Interactive architectural modeling with procedural extrusions

We present an interactive procedural modeling system for the exterior of architectural models. Our modeling system is based on procedural extrusions of building footprints. The main novelty of our work is that we can model difficult architectural surfaces in a procedural framework, e.g. curved roofs, overhanging roofs, dormer windows, interior dormer windows, roof constructions with vertical walls, buttresses, chimneys, bay windows, columns, pilasters, and alcoves. We present a user interface to interactively specify procedural extrusions, a sweep plane algorithm to compute a two-manifold architectural surface, and applications to architectural modeling

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

A PERSPECTIVE ON PROCEDURAL MODELING BASED ON STRUCTURAL ANALYSIS

[EN] We introduce a study focused on procedural modeling papers that use methods of structural analysis, especially in its application to historic buildings such as churches and cathedrals. Moreover, we have taken a geometric structure of one of these papers and studied their behavior in a generic simulation tool, thus showing the feasibility of its analysis with non-specialized tools.[ES] Introducimos un estudio centrado en aquellos trabajos de modelado procedural que utilizan métodos de análisis estructural, especialmente en su aplicación para edificios históricos como iglesias y catedrales. Por otra parte, hemos tomado una estructura geométrica de uno de estos artículos y estudiado su comportamiento en una herramienta de simulación genérica, mostrando su factibilidad para realizar análisis con herramientas no especializadas.Fita, JL.; Besuievsky, G.; Patow, GA. (2016). A PERSPECTIVE ON PROCEDURAL MODELING BASED ON STRUCTURAL ANALYSIS. En 8th International congress on archaeology, computer graphics, cultural heritage and innovation. Editorial Universitat Politècnica de València. 264-266. https://doi.org/10.4995/arqueologica8.2015.304526426

Simplifying Urban Data Fusion with BigSUR

Our ability to understand data has always lagged behind our ability to collect it. This is particularly true in urban environments, where mass data capture is particularly valuable, but the objects captured are more varied, dense, and complex. Captured data has several problems; it is unstructured (we do not know which objects are encoded by the data), contains noise (the scanning process is often inaccurate) and omissions (it is often impossible to scan all of a building). To understand the structure and content of the environment, we must process the unstructured data to a structured form. BigSURi is an urban reconstruction algorithm which fuses GIS (Geographic Information System / mapping) data, photogrammetric meshes, and street level photography, to create clean representative, semantically labelled, geometry. However, we have identified three problems with the system i) the street level photography is often difficult to acquire; ii) novel façade styles often frustrate the detection of windows and doors; iii) the computational requirements of the system are large, processing a large city block can take up to 15 hours. Here we describe the process of simplifying and validating the BigSUR semantic reconstruction system. In particular, the requirement for street level images is removed, and a greedy post-process profile assignment is introduced to accelerate the system. We accomplish this by modifying the binary integer programming (BIP) optimization, and re-evaluating the effects of various parameters. The new variant of the system is evaluated over a variety of urban areas. We objectively measure mean squared error (MSE) terms over the unstructured geometry, showing that BigSUR is able to accurately recover omissions and discard inaccuracies in the input data. Further, we evaluate the ability of the system to label the walls and roofs of input meshes, concluding that our new BigSUR variant achieves highly accurate semantic labelling with shorter computational time and less input data

Automatic Generation of 3D Building Models with Efficient Solar Photovoltaic Generation

To facilitate public involvement for sustainable development, 3D models simulating real or near future cities using 3D Computer Graphics (CG) can be of great use. 3D city models are important in environmentally friendly urban planning that will use solar photovoltaic (PV) generation. However, enormous time and labour has to be consumed to create these 3D models using 3D modelling software such as 3ds Max or SketchUp. In order to automate laborious steps, this paper proposes a Geographic Information System (GIS) and CG integrated system that automatically generates 3D building models based on building polygons or building footprints on digital maps, which show most building polygons’ edges meet at right angles (orthogonal polygon). A complicated orthogonal polygon can be partitioned into a set of rectangles. The proposed integrated system partitions orthogonal building polygons into a set of rectangles and places rectangular roofs and box-shaped building bodies onto these rectangles. In this paper, for placing solar panels on a hipped roof, the structure of an ordinary hipped roof that is made up of two triangular roof boards and two trapezoidal ones is clarified. To implement efficient PV generation, this paper proposes to automatically generate 3D building models for buildings topped with double shed roofs with overlaid PV arrays. The sizes and positions, slopes of roof boards and main under roof constructions are made clear by presenting a top view and side view of a double shed roof house. For the applied example of the developed system, this papers presents a simulation of the solar photovoltaic generation change of a city block by performing land readjustment and changing the shape of buildings, ordinarily roofed houses or double shed roofed houses suitable for efficient PV generation. Our simulation reveals that double shed roofed houses have greatly improved solar photovoltaic generation

Assessing the Utility of Procedural Modeling for the Urban Planning Discipline: CityEngine and Missing Middle Housing

In recent years, procedural modeling techniques have been introduced to the urban planning discipline. By enabling the quick generation of design alternatives, these methods have the potential to expedite the public participation process. In this study, we explore ArcGIS CityEngine, an Esri procedural modeling software, and its application for depicting new missing middle housing developments in San Luis Obispo, California. Missing middle housing is an abstract planning concept and the public may benefit from 3D visualizations of the typology contextualized within their own neighborhood. To this end, we procedurally model two existing missing middle developments in San Luis Obispo and transfer them to three alternative contexts. Our team consists of two planning students with no programming background, granting us a relevant perspective on the experience for planning professionals. Through this exercise, we determined that procedural modeling can accelerate the design process when applied to a fitting scenario after the initial training period is complete

Crystal-Like geometric modeling

Crystals are natural phenomena that exhibit high degrees of order, symmetry, and recursion. They naturally form interesting and inspiring geometric shapes. This thesis provides geometric modeling techniques for creating shapes with crystallike geometry. The tiered extrusion method, along with a face grouping technique, simplifies the creation of complex, intricate faceted shapes. In combination with remeshing, these methods provide the capability to generate geometric shapes exhibiting planar faces, symmetry, and fractal geometry. The techniques have also been implemented in software, as a proof of concept. They are used in an interactive geometric modeling system, in which users can use these techniques to create crystal-like shapes. The crystal-like modeling operations are shown to successfully create beautiful geometric shapes. The methods improve upon traditional modeling capabilities, providing an easier way to create crystal-like geometric shapes