Conclusion

This proposed solution is predicted to be an effective and relevant way for virtual reality to begin to enhance the architectural design process and further meet peoples needs to maximise potential creativity and to inform design decision making.  Effectively, this provides opportunities for users to reassess the way they interact with visual communication in the design process.

To enable a successful adoption of VR, users and products must not think of themselves as direct extensions of existing design process’s, but however must first investigate the user and industry issues that require attention.  Only then can steps be made to truly influence the design process for the better.

What ever VR solution that eventually evolves from these early processes, efforts must be ensured to not completely cannibalise existing methods.

As the current financial climate resonates through the architectural industry it is especially important to address relevant VR technologies and opportunities to ensure that maximum effort is directed towards continually improving creativity and appropriate information to inform design decision making. 

With the advent of current virtual reality technology, and future glimses of what the future will bring, also brings with it a great responsibility.

This responsibility falls on the shoulders of the software developers, but also on the current users within the industry.  It is essential that all efforts are made to ensure that VR is introduced in a useful and beneficial manor, and not just for the sake of introducing new technology.

For users to successfully integrate GE into their design process they would be required to install GE into their PC or mobile device (currently only iPhone / iTouch).  If users do not already have GE installed a link could be provided to enable quick installation. 

GE is a relatively small download at only 25mb (8.9mb on iPhone) and most PC`s should run it smoothly.

The majority of functions of GE are available as a free download however content such as high resolution maps and movie maker are only included in GE Pro.

Google Earth  |  Free

Google Earth lets you fly anywhere on Earth to view satellite imagery, maps, terrain, 3D buildings and even explore galaxies in the Sky. You can explore rich geographical content, save your toured places and share with others.

Google Earth Pro   |   $400

Ideal for an organization, upgrade to Pro to access the ultimate research, presentation, and collaboration tool for location-specific information.

        Google Earth Plus     |     $20

Upgrade to Plus to add GPS device support, faster performance, the ability to import spreadsheets, and higher resolution printing.

        (http://earth.google.com)

Existing GE architecture will be used where ever possible which minimises the amount of coding development required.  This reduces initial cost outlay and also lead time and training expense.  All these are favourable as all issues raised are currently realistic in today’s climate.  Especially if strong links can be made with existing SketchUp users as seamless integration would reduce new software skills to be developed.

Other applications of GE can be investigated including its migration onto mobile devices such as Apples iPhone and iTouch. 

Please View       http://www.google.com/mobile/apple/earth.html

As mobile technology becomes more stable and able to handle more intense information, the opportunity to view GE content while on site has great potential to view existing and proposed designs.

Although GE remains a free download on iPhone / iTouch the use of such mobile technology would be dependant on cost and investment into the mobile device itself.  This would require time for existing mobile devices to be replaced with as the current benefits of this service would not warrant the outlay of cost for this service.

This service doesn’t not currently incorporate file sharing and 3D model import.  Once this is integrated as the main application stronger benefits will be clearly supported.

Google are currently developing the use of GE into existing web browser technology.  The main aim is to incorporate GE into websites, thus alleviating the need to run GE as a separate download. 

The ability to incorporate GE in such a manor would allow potential to gather statistical data regarding feedback from users, amount of users etc.  This could be especially useful when presenting ideas to the public, rather than using traditional plans and images they could navigate the design from a website.

e.g. The use of the 2012 Olympic Stadium site could be incorporated into the 2012 Olympic website allowing users to visit the site prior to the opening of the games.  This could allow the public to warm to site, thus having a positive effect on the overall impact of the design. 

However this could also generate negativity if the reality of the project did not live up to expectation caused by the virtual environment.  Further negative aspects of such an example could occur through security issues.  If anyone could effectively see entrance / exits and have full knowledge of the site this could generate the ability to enhance possible terrorist attacks, such as the way in which flight simulation software was used as a training device for the September 11^th attack on America.

To fully ensure that this proposed solution does indeed address the areas highlighted by users, a staged based approach will ensure that greater focus is paid to developing the most beneficial response.  This will ensure minimal costs and time it takes to adopt the service, and ensure that the results are quickly delivered to the market as soon the desired results are achieved. 

I have introduced the Google Earth prototype to a number of colleagues and the response was extremely positive.  Many of the concepts which where addressed from the user study were seen as a highly successful first step towards creating a user friendly platform to implement VR into working practice.

Responses ranged from,

“Wow, I didn’t know you could do that.”

To,

“So that’s all it takes. . . . let me have a go.”

Although it was important for me to gain feedback from a small focus group, efforts were made to keep the innovation discrete at this point.  Full presentation of this prototype will be introduced after final amendments. 

Ethical Issues

Google Earth has been criticized by a number of special interest groups, including national officials, as being an invasion of privacy and even posing a threat to national security. The typical argument is that the software provides information about military or other critical installations that could be used by terrorists. The following is a selection of such concerns:

In October 2007, The Guardian reported that the al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades were using Google Earth to plan Qassam rocket attacks on Israel.  (Chassay, C. 2007)

Currently GE does allow users to walk around however this is limited to its existing ground plane.  If any imported content / 3D model sits above this, there is no collision detection thus users will just fall through the mesh.

Users can zoom down to eye level however navigation from here can be tricky and cause confusing results.

SketchUp provides a great walk around tool.  Currently, this is a beneficial alternative and due to both GE and SketchUp being owned by Google this is surely only a matter of time before it is implemented.

4.7       Solution 3 – Animation

One of the largest requests of VR from the user study was an increase in the use of animation.  Animation allows people to access a design and see what is happening.  This feature was highlighted to be of significant interest to users since it goes beyond standard methods of communication and gives the viewer a tour of the design.

Animation provides numerous benefits for different users –

Initial Design Review

Design Review

Presentation

At this time GE does not incorporate traditional user friendly controls to generate animations as we have come to expect, however GE Pro does include a “make movie” option which allows the user to capture a) realtime navigation of GE, b) Predefined positions with animated navigation between these points.

This allows the user the ability to highlight specific points of interest.

Initial Design Review -                To show what’s going on / how the design is looking

Design Review –                         GE includes the option to capture realtime GE navigation.  Full design reviews could take place in GE including adding notes, areas of concern, viewpoint selection etc.  This animated review can then be communicated to others in the design team.

Presentation –                            Although the majority of content on GE (e.g. 3D models) is contained around major cities, this does allow us to see its potential.

However, as it can all be captured in realtime, this does allow users a platform to generate animations when time constraints can normally suffocate the ability to generate animated content.

These video files can then be incorporated into standard presentations through using video clips or by incorporating stills.

The second option that was highlighted from the user studies was the ability to view the proposed development in different lighting situations.  Currently within existing VR capabilities this is available however only with basic graphical representation.

This is in line with the objective of keeping users engaged and encourage them to assess their designs in varying lighting conditions through specific times of year.  This is not anticipated to be as popular as some of the other ideas VR has to offer at its current capacity however, is relatively easy to implement and adds additional areas of interest into design.  Currently GE does not support shadow casting, which is unfortunate as this is a major element of concern in our current practice.

E.g.  On a previous project the architectural team allocated a large area of land for us (landscape architects) to address.  The architects had little concern that the area the had suggested for the landscape was in shade for the majority of the year due to large existing buildings.  Only through shadow analysis could we communicate this issue effectively for the issue to be readdressed. 

In other VR applications the ability to control the lighting scenarios in realtime is one of the fundamental issues which I believe will draw users away from existing methods and onto VR.  Currently we have to light the scene and then wait for a render of the result.  This time required for the rendering process limits the amount of test that can be achieved thus often the best result is capped by time constraints.  By seeing lighting and shadows in realtime users could explore many more options and make better, more informed decisions.

GE only provides a basic lighting system however adding this type of control to users will only increase the rate of adoption and help develop this area for future use.

One of the key responses from the user study identified the need for the user to explore the design in 3D and have the ability to determine viewpoint selection, either for design review or for viewpoint selection for CGI`s etc.

Having the ability to explore the design in 3D would give a greater sense of scale and space, and also allows the user to see their design in context.

An example of where this would have been useful on a previous project would be where I was working with a team in another office and due to the fact that they couldn’t see my screen, the task of viewpoint selection went on for a number of days.  Even after these had been selected and I had spent between 3 – 5 days working them up it was decided to adjust one of the viewpoints by a few metres, thus effectively wasting the time I had already spent on the project.

The ability to email the architect my model in GE would allow them to view the design with the client at very early stages of the process, allowing them to send me back the viewpoints they require.  This could be either through directly emailing me screen shots of the view or sending me their update model back with updated views.

In this instance, GE would provide a platform to allow the user the tools to make more informed design decisions.

Alternatively, for design review the user / client have the ability to spin round the design and add notes on any part of the design.  These comments can be directly emailed back, and can be addressed.  This again emphasises the potential platform VR has as a design review tool.

Solution

4.1       C2)      Describe

Due to the response generated by the research into the requirements and needs of users in the architectural design process, it is clear that a form of visual representation that can address gaps in the current process should be fully explored to increase creativity and communication, thus informing design decision making.

Ultimately there is a sufficient need to extend the current methods of visual communication buy incorporating a platform for virtual reality into the design process.  Thus, the proposed solution is to evaluate current breakthrough VR technologies and apply examples to working architectural projects.

Current VR applications

Quest 3D           http://www.quest3d.com                        Price                 1249.00 Eur

As far as current VR applications go Quest 3D generates a fairly nice result.  Many examples in their advertising and web gallery look good.  Even without considering the cost, the main concern with this application is that it requires additional training to be able to utilise its potential.  This would eliminate the majority of users and limit its adoption to only minimal numbers within the design team or practice.  This along with the cost would make this more appropriate for specialist use.

Turntool            http://www.turntool.com                        Price                 798.00 Eur

The key benefit to Turntool is its ease of use.  You receive a plug-in which incorporates into your current 3D application and you are ready to go.  However, the majority of users would not have access to 3D applications such as 3D Studio Max.  So again, similarly to Quest 3D, this is best suited to specialist application.

Google Earth      http://earth.google.com/             Price                 FREE, $20, $400

The release of Google Earth in mid 2006 to the public caused a more than tenfold increase in media coverage on virtual globes between 2006 and 2007, driving public interest in geospatial technologies and applications.  Google Earth, together with its sister application Google SketchUp have become readily adopted into the architectural industry through various stages of the design process.  This being said, Google Earth is not currently heavily utilised to view models and virtual environments, and rather is used as a mapping and aerial photo resourse.  Although it isnt being used in this way, its main benefit is that it is already installed on the majority of PC`s (At least it is in our practice).

After analysis of the user response survey there are many considerations that need to be addressed prior to selecting a particular software, engine.  For instance –

Money               Money occurred as the key reason VR had not yet / in the near future be readily adopted.  Instead, users admitted that they would wait until costs reduce and adopt at a later stage of innovation.

Time                 “There is never enough time”.  Time can be addressed on 2 levels –

1)      VR should need minimal learning time to use.

2)      VR should be able to be used in tight timescales, and ideally be able to generate prototypes and imagery in these short deadlines.

User Friendly     This obviously affects the time issue.  Users haven’t got time to learn complex applications, so any use of VR should not interfere with existing practice.

Quality              Strong contrasts were made regarding the general look of VR –

“Top end would be influential. . . Poor quality graphics would be less than useless.”

Compatibility      “Although there are products which are good, they are unique and so the compatibility to other software – which makes VR expensive due to converters / plug-ins etc.”

Taking into account the user responses, and diffusion of technology through this industry, I believe Google Earth will have a more successful rate of adoption in displaying content in this manor. 

This is predominantly due to –

1)                  Most architecture practices using Google Sketchup and Google Earth.

2)                  Google Earth is a free download, so there is no cost implication.

3)                  Users can navigate their way around their chosen area with user friendly controls.

4)                  Lighting can be manually adjusted by users, allowing interactive lighting test to be completed in realtime.

5)                  All content and screen grabs can be emailed to clients, designers at the touch of a button.

6)                  Content can be built and added to Google Earth by incorporating Google SketchUp (also a free download)

7)                  You can add photos at specific viewpoint, allowing you to display photos or CGI imagery etc.

                  You can add text descriptions to summarize projects / details.

9)                  You can make movie to capture predefined or real time animations.

Google Earth is a virtual globe, map and geographic information program that was originally called Earth Viewer, and was created by Keyhole, Inc, a company acquired by Google in 2004. It maps the earth by the superimposition of images obtained from satellite imagery, aerial photography and GIS 3D globe. It is available under three different licenses: Google Earth, a free version with limited functionality; Google Earth Plus ($20 per year), which includes additional features; and Google Earth Pro ($400 per year).

It was also made available on the iPhone OS on October 27, 2008, as a free download from the App Store.

4.2

From assessing the range of VR software readily available I believe Google Earth has a good balance of features and has already been established as a must have for the architectural industry.  Thus I see it as a great platform to apply the range of benefits VR has to offer, not just to individuals, but to a whole practice.

The process of adding content to Google Earth is not a new concept, however I do not believe it has been explored to its full potential as a working tool.  It is predominantly used as a viewer, however why not use this for clients to view their designs, or designers to navigate around their ideas?  To summarise, Google Earth is not a new idea however the concept of using it as a fully interactive design tool is.

I raised this concept with a variety of people within the computer graphics industry and received support for this approach of this use of software,

Everyone I talk to in the industry feels that technologies like Google Earth will impact on day-to-day practice, and the subject has been featuring in sessions at conferences for a couple of years now. . . I’m interested in your idea of building a virtual portfolio within Google Earth. That isn’t something I’ve come across before, but it seems a logical use of the technology.  (Thacker, J, 27.11.08)

This exploration into the mass use of VR on a practice indicates the very beginning of how VR will become more mainstream in arch viz, however it is only through mass adoption to this level, that future opportunities such as the Crysis engine (highlighted in section 1.6) – Cry2engine will become more mainstream.

4.3

Although the architectural market is still focused on its current methods of communication of ideas and designs, this will change within the next 5 years as virtual reality and game engines get cheaper and become more readily adopted within the community.  Until this point it is only likely to be adopted by the larger organisation that have the finance to develop the tools for their required needs.

Recently, this has been proven through a number of large architectural firms such as Fosters + Partners, HOK, and HKS utilising such techniques in their practice.

With any new feature, its success is only down to its acceptance of its users.  The use of Google Earth allows users the controls to determine if they (individual, practice, industry) deem it to be a useful method of interaction.

Allowing users the ability to navigate and control the way they interact with their design experience, hands back the control allowing them to make better and more informed design decisions.

This has potential to realign the balance of creativity and technology in the architectural design process, and has potential to be adopted as the favoured way for future design interaction.

There are numerous benefits for this approach.  One of the key barriers that arose from my user study was that VR had not been adopted into current practice was due to cost.  This is of course a natural reaction.  People are very aware that technology cost, and often project fees are stretched to the limit.  Any proposed VR solution would have to have minimal cost implication to even be considered.

Google Earth provides a free, existing infrastructure thus reduces the amount financial risk associated with this type of adoption.  The success of Google Earth has been worldwide and to date has been installed on over 250 million computers.  As a result of this scale of users the general user interface provides a clean and user friendly base for navigation.  After all, if it has be accepted by this volume of people any additional content to this would have reduced barriers of adoption as no new software or navigation skills are required past that of existing use.     

Whilst proposing to extend such a product in this way there are also negative aspects which must be addressed.

On a personal level, as an architectural 3D visualiser the introduction of such user friendly software for mass consumption does sound alarm bells for my existing role.  Many of the techniques being proposed take the control and technical expertise out of my hands, and into others.  There is a fine line between offering additional design solutions, and cannibalising the existing service.  The last thing I want to do is to make myself and my skills redundant.

However, from reflecting on current themes and technologies I believe that VR is going to dominate the way architectural projects are run in the future.  Maybe not in 5 or 10 years, but it will get there.  There are so many benefits which have potential to provide superior methods to that of existing practice, that I believe only by educating people of the full resources currently available can I look to continue my career in this industry in the future.  VR may indeed cannibalise certain aspect of a 3D visualiser`s workload, however this leaves the opportunity to move towards a 3D consultant, and roles that provide support for practice’s.  In short, I feel that VR technology will be highlighted at some point, and I would rather be an early adopter and be in control of its use, rather than follow a predefined trend.

Although the implementation of Google Earth as a VR platform is free, (unless upgraded) time will be required for users to familiarise themselves with this type of interaction.  For this to be fully adopted additional products must be achievable to monetise its output.  Creative design tools are great, however if they do not directly provide a profit (either through winning of bids through presentations, or chargeable work to clients) the product will never be fully adopted to its potential.

User study results suggest that multiple features are of interest to different people.  As a result, the implementation of a VR application that provides a wealth of content and options will allow greater scope for the individual to decide the best solution for the necessary task.

At first it may appear tempting to incorporate all aspects of available options however some degree of caution will need to be adopted to ensure that the core elements are considered and the best solutions are developed through use.  A simpler approach also provides a more realistic method to be accepted as more focussed solutions reduce risk, potential cost and time.  This is emphasised in beginning / launch stages of implementation.

Google Earth incorporates direct links with Google SketchUp allowing models to be imported and explored in Google Earth.  As the amount of users currently utilising SketchUp in current practice is growing, so to could the expansion onto GE.

4.4       C2)      Plan

The plan for cycle 2 is to raise the issues of concern and interest from the user study and practically apply these issues into Google Earth.  (which can be captured with GE`s “movie maker” can then be presented to users).

Introduction

1.1

The way in which we visualize architectural design, its component parts, how it works and how it might be used, has a strong bearing on the built environment we create and inhabit. Emerging tools for design visualization are changing the practice of design itself.  (Whyte, J, 2002)

They provide opportunities, as designers no longer need to be temporally and spatially constrained by previous limitations of sequential decision-making processes. They make it possible to create virtual prototypes, to model attributes and to simulate performance characteristics without having to build full-scale mock-ups. By adding another dimension to the ways in which space can be configured over time, they complement and enhance the value of using face-to-face communications and physical models.

This study provides an insight into the development and use of virtual reality –

“a new tool for design, production and management of the built environment” (Whyte, J, 2002).  It shows how changes are occurring; what they mean for professionals in the project team, clients, managers and end-users; and how new design technologies can influence design decision making in the future. It does so by drawing upon user studies from participants within the architectural industry.

The study will also consider the process of technological change, within the context of design practice and influence that it contribute to the decision making process.

It highlights how virtual reality only became technically possible through developments in a number of underpinning, generic technologies and rapid computing, together with high speed communications infrastructure. The integration of these technologies has opened new possibilities for applications across the spectrum of design, production and management activities.  (Whyte, J, 2002)

Virtual reality tools are being used in many divergent ways across different segments of the design community. There are expectations of further technological refinement and cost reduction, and this is likely to stimulate more widespread use in future. Consideration will be provided to how design organizations – large and small – might benefit by engaging with these new technologies of design. It illustrates the excitement of designing in a multimedia environment and creates a real sense of how we might integrate different parts of the processes of design, production and management to provide better architectural design.

1.2

The realization of architecture from initial project identification to occupation by owners involves a complex system of communication among a diverse group of persons concerned with a wide variety of subjects.  (Whyte, J, 2002)

In order to become a successful architect, the designer needs a creative talent for understanding form and space and excellent communication skills to help him exchange ideas with his design partners, consulting engineers, clients, and users. Through communications, architects can test alternative design concepts and make successful design decisions. Communications help architects find a reasonable way to develop a design and ensure that the design process is moving in the proper direction. The exchange of ideas is significant for the successful progress of architectural design. After all, architecture is the combination of art, engineering, and economics. A poorly designed architectural product will have a severe social and economic impact and is very difficult to correct.

People depend on the senses to communicate. They understand by listening,

touching, smelling, tasting and seeing. While meetings, discussions, and texts can help architectural communication, architecture is fundamentally a visual art. So visual communication during the design process is the predominant medium for understanding.

The common method for representing and communicating information and designs in the architectural industry is preliminarily via 2d drawings and specifications.  This takes the form of two dimensional sections, elevations, and masterplans, all of which require a knowledge base to translate the information. 

Recipients of 2d drawings and specifications will extract the necessary information and interpret it based on their previous experience, background and knowledge.  Each may have different understanding on how the facility will look like when completed . . . The misunderstanding may lead to mistakes which may further lead to additional time and costs.  (Whyte, J, 2002)

Designs and concepts are often most fluid when communicated freely within a design team environment.  The realisation of the design from its identification to its construction involves complex communication between a wide range of people, specialising in their own subjects, from architects to design partners, to engineers and clients.

To allow this process to develop successfully it is essential that an architect embodies strong communication skills throughout the evolution of their design ideas and concepts.  Communication allows testing or concepts and ideas to make better design decisions.

The architectural design process can be broken into the following phases: schematic design, design development, presentation and evaluation, detail development and construction documents, bidding, and administration of the construction. In the schematic design phase the overall characteristics of the building are established. Significant issues are identified, and initial design decisions are made. During the design development phase the specific character and intent of the entire project are described.

Throughout all of these phases, architects find themselves performing a variety of tasks, ranging from the most creative to the utterly mundane. Computers were introduced to the architectural profession with the hope that they would free architects of the mundane, manual tasks, as well as aid in the management of information.

However, CAD has had little impact on the earlier phases of design. Thus, there is a point in the design process when architects and designers must make a mental leap from sketches and study models to CAD representations in two or three dimensions.

It is impossible to imagine designing contemporary architecture without computers. They have enormously accelerated many parts of the design process and opened up astounding new pos­sibilities that have never been imaginable before.

Parametric architecture, interactive architecture, mass customization and file to factory production: all these would not be possible without the use of digital technologies. Ironically, the common use of computers has also drawn designers away from meeting tables and stuck them into a single-player working mode. When we design, we are now confined to our screens and keyboards. We exchange information only when we stop designing.  (Borries, F, V, 2007)

The single-player way of operating in our digital workspaces makes cooperation between different specialists in the design process one of the most serious bottlenecks in a project’s development.

As a result, designs are often just optimized from the point of view of one specialist, while others follow this dominant party, providing solutions for just one, very specific case. “In this way, the whole range of design options that could be worth exploring is not even brought into consideration.” (Borries, F, V, 2007) The modern design process not only takes way too much time, but also hinders us from investigating all possible design alternatives. Given this, a new design method paradigm shift involving a change from single-player to multiplayer design has become an absolute necessity.

The intention of the shift should be not only to accelerate the design process, but, more importantly, to enable the exploration of the whole possible spectrum of design alternatives.  (Borries, F, V, 2007)

1.3

This advancement in computer hardware has made it possible for games developer to creatively produce highly believable interactive 3D virtual environment.

Game engines and its design concept has the capability to represent a realistic virtual environment in real-time.

The integration of CAD and 3D Game Engine to develop a low-cost but still maintaining high performance virtual environments (VE) application is beneficial for those involved heavily in the construction process e.g. architects and contractors to visualize construction facilities before the actual and physical construction exist.

In turn, the advancement of the computer games industry should be realized to benefit other sectors.

Visualization of the desired end product in a virtual environment with real-time walkthrough capabilities will allow for such collaboration among project participants and will assist each party to decide on the means and methods of achieving the project goal.

Current architectural practice is increasingly faced with economical, technological, ecological and formal and aesthetic problems. Architecture still has a mechanistic view of technology, despite the fact that it can provide the formal and theoretical ingredients necessary for innovation. Architects must de­velop new interaction schemes – more organic, but with comparable technological embedding in every respect. The construction of games can serve as a paradigm for this.  (Borries, F, V, 2007)

Many well-known attempts by architects and game designers to capitalize on architectural games have been all too superficially presented and have thus been a welcome excuse for many architects to dismiss the genre as amateur.

Yet through these games, palpably effective methods and technologies for more complex and dynamic systems of modeling, control and interaction were developed; these can achieve far more than what is currently possible in architectural practice.  (Borries, F, V, 2007)

1.4       Example 1         HKS Architects

http://www.archengine.org/  (Please see link)

Adopting the new technology is also helping HKS address long-standing challenges.  The firm had found that clients often have trouble translating two-dimensional images — let alone architectural plans — into accurate ideas of what a building interior space might look like in reality.  “The worst is when a client sees a finished building and says: “That’s not what I expected,” says Pat Carmichael, the company’s advanced technology manager.  (www.archengine.org)

For Carmichael, the potential was clear.  For one, clients can control the point of view with a joystick or keyboard, walking in and around buildings and structures as they would a finished building.  (www.archengine.org)

1.5       Example 2         Fosters + Partners

Imagtp helped Foster+Partners to win the New York Public Library renovation project.

The London based architectural practice, Foster+Partners, is to create a new circulation library in a space below the library’s Rose Reading Room and overlooking Bryant Park that now houses seven levels of stacks and a basement.

Starting with about 30 candidates, the Library was particularly impressed by the architect’s firm efforts and their elaborated visual presentations, the special committee of the Library’s Board of Trustees said.

“They did do a knockout proposal,” said Paul LeClerc, president of the library.  (Toutée, B, 2008)

Our collaboration with Foster+Partners on the New York Library was not limited to the creation of a cutting-edge presentation media. At a very early stage they used our solution to visualise and validate various project’s design options and their complexity.
At the final presentation in New York our Interactive Virtual Model ® was chosen to support the crucial questions-and-answers session. Mr. Jean-Baptiste Reynes, IMAGTP’s CEO, who conducted the real-time presentation of the project remembers a member of the committee saying: “Now, I understand how it will work.”  (Toutée, B, 2008)

1.6       Example 3         Crysis

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=OTj_I-iCzqY&eurl=http://digitalurban.blogspot.com/2007/02/crytek-realtime-engine-for-architecture.html  (Please see link)

The breakthrough in game engine technology has culminated in the success of the Cryengine2.  This next generation game engine is one of the first to be launched as an resource for high end real time visualisations, including computer games, architectural visualisation and animation.

Due to such an early stage in its adoption the major issues revolve around cost and licensing constraints.  Crytek, the developers of cryengine2 do not even release prices.  Instead you have to contact them to request the cost information, they then decide if you have relevant experience and resources to maximise their engine.

Due to these barriers it will take a long time before this becomes mainstream; however it definitely sets the bar high for future expectations, and its competition.

1.7      

This is undoubtedly an area that requires exploring as it provides additional opportunities to investigate the ways in which current design processes are undertaken, and the way this informs decision making in the design process.

Application of Research

3.1       C1)      Review

From my experience working in the architectural visualization industry both for, and with architects, designers, and clients I have witnessed the usefulness of 3D and digital models, and their ability to illustrate the design from a human perspective.  People find it a lot easier to identify with imagery and material that provides a great fidelity to the design.

Many projects have occurred due to the requirement of “I want to see what X looks like”, or “What would it look like if we did that?”.  Utilizing high end 3D software does indeed allow specific users to explore the digital realm to visualize concepts, however due to the cost, time, and training required to perform such tasks the majority of jobs do not see a glimpse of 3D perspective or any type of digital visualization.

Through my experience of architectural visualization I can experience the platform to truly explore designs in a virtual reality.  However this power of freedom to explore the digital realm as a prototype or interactive review tool never truly lies in the hand of the architect, and rather stays attached to the 3D artist and their high end PC.

Currently digital models are outputted either through a rendered still or a predefined animation.  The true power and immersion of the 3D aspects of digital models are diluted by the limited use of its conception.  The ability to explore the full model, spin around, walk around, zoom into details, test lighting scenarios, material etc are left at the hands of the 3D artist.  There is great potential to take these abilities and place these in the hands of the architect, client, or even the public.

An interface which will allow architects to create and interact with their digital designs more intuitively, virtual reality (VR), perhaps the most advanced of three-dimensional interfaces, has much potential for enhancing the way architects and designers interact with their digital models.

The central question is how virtual reality can be used in the design, production and management of the built environment?

As with other emerging technologies, realizing the early dreams for virtual reality has taken longer than was originally predicted.  (Whyte, J, 2002)

We must consider,

How professionals within the project team – architects, engineers, construction managers etc – can benefit from using virtual reality.  Also, end users can benefit from wider involvement.

1)         What are the key business drivers for the use of virtual reality?

2)         What are its limitation?

            3)         How can virtual reality be implemented within organisations?

(Whyte, J, 2002)

3.2       Virtual Reality

In his great invited lecture in 1965, “The Ultimate Display,” Ivan Sutherland laid out a vision,

Don’t think of that thing as a screen, think of it as a window, a window through which one looks into a virtual world. The challenge to computer graphics is to make that virtual world look real, sound real, move and respond to interaction in real time, and even feel real.  (Brooks, F, P, Jr.  1999)

Virtual reality (VR) is a technology which allows a user to interact with a computer-simulated environment, be it a real or imagined one. Most current virtual reality environments are primarily visual experiences, displayed either on a computer screen or through special or stereoscopic displays, but some simulations include additional sensory information, such as sound through speakers or headphones.

Users can interact with a virtual environment or a virtual artifact (VA) either through the use of standard input devices such as a keyboard and mouse, or through multimodal devices such as a wired glove, the Polhemus boom arm, and omnidirectional treadmill.

In practice, it is currently very difficult to create a high-fidelity virtual reality experience, due largely to technical limitations on processing power, image resolution and communication bandwidth. However, those limitations are expected to eventually be overcome as processor, imaging and data communication technologies become more powerful and cost-effective over time.

Virtual Reality is often used to describe a wide variety of applications, commonly associated with its immersive, highly visual, 3D environments.

Mass media has been a great advocate and perhaps a great hindrance to its development over the years. During the research “boom” of the late 1980s into the 1990s the news media’s prognostication on the potential of VR, and potential overexposure in publishing the predictions of anyone who had one (whether or not that person had a true perspective on the technology and its limits) built up the expectations of the technology so high as to be impossible to achieve under the technology then or any technology to date. Entertainment media reinforced these concepts with futuristic imagery many generations beyond contemporary capabilities.

Jaron Lanier, a computer scientist and pioneer in, and popularized the term “Virtual Reality” (VR) in the early 1980s suggests some of the top reasons why VR has not yet become commonplace.  These include -

1) Slow computers.  In fact, the ceiling for real time graphics hasn’t budged in 5 years.  SGI and its competitors stopped improving back then.  Now that commodity cards have caught up with SGI, the new hope is building big machines out of commodity cards running in parallel.

2) Too many charlatans:  $1 per minute crappy VR in malls really hurt the field in the late 1980s/early 1990s. 

3) Because expectations are so high, it’s too easy to disappoint.  Some of the attempts to build VR products have stumbled on this difficulty.

4) Because the basic ideas of VR still need some more work.  We still don’t have a clear idea of what a truly useful general haptic interface would be like, for instance. 

5) Because there is still no clear sense of where VR fits into the time and space of our lives and workflows.  (Lanier, J, 2007)

Other such issues which may have resulted in a slow adoption could be that in virtual reality, the audience has the opportunity to observe more elements of the virtual world. In contrast, computer image and animation need only create the geometries to be shown to the audience. The three-dimensional model of virtual reality has to have more polygons than computer image and animation. This decreases the running speed and increase the time and cost of production.

3.3       So, has Virtual Reality worked?

So, with all these negative aspects it does make you question, is VR a route worth exploring to enhance current practice?  Lanier continues to explain,

There’s no question that virtual reality has already been a success. You can’t buy a car today that wasn’t designed using it. And you can’t put gas in that car that wasn’t made out of oil that was discovered using virtual reality through an oil field simulation. Most new drugs are made in a process assisted by virtual reality.  (Lanier, J, 2007)

What most people are curious about, though, isn’t so much these industrial uses; rather, they want to experience some new level of cultural expression that arises out of virtual worlds. And what we currently have, in this regard, is the video game world. The difference between video games and my sense of what virtual reality would be like relates only partly to the intensity of the experience.

The main element lacking in video games (compared to what I hope we’ll see in virtual reality) is an expressive power.

They would make up little realities and visit each other’s realities, or co-create them. And I think that level of activity would give rise to really, really wonderful new sorts of human relationships and experiences. I still believe in that.

The problem with digital stuff is always the same: the hardware gets cheaper and becomes more available, but it takes a really long time to figure out how to write good software. We still don’t have good personal computer software. So, how long will it take for us to get good virtual reality software? It’s not going to happen overnight. It’s a big project.  (Lanier, J, 2007)

What I envision is not so much a pre-programmed virtual world that you might play as a game, but rather a virtual world that you can change from the inside that people use as a form of expression in which they’re creating things together.  (Lanier, J, 2007)

The rise of virtual reality is the direct result of the development of computer

graphic systems.  Undoubtedly, the key components of virtual reality, like immersion, interactivity, and sensory feedback, take the fidelity of architectural visualization to a new level. However, in the early stages of computer development, due to the low speed of CPU and the low resolution of display systems, the value of virtual reality was not recognized.

By the end of the twentieth century, computer technology had advanced enough to create a high fidelity virtual world and other accessories for virtual reality. It is time for virtual reality to begin to govern the area of architectural visualization, and more advancements in this area promise to take place in the near future.  (Hao, W. 2006)

3.4       C1)      Plan

The plan for Cycle 1 is to reflect on the research stated above to construct and implement a user study to gain feedback regarding influences in design decision making.  It is important to establish existing knowledge and perception of current practice to determine if specific areas require addressing.