Cumincad : CUMINCAD Papers : Search Results

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

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_id	5b1e
authors	Stellingwerff, Martijn
year	2001
title	The concept of Carrying in Collaborative Virtual Environments
source	Stellingwerff, Martijn and Verbeke, Johan (Eds.), ACCOLADE - Architecture, Collaboration, Design. Delft University Press (DUP Science) / ISBN 90-407-2216-1 / The Netherlands, pp. 195-208 [Book ordering info: m.c.stellingwerff@bk.tudelft.nl]
summary	Collaborative Architectural Design can take place within a virtual environment with a team of remote but virtually present people. However, in most virtual environments, the ability to perform actions is still limited to the availability of some interactive objects and a set of tools for the specific purposes of the system. As the interface of most systems is designed for unshared use, the graphic feedback signals are limited to local information about the state of objects and tools. If multiuser interaction is added to such Virtual Environments, many new possibilities and problems emerge. Users of shared applications should not only be informed about the state of local objects, tools and their own actions, they should also be made aware of what the other users undertake. Aspects, which are in daily life so obvious, should be restudied thoroughly for the application within Virtual Environments for Collaborative Design. Much research has to be undertaken in order to make such virtual places as intuitively interactive as ordinary shared working places. The 'concept of carrying', which is proposed and explained in this paper, is expected to become a useful metaphoric mechanism for solving several issues related to Spatial User Interfaces (SUI's) and Collaborative Virtual Environments (CVE's). The visual feedback from 'carrying-events' should provide more mutual understanding about ongoing processes in shared applications and it should add a more 'natural' interface for processes concerning people, tools and content in virtual and digitally augmented environments. At the start of this paper some basic human action patterns for tasks on a 2Ddesktop are compared to tasks in a 3D-environment. These action patterns are checked for their implementation in Windows Icons Menus and Pointer (WIMP) interfaces and Virtual Reality systems. Carrying is focused upon as an important interactive event in Virtual Environments. Three carrying actions related to Collaborative Architectural Design are explained by means of prototypes in Virtual Reality Modeling Language (VRML). Finally the usefulness of a general carrying concept as part of a new Visual Language is considered. The research at hand is in its first exploring phases and draws from a running PhD research about SUI's for Context Related Architectural Design and from recent experiences in CVE's.
series	other
email
last changed	2001/09/14 21:30

_id	04f2
authors	Cimerman, Benjamin
year	2001
title	Clients, architects, houses and computers: Experiment and reflection on new roles and relationships in design
doi	https://doi.org/10.52842/conf.acadia.2001.100
source	Reinventing the Discourse - How Digital Tools Help Bridge and Transform Research, Education and Practice in Architecture [Proceedings of the Twenty First Annual Conference of the Association for Computer-Aided Design in Architecture / ISBN 1-880250-10-1] Buffalo (New York) 11-14 October 2001, pp. 100-109
summary	This paper reports on recent work that focused on the potential impact of standard computer technology on the relationship between client and architect in the context of residential design. A study of software applications a client could use to develop and evaluate ideas exposed the dearth of software available for the design of spatial complexity by individuals without advanced computer skills, and led to the design of a specific piece of software we call “Space Modeler.” It was prototyped using off-the-shelf virtual reality technology, and tested by a group of freshmen students. The paper discusses the specificities of the software and provides analysis and reflection based on the results of the test, both in terms of design artifacts and users’ comments. The paper concludes that the evolution of the interface to electronic environments is a matter of interest for those concerned with rethinking the training, role and activity of the architect. In the near future prospective homeowners may be able to experience and experiment with the space of their home before it is built. How can the profession embrace new information technology developments and appropriate them for the benefits of society at large?
keywords	Design Software, Design Participation, Visualization, Simulation
series	ACADIA
email
last changed	2022/06/07 07:52

_id	9de9
authors	Laakso, Mikko
year	2001
title	Practical Navigation in Virtual Architectural Environments
source	Helsinki University of Technology, Espoo, Finland
summary	The interest towards virtual reality (VR) and virtual environments (VE) is growing all the time. The applications being developed for VE run a wide spectrum, from games to business planning. This thesis concentrates on navigation in virtual architectural environments, movement in worlds that are very similar to our own. Navigation in a virtual world should be practical, intuitive and simple. Unfortunately, it is very often far from that - for some reason the usability issues in VEs have been usually left with little attention. Currently it is easy for a user to get lost and disoriented when traveling in a VE. This situation must change, navigating through virtual environments can no longer be considered a task reserved for the experts only. 3D-worlds and architectural applications for the common user require new, intuitive interface techniques. This thesis addresses issues related to both physical and cognitive aspects of navigation as well as theoretical models that bind them together. In the technology survey of this thesis, the virtual environment technology is presented. Different visual display systems, new input devices and some 3D user interface design aspects are described. The literature survey section discusses the main issues concerning navigation theory. The two parts of navigation, travel and wayfinding, are described in detail. The major challenges are discussed and some solutions and various research results are presented. A major part of the thesis consists of the description of HCNav, a new navigation system developed by the author. The system was constructed for use in the virtual room at Helsinki University of Technology. The purpose of HCNav is to provide a very intuitive and practical navigation interface. Three new experimental input devices, namely custom wand, data glove and speech recognition system, were tested. Another important part of the work is to evaluate the effectiveness of the HCNav system. A usability test was conducted to determine if the use of HCNav was actually improving navigation performance. Twelve subjects participated in a test where HCNav was compared with a traditional navigation software used previously in the virtual room. The experiment setup has been described and the results analyzed. The results are promising and show that the navigation methods adopted in HCNav are clearly better.
keywords	Virtual Environments, Navigation, Usability
series	thesis:MSc
last changed	2003/02/12 22:37

_id	ga0105
id	ga0105
authors	Mueller, Robert Emmett
year	2001
title	VISIC: A Scoreable Keyboard Color Music
source	International Conference on Generative Art
summary	This paper describes a system to create a video color music that can be scored like music and played on a standard electronic keyboard. Here called "VISIC" the program generates a great variety of multi-colored visual shapes that are propelled through video space on a computer screenfor a limited length of time. The shapes or lines or planes interact in a systemized manner until they disappear, much like musical tones or chords. A notation convention allows VISIC ideas to be composed, replayed at will, and preserved for future rendition. A VISIC composer can thereforecreate new VISIC for real-time performance and artistic development.
series	other
email
more	http://www.generativeart.com/
last changed	2003/08/07 17:25

_id	9d10
authors	Anders, Peter and Livingstone, Daniel
year	2001
title	STARS: Shared Transatlantic Augmented Reality System
doi	https://doi.org/10.52842/conf.acadia.2001.350
source	Reinventing the Discourse - How Digital Tools Help Bridge and Transform Research, Education and Practice in Architecture [Proceedings of the Twenty First Annual Conference of the Association for Computer-Aided Design in Architecture / ISBN 1-880250-10-1] Buffalo (New York) 11-14 October 2001, pp. 350-355
summary	Since October 2000 the authors have operated a laboratory, the Shared Transatlantic Augmented Reality System (STARS), for exploring telepresence in the domestic environment. The authors, an artist and an architect, are conducting a series of experiments to test their hypotheses concerning mixed reality and supportive environments. This paper describes these hypotheses, the purpose and construction of the lab, and preliminary results from the ongoing collaboration.
keywords	Mixed Reality, Cybrid, Art, Cyberspace, CAiiA-STAR
series	ACADIA
email
last changed	2022/06/07 07:54

_id	caadria2010_043
id	caadria2010_043
authors	Barker, Tom and M. Hank Haeusler
year	2010
title	Urban digital media: facilitating the intersection between science, the arts and culture in the arena of technology and building
doi	https://doi.org/10.52842/conf.caadria.2010.457
source	Proceedings of the 15th International Conference on Computer Aided Architectural Design Research in Asia / Hong Kong 7-10 April 2010, pp. 457-466
summary	The research presented in this paper investigates ways of providing better design applications for technologies in the field of Urban Digital Media (UDM). The work takes an emergent approach, evolving a design strategy through the early engagement of stakeholders. The paper discusses research in a design-led creative intersection between media technology, culture and the arts in the built environment. The case study discusses opportunities for the enhancement of a university campus experience, learning culture and community, through the provision of an integrated digital presence within campus architecture and urban spaces. It considers types of information architecture (Manovich, 2001) and designs for use in urban settings to create communication-rich, advanced and interactive designed spaces (Haeusler, 2009). The presented research investigates how to create a strategy for display technologies and networked communications to transform and augment the constructed reality of the built environment, allowing new formats of media activity.
keywords	Urban design; outdoor digital media; information architecture; multidisciplinary design; augmented reality; media facades
series	CAADRIA
email
last changed	2022/06/07 07:54

_id	bbfa
authors	Donath, D., Beetz, J., Grether, K., Petzold, F. and Seichter, H.
year	2001
title	Augmented Reality Techniques for Design and Revitalisation in Existing Built Environments
doi	https://doi.org/10.52842/conf.acadia.2001.322
source	Reinventing the Discourse - How Digital Tools Help Bridge and Transform Research, Education and Practice in Architecture [Proceedings of the Twenty First Annual Conference of the Association for Computer-Aided Design in Architecture / ISBN 1-880250-10-1] Buffalo (New York) 11-14 October 2001, pp. 322-329
summary	Building activity in Germany is moving increasingly toward combined newbuild and renovation projects. Essential for effective computer-aided planning within an existing context is not only the use of on-site computer-aided measurement tools but also an integrative cooperation between the different disciplines involved via an information and communication system. Interdisciplinary cooperation needs to be tailored to the integrative aspects in renovation and revitalisation work. Economic factors determine the viability of an architectural project, and reliable costing information is vital. Existing IT-approaches to this problem are not yet sufficiently exploited. In ongoing research at our university (collaborative research center ”Materials and Structure in the Revitalisation of Buildings”) methods and techniques of revitalisation are being investigated. A special branch of the collaborative research center is investigating possibilities of computer-aided building measurement and communication platforms for professional disciplines (www.uni-weimar.de/sfb). The aim is to develop a general approach to the revitalisation of buildings. This paper discusses possible application areas of AR/VR techniques in the revitalisation of buildings from the point of view of the user and are based on the real project “Cooling factory Gera”. Based on the necessities of revitalisation projects, technical requirements are developed. The project is funded by the Deutsche Forschungsgesellschaft (DFG).
keywords	Augmented Reality, Architecture, Modernization, Measurement
series	ACADIA
email
last changed	2022/06/07 07:55

_id	1229
authors	Donath, D., Beetz, N., Grether, K., Kruijff, E., Petzold, F. and Seichter, H.
year	2001
title	Cooling Factory, a concrete project to test new architectural applications for augmented reality
source	Venetia Giagourta, Michael G. Strintzis (ed.): International Conference on Augmented, Virtual Environments and Three-Dimensional Imaging, Verlag Myconos, pp. 14-17
summary	This paper will discuss possible fields of applications of AR/VR for revitalization of buildings from a user's perspective. Considerations are based on the real-world project "Cooling factory Gera". The project is founded by "Deutsche Forschungsgesellschaft (DFG)".
series	other
email
last changed	2003/02/26 18:58

_id	7f13
authors	Gatermann, Harald
year	2001
title	First step to augmented reality: Combining vrml and pano-photos
doi	https://doi.org/10.52842/conf.caadria.2001.219
source	CAADRIA 2001 [Proceedings of the Sixth Conference on Computer Aided Architectural Design Research in Asia / ISBN 1-86487-096-6] Sydney 19-21 April 2001, pp. 219-230
summary	VRML as a world-wide standard for describing 3D-geometry is enhanced by using panorama-photography for realistic backgrounds - other than in quicktime-vr it is possible to move around by using several vrml-nodes.
series	CAADRIA
email
last changed	2022/06/07 07:51

_id	ecaade2009_014
id	ecaade2009_014
authors	Haeusler, Matthias Hank
year	2009
title	Media-Augmented Surfaces: Embedding Media Technology into Architectural Surface to Allow a Constant Shift between Static Architectural Surface and Dynamic Digital Display
doi	https://doi.org/10.52842/conf.ecaade.2009.483
source	Computation: The New Realm of Architectural Design [27th eCAADe Conference Proceedings / ISBN 978-0-9541183-8-9] Istanbul (Turkey) 16-19 September 2009, pp. 483-490
summary	The way screens are attached to architecture at present limits architectural surfaces to carriers of signs. The research presented in this paper offers a possible solution that allows architectural surfaces to be both a space-defining element that has certain architectural material qualities and at the same time allows media technology to be embedded. These surfaces can alter their state from static material to dynamic image in an instance. The paper presents a prototype capable of fulfilling this requirement. It also positions the research within the architectural discussion by comparing it to works of others and confirming its research value by reference to work in a similar direction. Finally, the paper evaluates the research and concludes that it could offer a ‘fabric’ to be used as a sort of media clothing for architecture in the electronic age (Ito, 2001).
wos	WOS:000334282200058
keywords	Media facade technology, media-augmented spaces, architectural screen design, media architecture, digital displays
series	eCAADe
email
last changed	2022/06/07 07:51

_id	7897
authors	Achten, Henri and De Vries, Bauke
year	2001
title	Multiple Sketch Users in DDDoolz
source	Stellingwerff, Martijn and Verbeke, Johan (Eds.), ACCOLADE - Architecture, Collaboration, Design. Delft University Press (DUP Science) / ISBN 90-407-2216-1 / The Netherlands, pp. 153-162 [Book ordering info: m.c.stellingwerff@bk.tudelft.nl]
summary	This paper presents DDDoolz, a desktop-VR three-dimensional voxel sketchtool. DDDoolz is developed in the Design Systems Group to explore the use of Virtual Reality technology in the early design stage. The aim is to offer a sketch-like environment in VR with an unobtrusive interface. The paper presents DDDoolz, how it is used in education and with partners in architectural practice, and some future developments. As an extension to current functionality, the possibility of multiple users at the same time will be developed in the system for the {ACCOLADE} workshop.
series	other
email
last changed	2001/09/14 21:30

_id	9c0c
authors	Af Klercker, Jonas and HenrichsÈn, Jan
year	2001
title	Can simulations in VE support architects in solving complex design problems?
source	Stellingwerff, Martijn and Verbeke, Johan (Eds.), ACCOLADE - Architecture, Collaboration, Design. Delft University Press (DUP Science) / ISBN 90-407-2216-1 / The Netherlands, pp. 77-82 [Book ordering info: m.c.stellingwerff@bk.tudelft.nl]
summary	Building design is facing development of industrialization of the production on the one hand and more complex 'One of a Kind' products on the other. This will be for rebuilding of a large stock of existing buildings and what can be left to new production. In both cases the results of the design process have to be solid to guarantee a successful product. In both cases an integrated and careful design process is absolutely crucial. The demands on the built environment make the systems of buildings more and more complex and have to be handled by a lot of different expertise. To avoid the 'Relay Race' of today the design teams of tomorrow must work much more integrated. To make integrated solutions, which means simultaneous constrains on all systems, the experts of different fields have to understand more of how all engaged systems relate and influence each other. Communication then consists of complex situations and processes that have to be understood and related to reality. In this aspect a multidimensional Virtual Environment interface has advantages and has been successfully used in design processes in other industries. In this paper the problems that have to be studied are for example Methodical, Conceptual, Technical and Process economical.
series	other
email
last changed	2001/09/14 21:30

_id	avocaad_2001_18
id	avocaad_2001_18
authors	Aleksander Asanowicz
year	2001
title	The End of Methodology - Towards New Integration
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	The present paper is devoted to the deliberation on the genesis and development of designing from the point of view of the potential use of computers in the process. Moreover, it also presents the great hopes which were connected with the use of the systematic designing methods in the 1960’s, as well as the great disappointment resulting from the lack of concrete results. At this time a great deal of attention was paid to the process of design as a branch of a wider process of problem-solving. Many people believed that the intuitive methods of design traditionally used by architects were incapable of dealing with the complexity of the problems to be solved. Therefore, the basic problem was the definition of a vertical structure of the designing process, which would make it possible to optimise each process of architectural design. The studies of design methodology directed at the codification of the norms of actions have not brought about any solutions which could be commonly accepted, as the efforts to present the designing process as a formally logical one and one that is not internally “uncontrary” from the mathematical point of view, were doomed to fail. Moreover, the difficulties connected with the use of the computer in designing were caused by the lack of a graphic interface, which is so very characteristic of an architect’s workshop. In result, the methodology ceased to be the main area of the architect’s interest and efforts were focused on facilitating the method of the designer’s communication with the computer. New tools were created, which enabled both the automatic generation of diversity and the creation of forms on the basis of genetic algorithms, as well as the presentation of the obtained results in the form of rendering, animation and VRML. This was the end of the general methodology of designing and the beginning of a number of methods solving the partial problems of computer-supported design. The present situation can be described with the words of Ian Stewart as a “chaotic run in all directions”. An immediate need for new integration is felt. Cyber-real space could be a solution to the problem. C-R-S is not a virtual reality understood as an unreal world. Whilst VR could be indeed treated as a sort of an illusion, C-R-S is a much more realistic being, defining the area in which the creative activities are taking place. The architect gains the possibility of having a direct contact with the form he or she is creating. Direct design enables one to creatively use the computer technology in the designing process. The intelligent system of recognising speech, integrated with the system of virtual reality, will allow to create an environment for the designer – computer communication which will be most natural to the person. The elimination of this obstacle will facilitate the integration of the new methods into one designing environment. The theoretical assumptions of such an environment are described in the present paper.
series	AVOCAAD
email
last changed	2005/09/09 10:48

_id	0e58
authors	Campbell, D.A. and Wells, M.
year	1994
title	A Critique of Virtual Reality in the Architectural Design Process, R-94-3
source	Human Interface Technology Laboratory, University of Washington, Seattle, USA, http://www.hitl.washington.edu/publications/r-94-3/: 23 May 2001
summary	An addition to a building was designed using virtual reality (VR). The project was part of a design studio for graduate students of architecture. During the design process a detailed journal of activities was kept. In addition, the design implemented with VR was compared to designs implemented with more traditional methods. Both immersive and non-immersive VR simulations were attempted. Part of the rationale for exploring the use of VR in this manner was to develop insight into how VR techniques can be incorporated into the architectural design process, and to provide guidance for the implementers of future VR systems. This paper describes the role of VR in schematic design, through design development to presentation and evaluation. In addition, there are some comments on the effects of VR on detailed design. VR proved to be advantageous in several phases of the design. However, several shortcomings in both hardware and software became apparent. These are described, and a number of recommendations are provided.
series	other
email
last changed	2003/04/23 15:50

_id	adaa
authors	Cheng, Nancy Yen-wen and Pat-Yak Lee, Edwin
year	2001
title	Depicting Daylighting: Types of Multiple Image Display
doi	https://doi.org/10.52842/conf.acadia.2001.282
source	Reinventing the Discourse - How Digital Tools Help Bridge and Transform Research, Education and Practice in Architecture [Proceedings of the Twenty First Annual Conference of the Association for Computer-Aided Design in Architecture / ISBN 1-880250-10-1] Buffalo (New York) 11-14 October 2001, pp. 282-291
summary	This study looks at how interior daylighting can be understood through Web page representations. It examines how image size, sequence vs. simultaneity and interaction mode affect legibility. We formatted a set of daylighting images into different presentations using still images, animations and Quicktime Virtual Reality (QTVR). Querying architectural designers about the formats allowed us to identify usability issues, refine the alternatives, and characterize their attributes. Viewers generally preferred interactive selection of a single large image from multiple thumbnails over two or more smaller still, animated or interactive views. Smaller multiple images allow perusal of the range of lighting conditions and identification of situations for more detailed study. By rating and graphing interface, image and usability characteristics, we illustrate how photorealistic, symbolic and analytical images complement each other. We found that combining complementary representations in simultaneously or in sequence provides greatest legibility.
keywords	Digital Media, Representation, Daylighting
series	ACADIA
email
last changed	2022/06/07 07:55

_id	51a0
authors	Conti, G., Ucelli, G. and Maver, T.
year	2001
title	JCAD-VR: Java Collaborative Architectural Design Tool in Virtual Reality - A Java3D based scalable framework for real-time, multiplatform VR environments
doi	https://doi.org/10.52842/conf.ecaade.2001.454
source	Architectural Information Management [19th eCAADe Conference Proceedings / ISBN 0-9523687-8-1] Helsinki (Finland) 29-31 August 2001, pp. 454-459
summary	This paper proposes a framework that provides the architect with a tool that uses Virtual Reality (VR) as part of the design path. It offers the possibility to deploy a system capable of assisting the design profession during the early stages of the design process. This way VR becomes the means for a new experience where the architect can, free from constraints of the 2D world, create and manipulate the space she/he is designing. The idea upon which JCAD-VR is being built is that all the users present in the virtual world have to be able to share the same virtual environment in a “transparent fashion” where the user interface, instead of the traditional menu/windows based layout, it is part of the virtual world itself. The aim is to provide the designer with a tool for creating 3D-shapes in a shared VR environment, thus allowing the design to be shared as it evolves.
keywords	Collaborative Design, Virtual Reality, Java 3D, Distributed Environment
series	eCAADe
email
last changed	2022/06/07 07:56

_id	fe1b
authors	Do, Ellen Yi-Luen
year	2001
title	VR Sketchpad. Create Instant 3D Worlds by Sketching on a Transparent Window
source	Proceedings of the Ninth International Conference on Computer Aided Architectural Design Futures [ISBN 0-7923-7023-6] Eindhoven, 8-11 July 2001, pp. 161-172
summary	This paper describes VR Sketchpad, a pen-based computing environment for inputting and locating 3D objects in a virtual world. Designer can use the transparency layers to quickly trace and extract any image underlay from other application software. The 3D scene generation has three levels of complexity: simple extrusion of any drawn lines of shapes (i.e., straight or curved wall and column extrusion), solid modelling from a given geometric object representation (spheres, cones and boxes), and complex configuration with objects from graphics library (furniture layout).
keywords	Pen-Based Interface, Freehand Sketches, Diagramming, Transparent Window, Virtual Reality Modelling Language (VRML)
series	CAAD Futures
email
last changed	2006/11/07 07:22

_id	40a6
authors	Ennis, Gareth and Lindsay, Malcolm
year	2001
title	VRGLASGOW.CO.UK implementation of internet multi-user functionality to Glasgow's virtual city
source	Stellingwerff, Martijn and Verbeke, Johan (Eds.), ACCOLADE - Architecture, Collaboration, Design. Delft University Press (DUP Science) / ISBN 90-407-2216-1 / The Netherlands, pp. 135-142 [Book ordering info: m.c.stellingwerff@bk.tudelft.nl]
summary	The development of the Virtual Reality Modelling Language (VRML) for the Internet has resulted in the emergence of a multiplicity of 3D web sites. The metaphor used by these sites varies enormously from virtual galleries to virtual cities and style varies from abstract to reality. Additionally these worlds are populated by virtual objects, some having reactive or interactive properties, including movement, audio, video, databases, artificial intelligence etc. Perhaps the most stimulating embodiment of these new environments are those that offer the participant the opportunity to meet and communicate with other visitors exploring the same virtual space/world. The Glasgow Directory is an established 3D web space, with around 10,000 visitors per year. The model represents approximayely 10,000 properties in the city and is populated by contextual information on its culture and socio-economic topography. This paper will describe the background to this VR space, and suggest a set of design criteria for successfully deploying multi-user software within this and similar environments. These criteria will take into account lessons learned by 'observing' and analysing how participants interact with the existing system under different conditions and also what benefits they perceive on entering the environment via the multi-user interface. These recommendations will hopefully be applicable to a wide spectrum of internet virtual environment builders and users.
series	other
email
last changed	2001/09/14 21:30

_id	3dcd
authors	Ennis, Gary and Maver, Tom
year	2001
title	Visit VR Glasgow - Welcoming multiple visitors to the Virtual City
doi	https://doi.org/10.52842/conf.ecaade.2001.423
source	Architectural Information Management [19th eCAADe Conference Proceedings / ISBN 0-9523687-8-1] Helsinki (Finland) 29-31 August 2001, pp. 423-429
summary	The development of the Virtual Reality Modelling Language (VRML) for the Internet has resulted in the emergence of a multiplicity of 3D web sites. The metaphor used by these sites varies enormously from virtual galleries to virtual cities and style varies from abstract to reality. Additionally these worlds are populated by virtual objects, some having reactive or interactive properties, including movement, audio, video, databases, artificial intelligence etc. Perhaps the most stimulating embodiment of these new environments are those that offer the participant the opportunity to meet and communicate with other visitors exploring the same virtual space/world. The Glasgow Directory is an established 3D web space, with around 10,000 visitors per year. The model represents approximately 10,000 properties in the city and is populated by contextual information on its culture and socio-economic topography. This paper describes the background to this VR space, and suggests a set of design criteria for successfully deploying multi-user software within this and similar environments. These criteria take into account lessons learned by ‘observing’ and analysing how participants interact with the existing system under different conditions and also what benefits they perceive on entering the environment via the multi-user interface. These recommendations will hopefully be applicable to a wide spectrum of internet virtual environment builders and users.
keywords	Virtual, City, 3-D, Databases, Interaction
series	eCAADe
email
last changed	2022/06/07 07:55

_id	avocaad_2001_22
id	avocaad_2001_22
authors	Jos van Leeuwen, Joran Jessurun
year	2001
title	XML for Flexibility an Extensibility of Design Information Models
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	The VR-DIS research programme aims at the development of a Virtual Reality – Design Information System. This is a design and decision support system for collaborative design that provides a VR interface for the interaction with both the geometric representation of a design and the non-geometric information concerning the design throughout the design process. The major part of the research programme focuses on early stages of design. The programme is carried out by a large number of researchers from a variety of disciplines in the domain of construction and architecture, including architectural design, building physics, structural design, construction management, etc.Management of design information is at the core of this design and decision support system. Much effort in the development of the system has been and still is dedicated to the underlying theory for information management and its implementation in an Application Programming Interface (API) that the various modules of the system use. The theory is based on a so-called Feature-based modelling approach and is described in the PhD thesis by [first author, 1999] and in [first author et al., 2000a]. This information modelling approach provides three major capabilities: (1) it allows for extensibility of conceptual schemas, which is used to enable a designer to define new typologies to model with; (2) it supports sharing of conceptual schemas, called type-libraries; and (3) it provides a high level of flexibility that offers the designer the opportunity to easily reuse design information and to model information constructs that are not foreseen in any existing typologies. The latter aspect involves the capability to expand information entities in a model with relationships and properties that are not typologically defined but applicable to a particular design situation only; this helps the designer to represent the actual design concepts more accurately.The functional design of the information modelling system is based on a three-layered framework. In the bottom layer, the actual design data is stored in so-called Feature Instances. The middle layer defines the typologies of these instances in so-called Feature Types. The top layer is called the meta-layer because it provides the class definitions for both the Types layer and the Instances layer; both Feature Types and Feature Instances are objects of the classes defined in the top layer. This top layer ensures that types can be defined on the fly and that instances can be created from these types, as well as expanded with non-typological properties and relationships while still conforming to the information structures laid out in the meta-layer.The VR-DIS system consists of a growing number of modules for different kinds of functionality in relation with the design task. These modules access the design information through the API that implements the meta-layer of the framework. This API has previously been implemented using an Object-Oriented Database (OODB), but this implementation had a number of disadvantages. The dependency of the OODB, a commercial software library, was considered the most problematic. Not only are licenses of the OODB library rather expensive, also the fact that this library is not common technology that can easily be shared among a wide range of applications, including existing applications, reduces its suitability for a system with the aforementioned specifications. In addition, the OODB approach required a relatively large effort to implement the desired functionality. It lacked adequate support to generate unique identifications for worldwide information sources that were understandable for human interpretation. This strongly limited the capabilities of the system to share conceptual schemas.The approach that is currently being implemented for the core of the VR-DIS system is based on eXtensible Markup Language (XML). Rather than implementing the meta-layer of the framework into classes of Feature Types and Feature Instances, this level of meta-definitions is provided in a document type definition (DTD). The DTD is complemented with a set of rules that are implemented into a parser API, based on the Document Object Model (DOM). The advantages of the XML approach for the modelling framework are immediate. Type-libraries distributed through Internet are now supported through the mechanisms of namespaces and XLink. The implementation of the API is no longer dependent of a particular database system. This provides much more flexibility in the implementation of the various modules of the VR-DIS system. Being based on the (supposed to become) standard of XML the implementation is much more versatile in its future usage, specifically in a distributed, Internet-based environment.These immediate advantages of the XML approach opened the door to a wide range of applications that are and will be developed on top of the VR-DIS core. Examples of these are the VR-based 3D sketching module [VR-DIS ref., 2000]; the VR-based information-modelling tool that allows the management and manipulation of information models for design in a VR environment [VR-DIS ref., 2000]; and a design-knowledge capturing module that is now under development [first author et al., 2000a and 2000b]. The latter module aims to assist the designer in the recognition and utilisation of existing and new typologies in a design situation. The replacement of the OODB implementation of the API by the XML implementation enables these modules to use distributed Feature databases through Internet, without many changes to their own code, and without the loss of the flexibility and extensibility of conceptual schemas that are implemented as part of the API. Research in the near future will result in Internet-based applications that support designers in the utilisation of distributed libraries of product-information, design-knowledge, case-bases, etc.The paper roughly follows the outline of the abstract, starting with an introduction to the VR-DIS project, its objectives, and the developed theory of the Feature-modelling framework that forms the core of it. It briefly discusses the necessity of schema evolution, flexibility and extensibility of conceptual schemas, and how these capabilities have been addressed in the framework. The major part of the paper describes how the previously mentioned aspects of the framework are implemented in the XML-based approach, providing details on the so-called meta-layer, its definition in the DTD, and the parser rules that complement it. The impact of the XML approach on the functionality of the VR-DIS modules and the system as a whole is demonstrated by a discussion of these modules and scenarios of their usage for design tasks. The paper is concluded with an overview of future work on the sharing of Internet-based design information and design knowledge.
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