On Developing Standards for the Creation of VR City Models

The paper is an inclusive summary of research work on creating VR city models carried out over the last six years in the UK and Greece aiming to put into discussion the guidelines/ rules developed by the author. The paper is structured in three sections referring to the main stages in terms of either technical expertise and problem solving or conceptual structuring of information: creation of 3D city models, CAAD versus VR in digital city modelling and finally utilizing digital city models. The expected outcome of the work presented is the establishment of a body of knowledge that will facilitate the development of standards and guidelines for the creation of city models. There are obvious advantages in having a compatible set of city 3D models. On the other hand, there are different rules to be followed and issues to be solved, according to the scale of the model, level of detail that is needed “ all these rules relate to the projected use of the model

The Future of VRML on Large Urban Models.

In this paper, the suitability and usability of VRML for urban modelling is discussed based on the experience gained by the creation of urban models of varying sizes, level of detail and use. Areas where the current VRML specification is failing to satisfy the needs of large-scale urban modelling are highlighted. Properties of a successful alternative or VRML3.0 specification are suggested and briefly discussed

Low Tech Approach to 3D Urban Modeling

Over the last decade various examples of urban 3D models have been created employing various techniques for data collection and model building. The problems faced are well documented, issues of accuracy, complexity and utility of the models has also been addressed. This paper presents a low tech approach to accurate city modelling focusing on engineering applications, browsing/experiencing applications as well as multi-layering time based analyses, historical info overlaying for use in interactive real time applications (museum exhibitions, research projects for behavioural patterns of users in 3D urban environments, marketing, tourism, etc). The pros and cons of the proposed methodology are analyzed and ways forward suggested

Developing VR Tools for an Urban Planning Public Participation ICT Curriculum, the PICT Approach

This paper is a work in progress report on the Planning Inclusion of Clients through e-Training (PICT) Leonardo funded project. The aim of the paper is to present the issues related to the development of appropriate Information Communication Technologies (ICT) material enabling Virtual Reality (VR) technologies in this particular context. The tools developed are organised in three distinct parts: the common core part, the public oriented and the planner oriented. The curriculum structure is analysed, the methods employed in developing the VR tools are presented and the initial experiments are discussed

Interactive Spatial Design course analysis: 10 years, 150 projects

The paper is giving an overview and analysis of an undergraduate, sixth semester, compulsory course titled “Virtual Reality: Interactive Spatial Design” at the department of Architecture, School of Engineering, University of Thessaly, Volos, Greece. It is one of the very few courses on designing digital/synthetic and interactive space_and not merely utilising Virtual Reality (VR) technologies for architectural visualisations_in architectural curricula. The aim of this paper is to primarily draw on a ten year experience on teaching the course and to open up a discussion on the implications of such digital design courses and address emerging problems. This is achieved through a reflection on the teaching process (interaction as design process, curriculum and attained goals) and an analysis and genre classification of the 150 submitted projects

From CAAD to VRML: London Case Study

In this paper, the suitability and usability of VRML for urban modelling is discussed based on the experience gained by the creation of urban models of varying sizes, level of detail and use. Areas where the current VRML specification is failing to satisfy the needs of large-scale urban modelling are highlighted. Properties of a successful alternative or VRML3.0 specification are suggested and briefly discussed.

Navigation in Large VR Urban Models. in Virtual Worlds

The aim of this research project is to utilise VR models in urban planning in order to provide easy-to-use visualisation tools that will allow non-experts to understand the implications of proposed changes to their city. In this paper, the navigation problems identified whilst working on large VR city models are discussed and a “fly” based navigation mode is proposed and evaluated

Real City Museum/Virtual City Model: Real Datasets/Virtual Interactions

Creating virtual city models at different scales, emphases and overall orientations is a topic that has attracted great interest in architectural and urban planning context over at least the last two decades. However the complexity of the city as a historical formation demands new methods of representation embracing interactive technologies. The work discussed in this paper is part of a large multidisciplinary project for the development of the Volos city museum. Enhancing the interaction between the public and the museum exhibits is essential. The paper focuses on the definition, complexity and orientation of the data structures and the integration of 3D contemporary and historic data that is the backbone for the digital representations and the interactive applications developed for the museum

Teaching Virtual Environment Design

In a previous paper, the authors considered the design and development of virtual environments (VEs) pointing out the need for a new direction within architectural education, leading towards a generation of VE architects. It was suggested that there is an urgent need for educating practitioners who will contribute to the design of 3D content for multimedia and virtual reality applications. This paper focuses on the application of these principles and ideas into the structure and methodology of three VE design courses, taught by the authors. These courses are by no means suggested as exhaustive examples of teaching this subject. They are seen as preliminary approaches, adapting to the educational context they are integrated within. Bearing in mind the problems relating to teaching large numbers of students with a design studio approach, difficult concepts, resources availability, fighting misconceptions, techno-phobia the following areas are discussed in the hope that they will contribute to VE design curricula in the near future

The VRML Model of the City of Bath

The aim of this research project is to utilise VRML models in urban planning in order to provide easy-to-use visualisation tools that will allow non-experts to understand the implications of proposed changes to their city. In this paper, issues related to the construction and use of large urban models are discussed based on the authors'experience constructing the Bath computer model. Problems faced during the creation, translation and final adaptation of the original CAD model are presented, the solutions devised are demonstrated and suggestions regarding the management of similar projects are given.