrated here are related to the new regulation of teaching architecture in Italy and these ones in particular have been concentrated on the technological aspects of teaching architecture. We can consider the evolution of the architect from the individual operator to the manager multi- disciplinary aspects of the building process ( building process manager) as a reality today. Information technology, specifically applied to bio-climatic architecture and environmental control, can be of great importance for this professional role, and for this reason it is very useful to include these topics at the beginning the teaching design process. This paper describes a particular approach to bio-climatic problems of the architectural project. An experimental course has been performed by the second year students of the "Laboratorio di Construzione dell' Architettura", at the School of Architecture of the Second University of Naples, in Aversa. Analysing old and new buildings, they used some flow charts for the evaluation and representation of energetic behaviour of buildings regarding their climatic and geographical environment. In the flow charts the decisions are represented by boxes that allow to determine "rightness index" related to: morphological characters of the site and environment, typology and particular organisation of the inside spaces, shape of building, technological solution of the building "skin". The navigation through the decision boxes is made with simple options like; "winds: protected or exposed site", "shape of building; free, close or cross plane", "presence of trees on the south,; yes or not",; it shows the students the bio-climatic quality of the building and, through numeric value assigned to each option, determines the "weight" of its climatic comfort.

series eCAADe
last changed 2022/06/07 07:54

_id d5c8
authors Angelo, C.V., Bueno, A.P., Ludvig, C., Reis, A.F. and Trezub, D.
year 1999
title Image and Shape: Two Distinct Approaches
source III Congreso Iberoamericano de Grafico Digital [SIGRADI Conference Proceedings] Montevideo (Uruguay) September 29th - October 1st 1999, pp. 410-415
summary This paper is the result of two researches done at the district of Campeche, Florianópolis, by the Grupo PET/ARQ/UFSC/CAPES. Different aspects and conceptual approaches were used to study the spatial attributes of this district located in the Southern part of Santa Catarina Island. The readings and analysis of two researches were based on graphic pistures builded with the use of Corel 7.0 e AutoCadR14. The first research – "Urban Development in the Island of Santa Catarina: Public Space Study"- examined the urban structures of Campeche based on the Spatial Syntax Theory developed by Hillier and Hanson (1984) that relates form and social appropriation of public spaces. The second research – "Topoceptive Characterisation of Campeche: The Image of a Locality in Expansion in the Island of Santa Catarina" -, based on the methodology developed by Kohlsdorf (1996) and also on the visual analysis proposed by Lynch (1960), identified characteristics of this locality with the specific goal of selecting attributes that contributed to the ideas of the place its population held. The paper consists of an initial exercise of linking these two methods in order to test the complementarity of their analytical tools. Exemplifying the analytical procedures undertaken in the two approaches, the readings done - global (of the locality as a whole) and partial (from parts of the settlement) - are presented and compared.
series SIGRADI
email
last changed 2016/03/10 09:47

_id ddssup9602
id ddssup9602
authors Arentze, T.A., Borgers, A.W.J. and Harry J.P.
year 1996
title A knowledge-based model for developing location strategies in a DSS for retail planning
source Timmermans, Harry (Ed.), Third Design and Decision Support Systems in Architecture and Urban Planning - Part two: Urban Planning Proceedings (Spa, Belgium), August 18-21, 1996
summary Most DSS for retail planning are based on impact assessment models to support the evaluation of plan scenario's. This paper introduces a complementary knowledge-based model to support also the earlier stage of formulating plan scenario's. An analysis of the retail planning problem reveals the main lines of the strategies adopted by most Dutch planners and retailers to achieve their goals. A basic strategy that seems to be appropriate in most problem contexts is formulated in the form of a set of decision tables. Each decision table or system of decision tables specifies for a problem area decision rules to identify and analyse problems and to formulate possible actions. The model is implemented in a DSS where it is used in combination with quantitative impact assessment models. A case study in the area of daily good facilities demonstrates the approach. The major conclusion is that the knowledge-based approach and in particular the decision table technique provides interesting possibilities to implement planning task structures in a DSS environment.
series DDSS
last changed 2003/11/21 15:16

_id e29d
authors Arvesen, Liv
year 1996
title LIGHT AS LANGUAGE
source Full-Scale Modeling in the Age of Virtual Reality [6th EFA-Conference Proceedings]
summary With the unlimited supply of electric light our surroundings very easily may be illuminated too strongly. Too much light is unpleasant for our eyes, and a high level of light in many cases disturbs the conception of form. Just as in a forest, we need shadows, contrasts and variation when we compose with light. If we focus on the term compose, it is natural to conceive our environment as a wholeness. In fact, this is not only aesthetically important, it is true in a physical context. Inspired by old windows several similar examples have been built in the Trondheim Full-scale Laboratory where depth is obtained by constructing shelves on each side of the opening. When daylight is fading, indirect artificial light from above gradually lightens the window. The opening is perceived as a space of light both during the day and when it is dark outside.

Another of the built examples at Trondheim University which will be presented, is a doctor's waitingroom. It is a case study of special interest because it often appears to be a neglected area. Let us start asking: What do we have in common when we are waiting to come in to a doctor? We are nervous and we feel sometimes miserable. Analysing the situation we understand the need for an interior that cares for our state of mind. The level of light is important in this situation. Light has to speak softly. Instead of the ordinary strong light in the middle of the ceiling, several spots are selected to lighten the small tables separating the seats. The separation is supposed to give a feeling of privacy. By the low row of reflected planes we experience an intimate and warming atmosphere in the room. A special place for children contributes to the total impression of calm. In this corner the inside of some shelves are lit by indirect light, an effect which puts emphasis on the small scale suitable for a child. And it also demonstrates the good results of variation. The light setting in this room shows how light is “caught” two different ways.

keywords Model Simulation, Real Environments
series other
type normal paper
more http://info.tuwien.ac.at/efa/
last changed 2004/05/04 14:34

_id 215e
authors Bai, Rui-Yuan and Liu, Yu-Tung
year 1998
title Towards a Computerized Procedure for Visual Impact Analysis and Assessment - The Hsinchu Example
source CAADRIA ‘98 [Proceedings of The Third Conference on Computer Aided Architectural Design Research in Asia / ISBN 4-907662-009] Osaka (Japan) 22-24 April 1998, pp. 67-76
doi https://doi.org/10.52842/conf.caadria.1998.067
summary This paper examines the procedure of visual impact analysis and assessment proposed by Rahman and reviews the use of CAD applications in urban projects in the real world. A preliminary computerized procedure for visual impact analysis and assessment is proposed. An experiments was conducted in our laboratory to verify the preliminary procedure. In order to further study the revised procedure in real urban projects, it was also applied into the renew project of The Eastern Gate Plaza located in the center of city Hsinchu, Taiwan from 1996 to 1998. According to several face-to-face discussions with Hsinchu habitants, government officials, and professional designers, a final computerized procedure for visual impact analysis and assessment is concluded.
keywords Environmental Simulation, Visual Impact Analysis and Assessment, Virtual Reality
series CAADRIA
email
more http://www.caadria.org
last changed 2022/06/07 07:54

_id 328d
authors Bassanino, May Nahab and Brown, Andre
year 1999
title Computer Generated Architectural Images: A Comparative Study
source Architectural Computing from Turing to 2000 [eCAADe Conference Proceedings / ISBN 0-9523687-5-7] Liverpool (UK) 15-17 September 1999, pp. 552-556
doi https://doi.org/10.52842/conf.ecaade.1999.552
summary This work is part of a long term research programme (Brown and Horton, 1992; Brown and Nahab, 1996; Bassanino, 1999) in which tests and studies have been carried out on various groups of people to investigate their reaction to, and interpretation of different forms of architectural representation. In the work described here a range of architectural schemes were presented using particular representational techniques and media. An experiment was then undertaken on two different groups; architects and lay people. They were presented with a number of schemes displayed using the various techniques and media. The responses are summarised and some comments are made on the effect of computers on perceiving architecture and on communicating architectural ideas arising from an analysis of the responses.
keywords Subject, Image Type, Presentation Technique, Medium, SD Scales, Factors
series eCAADe
email
last changed 2022/06/07 07:54

_id 82ff
authors Bhavnani, S.K., Flemming, U., Forsythe, D.E., Garrett, J.H., Shaw, D.S. and Tsai, A.
year 1996
title CAD usage in an architectural office: from observations to active assistance
source Automation in Construction 5 (3) (1996) pp. 243-255
summary The functionality and resources provided by CAD systems have been increasing rapidly, but productivity growth expected from their use has been difficult to achieve. Although many surveys describe this productivity puzzle, few studies have been conducted on actual CAD users to understand its causes. In an effort to arrive at such an understanding, the first author visited a federal architectural office and observed CAD users in their natural setting. This paper describes preliminary results obtained from the study, which used ethnographic techniques developed by cultural anthropologists. The study revealed that users had leveled-off in their learning and experimentation and were using the CAD system in suboptimal ways. By asking why users were not using many resources available to them to improve performance, the observer uncovered issues of communication and management that needed to be addressed. Based on this understanding, the authors provide explicit recommendations to CAD users and vendors. In addition, they hypothesize that users might benefit from a system that provides active assistance, that is, intervenes spontaneously with advice, assistance, and relevant information while the user interacts with the CAD system. They conclude with some issues revealed by the study that should be considered when developing such active assistance.
series journal paper
email
more http://www.elsevier.com/locate/autcon
last changed 2003/05/15 21:22

_id eb87
authors Bhavnani, S.K.
year 1996
title How Architects Draw with Computers: A Cognitive Analysis of Real-World CAD Interactions
source Carnegie Mellon University, School of Architecture and School of Computer Science
summary New media throughout history have passed through a period of transition during which users and technologists took many years to understand and exploit the medium's potential. CAD appears to be passing through a similar period of transition; despite huge investments by vendors and users, CAD productivity remains difficult to achieve. To investigate if history can provide any insights into this problem, this thesis begins with an examination of well-known examples from history. The analysis revealed that, over time, users had developed efficient strategies which were based on powers and limitations of tools; delegation strategies exploited powers provided by tools, and circumvention strategies attempted to overcome their limitations. These insights on efficient strategies were used to investigate the CAD productivity problem based on four research questions:

1. How do architects currently use CAD systems to produce drawings?

2. What are the effects of current CAD usage on product and performance?

3. What are the possible causes of current CAD usage?

4. What are the capabilities of the CAD medium and how can they be used efficiently?

The above four questions were addressed through the qualitative, quantitative, and cognitive analysis of data collected during an ethnographic study of architects working in their natural environment. The qualitative and quantitative analysis revealed that users missed many opportunities to use strategies that delegated iteration to the computer. The cognitive analysis revealed that missed opportunities to use such delegation strategies caused an increase in execution time, and an increase in errors many of which went undetected leading to the production of inaccurate drawings. These analyses pointed to plausible cognitive and contextual explanations for the inefficient use of CAD systems, and to a framework to identify and teach efficient CAD strategies. The above results were found to be neither unique to the CAD domain, nor to the office where the data were collected. The generality of these results motivated the identification of seven claims towards a general theory to explain and identify efficient strategies for a wide range of devices. This thesis contributes to the field of architecture by providing a detailed analysis of real-world CAD usage, and an approach to improve the performance of CAD users. The thesis also contributes to the field of human-computer interaction by demonstrating the generality of these results and by laying the framework for a general theory of efficient strategies which could be used to improve the performance of users of current and future computer applications.

series thesis:PhD
email
last changed 2003/04/15 13:36

_id 40ee
authors Biagini, Carlo
year 1996
title CAAD in the Transformability Evaluation of Historical Buildingsof Historical Buildings
source Education for Practice [14th eCAADe Conference Proceedings / ISBN 0-9523687-2-2] Lund (Sweden) 12-14 September 1996, pp. 55-58
doi https://doi.org/10.52842/conf.ecaade.1996.055
summary In the execution of a research, which was intended to identify methods and instruments for transformability evaluation of historical buildings, CAAD was usefully employed in the decision-making process at different levels. From an operative point of view, it was fundamental instruments for the acquisition of typomorphological data inherent to pre-existent buildings. It allowed us to create an archive of information which can be easily and flexibly up-dated. In fact the critical evaluation of these buildings is based on the identification of structural patterns which have characterized the typological evolution of the urban structure, and thus the different historical stratifications have to be carefully catalogued, profoundly analyzed and compared one with the other. CAAD was even more effective during the phase of meta-designing checking concerning the choices effected for conversion of old buildings, since it was possible to prefigure different scenarios according to formulated hypotheses and this gave us the opportunity to evaluate their effective practicability in relation to typo- morphological congruence and logical and formal connection between the old building and new design proposals.
series eCAADe
last changed 2022/06/07 07:54

_id ddssup9604
id ddssup9604
authors Boelen, A.J.
year 1996
title Impact-Analysis of Urban Design Realtime impact-analysis models for urban designers
source Timmermans, Harry (Ed.), Third Design and Decision Support Systems in Architecture and Urban Planning - Part two: Urban Planning Proceedings (Spa, Belgium), August 18-21, 1996
summary The past five years Prof Dr Jr T.M. de Jong, professor in environmental planning and sustainability at the Technical University of Delft, has developed a theoretical foundation for the analysis of urban design on the ecological, technical, economical, cultural and political impacts of morphologic interventions on different levels of scale. From september 1994 Jr AJ. Boelen (Urban Design Scientist and Knowledge Engineer) started a research project at the same university to further explore the possibilities of these theories and to develop impact evaluation models for urban design and development with the theoretical work of De Jong as a starting point. The paper discusses the development of a design and decision support system based on these theories. For the development of this system, techniques like object-orientation, genetic algorithms and knowledge engineering are used. The user interface, the relation between the real world, paper maps and virtual maps and the presentation of design-interventions and impacts caused by the interventions are important issues. The development-process is an interactive step by step process. It consists of the making of a prototype of the system, testing the theory and hypothe-sisses the system is based on, by applying tests end adjusting the theory and hypothesisses where needed. Eventually the system must be able to act as an integrator of many different models already developed or still to be developed. The structure of the system will allow easy future expansion and adjustment to changing insights. The logic used to develop the basic theory on which this system is founded makes it possible to even introduce and maintain rather subjective aspects like quality or appraisal as impacts that can be evaluated. In a previously developed system "Momentum" this was proved to work effectively for the national level. In this project we will - amongst other things - try to prove the effectiveness of impact-evaluation for other levels of scale.
series DDSS
email
last changed 2003/11/21 15:16

_id 8e02
authors Brown, A.G.P. and Coenen, F.P.
year 2000
title Spatial reasoning: improving computational efficiency
source Automation in Construction 9 (4) (2000) pp. 361-367
summary When spatial data is analysed the result is often very computer intensive: even by the standards of contemporary technologies, the machine power needed is great and the processing times significant. This is particularly so in 3-D and 4-D scenarios. What we describe here is a technique, which tackles this and associated problems. The technique is founded in the idea of quad-tesseral addressing; a technique, which was originally applied to the analysis of atomic structures. It is based on ideas concerning Hierarchical clustering developed in the 1960s and 1970s to improve data access time [G.M. Morton, A computer oriented geodetic database and a new technique on file sequencing, IBM Canada, 1996.], and on atomic isohedral (same shape) tiling strategies developed in the 1970s and 1980s concerned with group theory [B. Grunbaum, G.C. Shephard, Tilings and Patterns, Freeman, New York, 1987.]. The technique was first suggested as a suitable representation for GIS in the early 1980s when the two strands were brought together and a tesseral arithmetic applied [F.C. Holdroyd, The Geometry of Tiling Hierarchies, Ars Combanitoria 16B (1983) 211–244.; S.B.M. Bell, B.M. Diaz, F.C. Holroyd, M.J.J. Jackson, Spatially referenced methods of processing raster and vector data, Image and Vision Computing 1 (4) (1983) 211–220.; Diaz, S.B.M. Bell, Spatial Data Processing Using Tesseral Methods, Natural Environment Research Council, Swindon, 1986.]. Here, we describe how that technique can equally be applied to the analysis of environmental interaction with built forms. The way in which the technique deals with the problems described is first to linearise the three-dimensional (3-D) space being investigated. Then, the reasoning applied to that space is applied within the same environment as the definition of the problem data. We show, with an illustrative example, how the technique can be applied. The problem then remains of how to visualise the results of the analysis so undertaken. We show how this has been accomplished so that the 3-D space and the results are represented in a way which facilitates rapid interpretation of the analysis, which has been carried out.
series journal paper
more http://www.elsevier.com/locate/autcon
last changed 2003/05/15 21:22

_id 4a71
authors Byrne, Christine M.
year 1996
title Water on tap : the use of virtual reality as an educational tool
source College of Engineering, University of Washington
summary A study was conducted that explored Virtual Reality (VR) as an educational tool. High school students created water molecules in an immersive virtual environment. They were tested on their knowledge of atomic and molecular structure before and after their VR experience. These results were compared to the test results of students who experienced other educational media in learning the same topic. The other media differed from VR in terms of immersion and interactivity. Interactivity was found to be significant, while immersion was found to be insignificant. Issues of training, world design, assessment, hardware resolution, and student population were suggested as possible reasons for immersion's lack of significance in this study.
keywords Virtual Reality; Education; Computer Programs; Evaluation; Chemistry; Study and Teaching
series thesis:PhD
last changed 2003/02/12 22:37

For more results click below:

this is page 0show page 1show page 2show page 3show page 4show page 5... show page 24HOMELOGIN (you are user _anon_791085 from group guest) CUMINCAD Papers Powered by SciX Open Publishing Services 1.002