Advantage is Computation to the Architectural Industry: an empirical approach through the Case study

[Year of Publication]

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

I would take this opportunity to thank my research supervisor, family and friends for their support and guidance without which this research would not have been possible.

DECLARATION

I [type your full first names and surname here], declare that the contents of this dissertation/thesis represent my own unaided work, and that the dissertation/thesis has not previously been submitted for academic examination towards any qualification. Furthermore, it represents my own opinions and not necessarily those of the University.

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ABSTRACT

A 3D reconstruction of an urban area for Virtual Worlds (VWs) or Serious Games (SGs) requires a careful trade-off among the 3D models' realism, weight and development time. This has led us to the definition of an algorithm - the Architectonic Style Area (ASA) algorithm - for procedural generation of buildings in an urban area, based on the concept of “architectonic likelihood”, that intends to give players the sense of being in a particular city or even specific area of a city. This has a cognitive foundation in the fact that, after a visit, a tourist typically does not remember every single palace of a city, but remembers - beside the most important monuments and buildings - its general features and its architectonic styles. The algorithm extrudes 2D maps and composes façades by statistically assembling sample images of architectonic components from the target city. Components are classified in an ontology based on the classic principles of architecture. The algorithm relies on rules that encode the semantics of the ontology.

The paper describes the algorithm and the related easy-to-use visual authoring tool. It also shows the results in two different projects: a SG for the promotion of the cultural heritage and a 3D movie. Results show that the approach allows keeping the realism of every single building at good detail and of the overall scene, while dropping a huge work of image collection and processing for the textures. Comparisons are investigated with regard to state of the art urban modeling methods, highlighting the differences and possible synergies.

Keywords

3D virtual reconstructions; Procedural modeling; 3D urban modeling; Virtual worlds; Serious games; Simulation; Cultural heritage; Textures; Architectural semantics and ontology

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT2

DECLARATION3

ABSTRACT4

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION6

Background of the Study6

Scope of the Research6

Objective of the Study6

Outline of the Research7

CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW8

The likelihood principle8

Computer-Aided Design (CAD) and Computer-Aided Manufacturing (CAM)9

The Origins of CAD/CAM and Their Importance for Architects9

Future of CAD/CAM systems in the field of architecture11

Advantages of CAD/CAM tools for architects12

Building information modeling in the field of architecture14

Structures15

Calculations16

Sustainability16

Structural Engineering17

BIM as the standard design approach17

Analysis constructability18

Programming and Control18

Traditional Practices19

Benefits of these technologies for architecture students20

CHAPTER 3: CASE STUDIES22

CHAPTER 3: DATA METHODOLOGY24

The Architectural Style Area (ASA) algorithm24

Definition of the Style Areas (SAs) in a city24

Definition of the building templates (Styles)25

The façade synthesis algorithm27

Sample computation30

Output sample and discussion31

The ASA Builder tool34

Template creator34

Façade Builder35

CHAPTER 4: RESULTS AND DISCUSSION37

CHAPTER 5: CONCLUSIONS43

REFERENCES44

REFERENCES46

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION

Background of the Study

A 3D reconstruction of an urban area for educational applications, such as simulations, Virtual Worlds (VWs) and Serious Games (SGs) requires a trade-off between the ...