Distance Computation between Convex Objects using Axis-Aligned Bounding-Box in Virtual Environment Application

Performing collision detection between convex objects in virtual environment simulation is one of vital problems in computer visualization research area. Given a set of two or more colliding objects, in order to determine the exact point of contact between object we need to undergo various high computation algorithm. In this paper, we describes our current work of determining the precise contact by measuring the distance between near colliding objects in order to maintain the accuracy and improve the speed of collision detection algorithm. Common method determine the distance by checking for vertices and edges point between objects in brute force condition. Compared to our method, by given set of objects in virtual environment world, we find the closest point between near colliding objects and bound the potential colliding area with an Axis-Aligned Bounding-Box. Then, we approximate the distance by measuring the distance of the box itself and hence recognize potential colliding area faster than the common method. Our method proven to most effective and efficient for narrow phase collision detection by removing unnecessary testing and reduced computational cost

Stochastic Activity Authoring With Direct User Control

Crowd activities are often randomized to create the appearance of heterogeneity. However, the parameters that control randomization are frequently hard to tune because it is unclear how changes at the character level affect the high-level appearance of the crowd. We propose a method for computing randomization parameters that supports direct animator control. Given details about the environment, available activities, timing information and the desired highlevel appearance of the crowd, we model the problem as a graph, formulate a convex optimization problem, and solve for a set of stochastic transition rates which satisfy the constraints. Unlike the use of heuristics for adding randomness to crowd activities, our approach provides guarantees on convergence to the desired result, allows for decentralized simulation, and supports a variety of constraints. In addition, because the rates can be pre-computed, no additional runtime processing is needed during simulation

Design and Evaluation of a Real-World Virtual Environment for Architecture and Urban Planning

International audienceIn this paper we present a user-centered design approach to the development of a Virtual Environment (VE), by utilizing an iterative, user-informed process throughout the entire design and development cycle. A preliminary survey was first undertaken with end users, that is, architects, chief engineers, and decision makers of a real-world architectural and urban planning project, followed by a study of the traditional workflow employed. We then determined the elements required to make the VE useful in the real-world setting, choosing appropriate graphical and auditory techniques to develop audiovisual VEs with a high level of realism. Our user-centered design approach guided the development of an appropriate interface and an evaluation methodology to test the overall usability of the system. The VE was evaluated both in the laboratory and, most importantly, in the users' natural work environments. In this study we present the choices we made as part of the design and evaluation methodologies employed, which successfully combined research goals with those of a real-world project. Among other results, this evaluation suggests that involving users and designers from the beginning improves the effectiveness of the VE in the context of the real world urban planning project. Furthermore, it demonstrates that appropriate levels of realism, in particular spatialized 3D sound, high-detail vegetation, and shadows, as well as the presence of rendered crowds, are significant for the design process and for communicating about designs; they enable better appreciation of overall ambience of the VE, perception of space and physical objects, as well as the sense of scale. We believe this study is of interest to VE researchers, designers, and practitioners, as well as professionals interested in using VR in their workplace

Modeling, Evaluation, and Scale on Artificial Pedestrians: A Literature Review

Modeling pedestrian dynamics and their implementation in a computer are challenging and important issues in the knowledge areas of transportation and computer simulation. The aim of this article is to provide a bibliographic outlook so that the reader may have quick access to the most relevant works related to this problem. We have used three main axes to organize the article's contents: pedestrian models, validation techniques, and multiscale approaches. The backbone of this work is the classification of existing pedestrian models; we have organized the works in the literature under five categories, according to the techniques used for implementing the operational level in each pedestrian model. Then the main existing validation methods, oriented to evaluate the behavioral quality of the simulation systems, are reviewed. Furthermore, we review the key issues that arise when facing multiscale pedestrian modeling, where we first focus on the behavioral scale (combinations of micro and macro pedestrian models) and second on the scale size (from individuals to crowds). The article begins by introducing the main characteristics of walking dynamics and its analysis tools and concludes with a discussion about the contributions that different knowledge fields can make in the near future to this exciting area

The effect of the three‐dimensional scale on the intelligibility of the city

This thesis attempts to investigate the issue of three‐dimensional scale of the urban environment through an urban, spatial and cognitive approach. The research question of the thesis is whether the three‐dimensional scale can affect the intelligibility of the city. Threedimensional scale in this thesis is differentiated from the classical concepts of scale used in architecture, urban design and geography and a new definition of scale, called cityscape scale, is introduced. Cityscape scale is defined as the relation of space and form as this is perceived by the moving human mind in an urban environment. The intelligibility of the built environment is defined as a combination of the spatial intelligibility developed by space syntax and of Lynch’s legibility. This means that the threedimensional scale as a relation of space and form is considered as an important visual element of the city but at the same time, since space is included in this relation, spatial intelligibility is equally important. Consequently, the type of intelligibility which is in the interest of this thesis is not simply an attribute of the built environment but it also involves how the built environment is perceived by people moving in it and how it is comprehended by them. In order to investigate the research question two virtual experiments have been set up testing, the first, how differences of the three‐dimensional scale affect the perception of urban environmental properties and, the second, how it affects navigation and wayfinding. The findings point towards important effects of the three‐dimensional scale on the visual legibility of the built environment, and not only the legibility of scale, but it seems that these do not affect navigation as the main factor that affects navigation remains the spatial layout

Ambientes virtuais povoados com simulação eficiente de detecção de colisões e planeamento de trajectos em navegação realmente 3D

Tese de Doutoramento - Área de InformáticaA tecnologia de produção de ambientes virtuais tem vindo cada vez mais a ser utilizada em projectos de animação, desenho e avaliação em diversas áreas. Mundos virtuais com níveis de detalhe consideráveis estão a começar a emergir em toda a parte, desde largas áreas das actuais cidades até ambientes virtuais interiores mais específicos e detalhados (edifícios habitacionais, estádios, estruturas industriais, reconstruções arqueológicas, etc). No entanto, melhorar a aparência visual destes edifícios virtuais já não é suficiente. Com o propósito de proporcionar novas condições de simulação a aplicações tais como o planeamento urbano, simulações comportamentais e de fluxo de pedestres, entretenimento, etc, é necessário o povoamento destes ambientes. Povoar estes mundos simulando a presença de vida, adiciona um toque extra à visualização e realismo, mas infelizmente traz também carga adicional ao sistema. Uma das lacunas da pesquisa nesta área é a representação eficiente de ambientes densamente povoados, com simulação de navegação autónoma realmente tridimensional das personagens, enquadradas em modelos ou cenários arbitrários. Diversas condições e áreas de actuação são necessárias quando pretendemos simular a presença humana (através de personagens sintéticas animadas) nestas circunstâncias, tais como a detecção de colisões, planeamento de trajectos, algoritmos comportamentais, rendering dinâmico da geometria, entre outros. Nesta tese, é publicado um método transversal de modo a exibir e consolidar comportamentos autónomos de multidões virtuais em ambientes reais de animação. O sistema tem a capacidade de incluir um grande número de personagens lidando com mundos 3D arbitrariamente complexos, não requerendo qualquer conhecimento prévio da geometria, e proporcionando navegação em tempo real, autónoma, e tridimensional. Inicialmente, é apresentado um método de detecção de colisões usando técnicas conservadoras, capaz de comportar milhares de avatares e lidar com cenas 3D de grandes dimensões e complexidade, não necessitando de qualquer informação ou conhecimento prévio do modelo. Este método demonstrou ser um mecanismo eficiente e escalável de detecção de colisões entre os agentes e o ambiente 3D. Recorrendo a um mapeamento e extracção de dados automático a partir do modelo inicial, fornece a detecção de colisões e a interacção entre os próprios agentes virtuais, e os agentes virtuais e o ambiente que os rodeia. Este método mostrou-se apropriado como base de implementação posterior de algoritmos de planeamento de percursos e outros algoritmos comportamentais, onde o avatar incorporará procedimentos de mais alto-nível. Para projectos de desenho, simulação e testes de facilidades de navegação em locais públicos, é importante prever as principais rotas ou fluxos a serem usados. Uma segunda aproximação apresentada, consiste em decompor a cena 3D em partições multi-nível (para navegação em ambientes 3D, principalmente em interiores de edifícios) criando um sistema que possa usar este tipo de catalogação como informação relevante de modo a planear rotas de acordo com as deslocações em várias alturas. A outro nível, o objectivo foi também testar a base de navegação criada, desenvolvendo mecanismos de implementação de novos e naturais comportamentos associados à navegação das personagens virtuais, lidando com várias variáveis de interacção, permitindo um comportamento mais realista e de reacção entre estes e o ambiente virtual. Em resumo, foram definidos sistemas de condições, regras e propriedades capazes de produzir comportamentos mais naturais e autónomos em personagens virtuais representativos da conduta humana.Virtual environment technology has been increasingly used for animation projects, design and evaluation in several areas. Virtual worlds, with considerable levels of detail, are starting to emerge everywhere, from large areas of actual cities to detailed and complex virtual indoor environments (buildings, stadiums, industrials structures, archaeological reconstructions, etc). However, improving the visual appearance of these virtual buildings is not enough anymore. In order to provide applications with new simulation conditions such as urban planning, behaviour and flow of pedestrian’s simulation, entertainment, etc, requires the populating of these virtual environments. Populating these worlds to simulate the presence of life, adds an extra touch to the visualization and credibility, but unfortunately it also brings an extra burden to the system. One of the issues of the research in this area is the representation of a densely crowded environment, simulating autonomous and real three-dimensional navigation to the virtual characters in arbitrary threedimensional models or scenarios. Several steps are required when we need simulate the human presence (by synthetic animated characters) in these circumstances, such as collision detection, path planning/finding, behavioural algorithms, dynamic rendering of geometry, amongst others. In this thesis, a transversal approach is presented to demonstrate and consolidate autonomous virtual crowd behaviours in realistic animation environments. The system is able to include a large number of characters dealing with arbitrarily complex 3D worlds, not requiring any prior knowledge of the geometry, and providing real-time navigation, autonomous, and really three-dimensional. Initially, a method for efficient and scalable conservative collision detection is presented, that is able to deal with large and complex 3D scenes with thousands of avatars, not requiring any prior knowledge of model. This method demonstrated to be a fast, efficient and scalable collision detection process between virtual agents and the 3D environment. Using an automatic data extraction and mapping process from the initial graphical model, it provides collisions detection and interaction between virtual agents, as well as virtual agents and the environment that encircles them. This method proved to be appropriate as a basis for further implementation of path planning/finding algorithms and other behaviours algorithms. For design projects, simulation and the study of crowd behaviour facilities in public places, it is however important to be able to predict heavily used routes or peak flows. The second approach presented, consists in decomposing the 3D scene in multi-level sub-divisions (for navigation in 3D environments such as indoor building) creating a system that can use this type of cataloguing as relevant information to planning and finding routes, according to the movements at the various levels of heights. At another level, the goal was testing the base of navigation, developing mechanisms for new and natural behaviour implementations associated with virtual characters navigation, dealing with some interaction variables, representing a more realistic react/interact behaviour. In summary, autonomous conditions systems, rules and properties were defined, that are capable to produce behaviours representative of human condition

Ambientes virtuais povoados com simulação eficiente de detecção de colisões e planeamento de trajectos em navegação realmente 3D

Tese Phd - Área Computação Gráfica e Inteligencia ArtificialA tecnologia de produção de ambientes virtuais tem vindo cada vez mais a ser utilizada em projectos de animação, desenho e avaliação em diversas áreas. Mundos virtuais com níveis de detalhe consideráveis estão a começar a emergir em toda a parte, desde largas áreas das actuais cidades até ambientes virtuais interiores mais específicos e detalhados (edifícios habitacionais, estádios, estruturas industriais, reconstruções arqueológicas, etc). No entanto, melhorar a aparência visual destes edifícios virtuais já não é suficiente. Com o propósito de proporcionar novas condições de simulação a aplicações tais como o planeamento urbano, simulações comportamentais e de fluxo de pedestres, entretenimento, etc, é necessário o povoamento destes ambientes. Povoar estes mundos simulando a presença de vida, adiciona um toque extra à visualização e realismo, mas infelizmente traz também carga adicional ao sistema. Uma das lacunas da pesquisa nesta área é a representação eficiente de ambientes densamente povoados, com simulação de navegação autónoma realmente tridimensional das personagens, enquadradas em modelos ou cenários arbitrários. Diversas condições e áreas de actuação são necessárias quando pretendemos simular a presença humana (através de personagens sintéticas animadas) nestas circunstâncias, tais como a detecção de colisões, planeamento de trajectos, algoritmos comportamentais, rendering dinâmico da geometria, entre outros. Nesta tese, é publicado um método transversal de modo a exibir e consolidar comportamentos autónomos de multidões virtuais em ambientes reais de animação. O sistema tem a capacidade de incluir um grande número de personagens lidando com mundos 3D arbitrariamente complexos, não requerendo qualquer conhecimento prévio da geometria, e proporcionando navegação em tempo real, autónoma, e tridimensional. Inicialmente, é apresentado um método de detecção de colisões usando técnicas conservadoras, capaz de comportar milhares de avatares e lidar com cenas 3D de grandes dimensões e complexidade, não necessitando de qualquer informação ou conhecimento prévio do modelo. Este método demonstrou ser um mecanismo eficiente e escalável de detecção de colisões entre os agentes e o ambiente 3D. Recorrendo a um mapeamento e extracção de dados automático a partir do modelo inicial, fornece a detecção de colisões e a interacção entre os próprios agentes virtuais, e os agentes virtuais e o ambiente que os rodeia. Este método mostrou-se apropriado como base de implementação posterior de algoritmos de planeamento de percursos e outros algoritmos comportamentais, onde o avatar incorporará procedimentos de mais alto-nível. Para projectos de desenho, simulação e testes de facilidades de navegação em locais públicos, é importante prever as principais rotas ou fluxos a serem usados. Uma segunda aproximação apresentada, consiste em decompor a cena 3D em partições multi-nível (para navegação em ambientes 3D, principalmente em interiores de edifícios) criando um sistema que possa usar este tipo de catalogação como informação relevante de modo a planear rotas de acordo com as deslocações em várias alturas. A outro nível, o objectivo foi também testar a base de navegação criada, desenvolvendo mecanismos de implementação de novos e naturais comportamentos associados à navegação das personagens virtuais, lidando com várias variáveis de interacção, permitindo um comportamento mais realista e de reacção entre estes e o ambiente virtual. Em resumo, foram definidos sistemas de condições, regras e propriedades capazes de produzir comportamentos mais naturais e autónomos em personagens virtuais representativos da conduta humana. Virtual environment technology has been increasingly used for animation projects, design and evaluation in several areas. Virtual worlds, with considerable levels of detail, are starting to emerge everywhere, from large areas of actual cities to detailed and complex virtual indoor environments (buildings, stadiums, industrials structures, archaeological reconstructions, etc). However, improving the visual appearance of these virtual buildings is not enough anymore. In order to provide applications with new simulation conditions such as urban planning, behaviour and flow of pedestrian’s simulation, entertainment, etc, requires the populating of these virtual environments. Populating these worlds to simulate the presence of life, adds an extra touch to the visualization and credibility, but unfortunately it also brings an extra burden to the system. One of the issues of the research in this area is the representation of a densely crowded environment, simulating autonomous and real three-dimensional navigation to the virtual characters in arbitrary three-dimensional models or scenarios. Several steps are required when we need simulate the human presence (by synthetic animated characters) in these circumstances, such as collision detection, path planning/finding, behavioural algorithms, dynamic rendering of geometry, amongst others. In this thesis, a transversal approach is presented to demonstrate and consolidate autonomous virtual crowd behaviours in realistic animation environments. The system is able to include a large number of characters dealing with arbitrarily complex 3D worlds, not requiring any prior knowledge of the geometry, and providing real-time navigation, autonomous, and really three-dimensional. Initially, a method for efficient and scalable conservative collision detection is presented, that is able to deal with large and complex 3D scenes with thousands of avatars, not requiring any prior knowledge of model. This method demonstrated to be a fast, efficient and scalable collision detection process between virtual agents and the 3D environment. Using an automatic data extraction and mapping process from the initial graphical model, it provides collisions detection and interaction between virtual agents, as well as virtual agents and the environment that encircles them. This method proved to be appropriate as a basis for further implementation of path planning/finding algorithms and other behaviours algorithms. For design projects, simulation and the study of crowd behaviour facilities in public places, it is however important to be able to predict heavily used routes or peak flows. The second approach presented, consists in decomposing the 3D scene in multi-level sub-divisions (for navigation in 3D environments such as indoor building) creating a system that can use this type of cataloguing as relevant information to planning and finding routes, according to the movements at the various levels of heights. At another level, the goal was testing the base of navigation, developing mechanisms for new and natural behaviour implementations associated with virtual characters navigation, dealing with some interaction variables, representing a more realistic react/interact behaviour. In summary, autonomous conditions systems, rules and properties were defined, that are capable to produce behaviours representative of human condition.Uminho, IP

A arquitetura da cidade e os transportes : o caso dos congestionamento em Fortaleza - Ceará

Tese (doutorado)—Universidade de Brasília, Faculdade de Arquitetura e Urbanismo, 2009.Esta pesquisa de doutorado propõe uma metodologia sistêmica de análise da saturação viária, caracterizada por áreas e vias de maiores congestionamentos e transtornos de mobilidade viária e acessibilidade aos usos do solo na cidade de Fortaleza, Ceará. No escopo de sua abordagem, revela-se a composição de uma modelagem computacional em um mesmo ambiente de Sistemas de Informações Geográficas, de fluxos de demanda alocados pela técnica de Equilíbrio do Usuário Estocástico (SUE), oriunda da Urban Transportation Modelling Systems (UTMS), aliados aos fluxos potencias de oferta alocados pela técnica da Análise Angular de Segmentos (ASA), da Sintaxe Espacial (SE). O principal objetivo da pesquisa é a de contribuir na caracterização dos principais atores causadores dos congestionamentos, que no caso de Fortaleza, foram resultantes da forma da malha, em conexões viárias descontínuas por diversos planos urbanísticos. Alia-se a este fator o processo social de ocupação e uso do solo que juntos acabam por determinar em uma área crítica (AC) de congestionamentos. Em termos teórico-metodológicos, a pesquisa apóia-se no planejamento dos transportes e no urbanismo, originando contribuições metodológicas, no primeiro, na identificação de categorias analíticas funcionais relativas à acessibilidade local e global da malha e, no segundo, na dispersão socioespacial desigual de atividades em uma amostra de vias arteriais/coletoras da cidade. Os resultados finais apontam para a confirmação da participação do espaço de circulação (forma da malha), como contribuinte no processo de formação da cidade de Fortaleza e na propensão a ocorrência de congestionamentos. Em termos específicos são definidas escalas macro, meso e microscópica para a análise da acessibilidade funcional. Os resultados confirmam o processo de segregação sócio-espacial em que a cidade chegou e sugere novas abordagens para análises urbanas e o ensino do urbanismo e transportes. _______________________________________________________________________________ ABSTRACTThis doctoral research proposes a systemic methodology of street vehicular congestion analysis, pictured by some traffic jammed areas and its problems of land use accessibility and urban car mobility in Fortaleza city, capital of Ceará State, Brazil. The approach offers a composed computational modeling in Geographic Information System environment by joining both Urban Transportation Modeling Systems (UTMS) trip assignment using Stochastic User Equilibrium (SUE) and Space Syntax Angular Segment Analysis (SS-ASA). The main objective is to contribute to jammed areas main identification actors in Fortaleza city which would be explained by grid discontinuity links due to citys urban plans evolution. Besides that, it reveals the contribution of land use main attractors which would emphasize a congested Critical Area (CA). The research is a kind of interface between transportation and urbanism methodological and theoretical approaches and suggests analytic categories related to two scales. The first one, related to functional grid local and global accessibility and the second one, related to an arterial streets sample and their sociological consequences to the assessment to streets commercial and non-commercial land uses. The final results present the contribution of space to vehicular movement (the grid form), as a part of Fortaleza city urban evolution and vehicular congestion. The research defined three levels of accessibility analysis: macro, meso and microscope, together with two aspects of functional approaches. The results also confirm the sociospatial segregation the city has gone through and suggest new urban systemic approaches concerned to urbanism and transportation academics

L'intégration des données énergétiques dans la conception architecturale située

This thesis analyses the energy performance of dense cities and residential towers. It focuses on the energy performance of the built environment at three different scales – the building, the façade and the city area. The details of the three “morpho-energetic” studies are as follows : 1 - the first one analyses the link between buildings' dimensions and their energy performance: it focuses on a simple calculation method to quickly approximate the whole energy balance of residential buildings. 2 - the second study analyses the morphology of energy and density reasoned city areas: the ultimate goal is to develop a tool helping to find the optimal form(s) of a low energy and dense city area. It is based on a genetic algorithm tool. 3 - the last one analyses the energy impact of a new design methodology for construction and refurbishment: the Core-Skin-Shell concept.Ce travail est une réflexion prospective sur la densification verticale de la ville par la tour d'habitation. Trois échelles sont considérées : le bâtiment seul (objet), la composition de sa façade et son insertion urbaine (bâtiment situé). Le parti pris est de n'examiner que le seul critère énergétique. Sont réalisées trois séries d'études « morpho-énergétiques » : 1 - une étude sur l'influence énergétique de la morphologie d'un bâtiment « objet » : l'objectif est de développer un outil d'évaluation simplifiée de la performance énergétique totale des bâtiments résidentiels. 2 - une extension du précédent modèle en insérant le bâtiment dans un morceau de ville : l'objectif est d'identifier l'influence des configurations urbaines sur leur performances énergétiques, à l'aide d'un outil d'optimisation par algorithmes génétiques. 3 - l'étude d'une nouvelle démarche de conception et de rénovation des bâtiments à travers le concept Core-Skin-Shell : l'objectif est d'évaluer l'intérêt énergétique d'une décomposition fonctionnelle du bâtiment