Aligning archive maps and extracting footprints for analysis of historic urban environments.

Archive cartography and archaeologist's sketches are invaluable resources when analysing a historic town or city. A virtual reconstruction of a city provides the user with the ability to navigate and explore an environment which no longer exists to obtain better insight into its design and purpose. However, the process of reconstructing the city from maps depicting features such as building footprints and roads can be labour intensive. In this paper we present techniques to aid in the semi-automatic extraction of building footprints from digital images of archive maps and sketches. Archive maps often exhibit problems in the form of inaccuracies and inconsistencies in scale which can lead to incorrect reconstructions. By aligning archive maps to accurate modern vector data one may reduce these problems. Furthermore, the efficiency of the footprint extraction methods may be improved by aligning either modern vector data or previously extracted footprints, since common elements can be identified between maps of differing time periods and only the difference between the two needs to be extracted. An evaluation of two alignment approaches is presented: using a linear affine transformation and a set of piecewise linear affine transformations

Automated 3D generation and rendering of stylized building designs

Thesis (S.B. in Art and Design)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Architecture, 2011.Cataloged from PDF version of thesis.Includes bibliographical references (p. 29).The entertainment industry relies fairly heavily on computer-generated imagery to depict built environments in current films, video games, and other forms of simulated reality. These often involve highly complex geometries that take a long time to hand-model and are too difficult or costly for many productions' rendering capacities, both in computational costs as well as time. Procedural modeling and the automation of these geometries is one option to solve these problems. Many modeling programs involve a script or procedural modeling component. This thesis explores the use of CityEngine, a commercially available software that is specialized to generate geometries for buildings in urban environments. By using the CGA Shape Grammar built into CityEngine, this project seeks to generate geometries based on complex architectural precedents using a procedural modeling system based on shape grammar and computational design principles. Results are generated and discussed, as well as applications and future work.by Anisha V. Deshmane.S.B.in Art and Desig

Science-Driven Immersive Environments for Land Management Simulations

Our research explores automated techniques for visualizing environmental processes and land management decisions. The resulting 3D environment models provide a more realistic look and feel for simulated outcomes than 2D or 2.5D GIS maps and extracted statistics. Automated model generation reduces workflow complexity and increases fidelity by directly coupling science inputs with 3D output. Urban and environmental scenes are generated within CityEngine utilizing GIS data from various sources. Procedural modeling is applied to create realistic 3D views of alternative scenarios predicted by the Envision integrated planning and environment assessment tool, as well as to visualize discrete events such as fire and firebreak placement. Simulated environments also hold the potential for development of virtual data-generation and collection tools, such as light detection and ranging (LIDAR) scanning. The resulting 3D models can be explored on a computer, over the web, or in the form of interactive games (utilizing Unity3D), which can further incorporate science results and management policy. The presented tools have been developed to prototype level. Future work is envisioned to validate the 3D models against the original science and measure the effectiveness for outreach, engagement, and public input collection

3D Indoor Routing and Visualization for the University of Redlands

The University of Redlands contains quite a number of buildings with complex details. The university website does not have an interactive map that users such as students can use for orientation around the campus. Even though the data exist and they are able to use them to develop spatial tools, 3D tools have not been developed yet. The goal of this project is to develop a proof of concept for 3D indoor routing using the University of Redlands as a study case. The project is implemented to accommodate two scenarios for the routing analysis: Handicapped and Elevator, and Non-handicapped and Stairs. These results will be accessible for users through a web browser as 3D web scene for visualization purpose. The ArcGIS Network Analyst extension was used to build the route scenarios. The tool was developed to run only within the ArcGIS for Desktop environment. To run the tool, a user needs to open the scene and the tool interface from the ArcScene application, then enter the parameter of the desired scenario and run the tool. This would create a 3D route among the desired points of interest. The 3D model was developed in CityEngine and published as a web scene hosted in CloudCities with sample results of the two scenarios. Users are able to view the 3D scene and route results through a web browser. The web scene dashboard was customized to visualize the interactive 3D scene

The Use of Historical Data in Rule-Based Modelling for Scenarios to Improve Resilience within the Building Stock

Digital documentation has become integral to the preservation, analysis and communication of historical sites. New platforms are now being developed that involve complex 3D models and allow the analysis of spatial data. These include procedural modelling, a technique that enables the rapid development of ‘dynamic’ 3D environments, and generation of simulations for entire cities, resulting in low cost, high resolution 3D city models. Though procedural modelling has been used in the context of archaeology to ‘recreate’ cities at specific historic time points, the use of historical data in the development of rule-based procedural models for current cities has been little explored. Here, we test the extent to which construction age data, historical building regulations and architectural knowledge can be used in the generation of procedural rules, and the level of detail and potential impact that these models may have. Rather than creating an accurate representation of the city, we instead seek to simulate the way in which urban areas are likely to behave under certain conditions, in order to test what-if? planning scenarios. This allows us to explore more flexible ways of digitally ‘creating’ cities, past and present, and to gain insights into underlying ‘rules’ that govern their physical form

Proseduraalisen tietomallintamisen käyttöönotto kaupunkisuunnittelussa

This thesis examines procedural modeling as a tool for urban plan creation. Procedural modeling historically has been used for 3D visualization of natural features, but with the release of the soft-ware CityEngine in 2008 the technology can easily be adopted also in problem domains dealing with urban environments. The study begins with a requirement analysis conducted to explore the needs urban planning imposes on the technology, based on which a functional procedural modeling production system is built using the CityEngine platform and its Computer Generated Architecture (CGA) scripting language. A solution is presented to the problem of control in procedural generation methods by introducing the concept of a selectable “Level of Control” and how its implementation in the produced system enables the planner to flexibly assume the necessary amount of control over the generated model. The finished product is then compared against the presented requirements of accuracy, efficiency, ease of use, high visual qualities, and advanced analytical capabilities. The efficiency of the system measured as the ratio between user interactions (mouse clicks and keystrokes) and modeling output in the setting of the assessment is found out to be two to three times greater than the efficiency of a more established manual modeling software. The technology as demonstrated through the produced system is concluded to be especially suitable for preliminary land use studies estimating the building potentials of extensive land areas. Directions for future research with potential to expand the applicability of the technology are discussed.Tässä diplomityössä tutkitaan proseduraalista mallintamista kaupunkisuunnittelun työvälineenä. Proseduraalista mallintamista on historiallisesti käytetty luonnonmuotojen 3D-visualisoimiseen, mutta vuonna 2008 julkaistu CityEngine-ohjelma mahdollistaa teknologian helpon käyttöönoton myös rakennettua ympäristöä koskevissa aihepiireissä. Tutkielma alkaa analyysillä kaupunkisuunnittelun teknologiaan kohdistamista vaatimuksista, joiden perusteella rakennetaan CityEngineen ja sen Computer Generated Architecture (CGA) ohjel-mointikieleen perustuva proseduraalinen mallinnusjärjestelmä. Ratkaisuna proseduraaliseen mallintamiseen liittyvään kontrollin problematiikkaan esitellään käsite valittavasta ”kontrollitasosta”, ja kuinka sen implementaatio toteutetussa järjestelmässä mahdollistaa suunnittelijan ottaa joustavasti tarpeellisen määrän kontrollia generoitavan mallin suhteen. Valmista tuotetta verrataan esitettyihin tarkkuuden, tehokkuuden, käytön helppouden, korkealaatuisen visuaalisuuden, sekä kehittyneen analytiikan vaatimuksiin. Järjestelmän tehokkuus mitattuna käyttäjäinteraktioiden (hiiren klikkaukset ja näppäimistön painallukset) ja tuotetun mallin suhteena mittauksen asetelmassa on kahdesta kolmeen kertaa suurempi kuin vakiintuneemman manuaalisen mallinnusohjelman tehokkuus. Proseduraalisen mallintamisen, sellaisena kuin se tuotetussa järjestelmässä on implementoitu, todetaan olevan erityisen sopiva alustavien rakentamisen määrää laajoille alueille haarukoivien maankäyttötarkastelujen tuottamiseen. Työn lopuksi käsitellään teknologian käyttöaluetta laajentavia tutkimussuuntia

3D Modeling and videogame adaptation of the UJI Library for Smart UJI

Treball final de Grau en Disseny i Desenvolupament de Videojocs. Codi: VJ1241. Curs acadèmic: 2021/2022This document is a detailed explanation of every step of the project that I have been working on for the past months, which aimed to create a 3D model of the Universitat Jaume I library using ArcGIS’ CityEngine to be used on the Smart UJI project and to reuse the same model in a stealth videogame created with Unity. The end result is, of course, the 3D model of both the interior and exterior of the UJI library and the videogame made in Unity that uses the library as its main environment where the action is located

Procedural modeling technique for three-dimensional cadastre - case study of a 3D detailed building model

176 σ.Με το πέρασμα των χρόνων, η έρευνα επικεντρώνεται ολοένα και περισσότερο στην ενσωμάτωση της τρίτης διάστασης σε όλους τους τομείς. Ιδιαίτερα η έρευνα αυτή κρίνεται σκόπιμη και απαραίτητη όταν αφορά την απεικόνιση της περίπλοκης αστικής πραγματικότητας, με τις επικαλυπτόμενες χρήσεις γης και τα επικαλυπτόμενα εμπράγματα δικαιώματα, αλλά και τη διαχείριση της γης από ένα λειτουργικό κτηματολογικό σύστημα. Οι δυνατότητες εφαρμογής ενός τρισδιάστατου κτηματολογικού συστήματος έχουν μελετηθεί εκτενώς, με στόχο την επίλυση προβλημάτων τέτοιας φύσεως. Συνολικά, ένα ολοκληρωμένο τρισδιάστατο κτηματολογικό σύστημα πρέπει να περιλαμβάνει κτηματολογικά δεδομένα που απεικονίζονται στις τρεις διαστάσεις και να λαμβάνει υπόψη θεσμικές, νομικές και τεχνικές πτυχές ανάλογα τα ιδιαίτερα χαρακτηριστικά της κάθε χώρας. Ωστόσο, μέχρι σήμερα δεν υπάρχει κάποιο ολοκληρωμένο τρισδιάστατο Κτηματολόγιο εν λειτουργία σε κάποια χώρα του κόσμου. Φυσικά οι τεχνικοί περιορισμοί τείνουν να ελαχιστοποιούνται, όσο προοδεύει η τεχνολογία, ιδιαίτερα όσον αφορά την απεικόνιση σε τρεις διαστάσεις, ενώ συνολικά υπάρχει δυναμική πρόοδος στο συγκεκριμένο αντικείμενο. Στα πλαίσια της συγκεκριμένης διπλωματικής εργασίας μελετώνται τα βασικά ζητήματα επί του τρισδιάστατου Κτηματολογίου και συγκεκριμένα η χρήση της κανονιστικής μοντελοποίησης για την τελική παραγωγή ενός μοντέλου κτηρίου με υψηλό επίπεδο λεπτομέρειας (τρισδιάστατη μοντελοποίηση εσωτερικού χώρου και εξωτερικού κελύφους) στην περιοχή του Χαλανδρίου της Αθήνας. Το λογισμικό που χρησιμοποιήθηκε κατά βάση ήταν το CityEngine, που παρέχει τη δυνατότητα αξιοποίησης της κανονιστικής μοντελοποίησης.Over the years, research has increasingly focused on the integration of the third dimension in all science areas. Particularly, this research is justified and necessary when it relates to the representation of the complex urban reality, with overlapping land uses and overlapping property rights, and the land management with the use of a sufficient and functional cadastral system. The potentials of applying a three-dimensional cadastral system have been extensively studied, in order to solve such problems. Overall, a three-dimensional integrated cadastral system should definitely include cadastral data depicted in three dimensions and take into account institutional, legal and technical aspects depending on the particular characteristics of each country. However, nowdays, there is no three-dimensional integrated Cadastre in operation all over the world. Certainly, the technical restrictions tend to be eliminated because of the advances on technology, especially regarding the visualization in three dimensions, while this topic shows dynamic progress. Within the purposes of this thesis, the key issues for the three-dimensional Cadastre were studied and specifically the use of procedural modeling for the generation of a building model with high level of detail (three-dimensional modeling of the interior and the outer shell of the building) at Halandri of Athens. CityEngine was the software which was funtamentally used and enables utilization of procedural modeling.Βασιλική Δ. Κωστ