From: rwzobel@eos.ncsu.edu (RICHARD W ZOBEL)
Subject: Re: Comments on VR-based Architectual Design Products?
Date: Mon, 6 Jan 1992 18:59:00 GMT
Organization: North Carolina State University



In article <1992Jan2.192830.1248@milton.u.washington.edu>, sbrenner@cbnewsb.
cb.att.com (scott.d.brenner) writes:

>On a recent "This Old House," Steve Thomas (the host) went
>to a small firm in Massachusetts that used some type of
>VR system to assist in the design of the kitchen in a house
>that TOH is revamping. 

 ...Stuff deleted...

>It seems to me that VR could be very useful in architectural
>design applications.  Initially, the costs would be high.
>But after the use of these systems became more widespread,
>I think the cost/benefit ratio would become appealing to most
>people considering building or redesigning a house.
>
>I'd be interested in comments on the specific system I described
>from This Old House and on the general use of VR systems
>in architectural design.

The specific system seems to be a good 3-D modelling package 
combined with a rendering package running on a high end system 
for speed. All the cabinetry, fixtures, windows, etc. are probably in 
a library for quick retrieval and easy modification. Things like this 
are actually fairly simple to do, although time consuming if you 
want a photo-realistic image. The Walk-Through project at UNC-CH 
that John Airey spoke of (Message-ID: <1992Jan3.023702.23355 
@milton.u.washington.edu>) is the only one I have seen that has 
both the rendering quality and the speed. Unfortunately this 
system is not yet able to be directly modified while you are 
walking through it. UNC-CH does have an interactive modelling 
project which (I believe) is called 3DM. I don't know much more 
about it though. (If anyone has info on this or any other interactive 
modeling systems being developed or studied, please let me 
know...)

As for general use of VR in Architectural design, there seems to be 
several (somewhat intertwined) paths developing, almost all of 
which are still only theoretical. (There is almost no money in 
architecture for research, and I have found that in general, very 
few architects are willing to acknowledge that VR is a worthwhile 
pursuit at this time.) 

Paths:

1) VR as a means of description of architectural space. (Client 
walkthroughs, promotional and marketing)

2) VR as a design development tool. (After the preliminary design 
phase, when the design is fairly solid, use VR as a means of finding 
out what you have actually designed so that you can go back and 
make changes. Different analysis tools can be integrated to help 
further analyze the space (daylight, structure, etc.))

3) VR as a design tool. (Getting away from 2-D abstractions such as 
plan, section and elevation except as organizational tools, and 
DESIGNING in three dimensions all around you. This, in conjunction 
with information systems such as structural analysis, daylighting, 
costing, energy analysis and occupancy simulation systems will 
lead to knowledge based design and a better understanding of the 
space the architect is proposing from the initial phases of design.)

4) VR as an Architectural/spatial medium to break the constraints 
of physics. (This is taking another step beyond (3), and looking at 
architecture as a pure message. Gravity, rigidity, time and scale can 
now be used as tools, to be used, modified or ignored. Cyberspatial 
Architecture promises to be very dynamic and distinctly unique 
from architecture of our current reality.)

(In reality, (2) is simply an elaboration of (1), and (4) is an 
elaboration of (3), so compacted, the distinct difference in attitude 
is between Description vs. Design)

I would be very interested in discussing other directions people 
see for VR in Architecture or design in general. I strongly believe 
that VR is (eventually) going to fundamentally change the practice 
of Architecture from the preliminary design stage on through to 
final built product (virtual or not). The biggest questions right now 
are when and where it is going to start happening.

Richard Zobel
NCSU School of Design
Architecture Department