m 2008 ceit 05 uwibambe clarisse gs 20031686_2
TRANSCRIPT
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DECLARATION
We, UWIBAMBE Clarisse and UMUGWANEZA Laetitia, declare that the
content of this project is our original work intended to serve as part of the fulfillment
of the requirements for the award of a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Engineering
and Information Technology.
We hereby confirm that to the best of our knowledge, this work is original and has
never been presented or submitted for any academic award in any university or
institution as a whole or in part.
Submitted by Signature
UWIBAMBE Clarisse GS20031686
UMUGWANEZA Laetitia PS20031678
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KIGALI INSTITUTE OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY INSTITUT DES SCIENCES ET DE TECHNOLOGIE DE KIGALI
Avenue de l'Armée, B.P. 3900 Kigali, Rwanda.
FACULTY OF TECHNOLOGY
DEPARTMENT OF COMPUTER ENGINEERING AND
INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
C E R T I F I C A T E This is to certify that the Project Work entitled “3D Animation
Walkthrough for Construction Application” is a record of the original
bonafide work done by UMUGWANEZA Laetitia (REG. NO
PS20031678) and UWIBAMBE Clarisse (REG.No:20031686) in
partial fulfillment of the requirement for the award of Bachelor of
Science Degree in Computer Engineering and Information Technology
of Kigali Institute of Science and Technology, during the Academic Year
2007.
SUPERVISOR Head Dept. Of CE & IT ………………………… .…………………………… Mr.K.VIJAYAKUMAR Mrs. SANTHI KUMARAN Submitted for the Project Examination held at KIST on ………………/……/…………...
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DEDICATION
We dedicate this work to the Almighty God for his divine guidance, mercy and
love for us.
We also dedicate it to our parents, family and friends who took care of us since
we started our academic pursuit to the present day.
Finally, we dedicate it to all our classmates for the part they have played in our lives
during these four long and exciting years.
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS We would like to acknowledge and give thanks in a special way to the Lord our God,
from whom all knowledge, wisdom and understanding rightly comes, for all that He
has so graciously allowed us to achieve.
We would also like to thank our supervisor, Mr. K.VijayaKumar for his guidance
and support during the entire course of this project.
To everyone who contributed to this project in terms of ideas, technical knowledge
and support, especially Mr. Sylvain , Rwigema’s family, Ms Kangabe Maggy and
Mukagakwaya Agnes, we would like to extend our deepest and most heartfelt
gratitude.
Finally, to all our family and friends, there are no profound words to express our
gratitude for the love and support that you have given us since what seems like
forever. It is therefore for lack of a better word that we only say thank you.
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ABSTRACT
The aim of this research is to prove the necessity of 3D animation
walkthroughs for construction application. It is in this context that the
basic concepts of designing and the process of walkthrough are
discussed. Furthermore, this research involves the implementation of
designing a building. The interview was used for recording of the
result. It is from these results that conclusions are drawn and the
appropriate recommendations made.
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TABLE OF CONTENT DECLARATION ...................................................................................................... i
C E R T I F I C A T E ................................................................................................ ii DEDICATION ........................................................................................................ iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ................................................................................... iv ABSTRACT ............................................................................................................. v TABLE OF CONTENT ......................................................................................... vi THE ABBREVIATION ........................................................................................ viii
CHAPTER1. Introduction ........................................................................................ 1 1.1 Background ........................................................................................................ 1 1.2 Purpose of the study ........................................................................................... 1
1.2.1 General purpose .......................................................................................... 1 1.2.2 Specific purposes ........................................................................................ 1
1.3. Problem statement ............................................................................................. 2 1.4 Significance of the project ................................................................................. 2 1.5 The scope of the project ..................................................................................... 2 1.6 METHODS ........................................................................................................ 2 1.7 Organization of the study. .................................................................................. 3
CHAPTER 2.LITERATURE REVIEW .................................................................. 3 2.1 Animation .......................................................................................................... 5 2.2 Overview of 3D animation .............................. Error! Bookmark not defined.
2.2.1 History of 3d animation. ............................ Error! Bookmark not defined. 2.2.2 Computer Animation .................................................................................. 6 2.2.3 3D Architectural Animation....................... Error! Bookmark not defined. 2.2.4 2D Miscommunication, 3D Remedy and Virtual architecture ................... 8 2.2.5 3D Walkthrough ......................................... Error! Bookmark not defined. 2.2.6 The Virtual Building ................................................................................. 10 2.2.7 3D Software Technology .......................................................................... 12
CHAPTER 3: RESEACH METHODOLOGY ..................................................... 15 3.1 Methodology used ............................................................................................ 15 3.2 Installation of ArchiCAD ................................................................................. 15
3.2.1 System requirement .................................................................................. 15 3.2.2 INSTALLING Archicad 9 .................................................................... 16 3.2.3. Art*lantis System Requirements .............................................................. 18
CHAPTER 4: Research Findings .......................................................................... 20 4.1 Introduction ...................................................................................................... 20 4.2 Designing using ArchiCAD ............................................................................. 20
4.2.1 Getting started with ArchiCAD Software. ................................................ 20 4.2.1.1 Setting unites ...................................................................................... 20 4.2.1.2 Floor plan view. ................................................................................. 22
4.3 Importing from ArchiCAD to art*lantis software. .......................................... 23 4.3.1 Lights and Cameras ................................................................................... 23 4.3.2 Animating the scene .................................................................................. 24 4.3.3 Rendering the scene .................................................................................. 25 4.3.4. 3D walkthroughs ....................................... Error! Bookmark not defined. 4.3.5 Interactive walkthroughs ........................................................................... 26
CHAPTER 5: CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION ............................ 28 5.1 Conclusion ....................................................................................................... 28 5.2 Recommendation ............................................................................................. 29
REFERENCES ......................................................................................................... 30
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LIST OF FIGURES
Figure 1.
Figure 2.
Figure 3.
Figure 4.
Figure 5.
Figure 6.
Figure 7.
Setting unites……………
Floor plan view………….
3D window………………
Setting camera…………...
3D Animation……………
3D Walkthrough…………
Interactive walkthrough…
Page 21
Page 22
Page 23
Page 25
Page 26
Page 28
Page 29
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THE ABBREVIATION
3D
2D
VRML
CAD
AVU
CGI
AIA
NAHB
OS
KIST
ZOOM
DXF
DWG
IGES
RIB
CPU
RAM
3Dimension
2 Dimension
Virtual Reality Modeling Language
Computer Aided Design
African Virtual University
Computer –generated imagery or computer –generated imaging.
American Institute of Architects.
National Association of Home Builders.
Operating System
Kigali Institute of Science and Technology
Zobject Oriented Model
Drawing exchange Format
Drawing database
Initial Graphics Exchange Specification format
Renderman Interface Bytestream Graphics
Central Processing Unit
Random Access Memory
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CHAPTER1. Introduction
1.1 Background
In recent years, the use of computers in design has become extremely important.
Although computer aided design software helps engineers greatly in designing and
viewing individual components, to verify the correctness of design, engineers need to
view combined shots of their design. Even a walkthrough of the entire model may be
required in some cases. Architects today use computers to design and view buildings.
The size of such architectural models can be huge. Customers may want to view the
building on computer.
Showing rendered pictures or a film prepared by moving a virtual camera inside the
building model on a predetermined path alone may not always satisfy a customers.
Customer may want to walk inside the model interactively.
1.2 Purpose of the study
1.2.1 General purpose
The main purpose of this project is to design a building, making a walkthroughs
inside that building and make an interaction.
1.2.2 Specific purposes
The specific purposes are the following:
To find the best software that can be used to make walkthroughs inside the
building.
To allow customer to walk inside the model interactively.
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To ‘pre-visualize’ what a building or environment will ‘look like’ before it is
built.
To identify critical strategies and issues which must be considered when either
teaching students or directing employees in the creation of a ‘professionally’
produced 3D computer graphic architectural walkthrough.
1.3. Problem statement
Nowadays the building construction has developed the complex building are being
constructed every where but there is a problem in the filed of construction, where
customers are not able to understand what is designed on the paper. This problem
create misunderstanding between civil engineers and customers after the building is
constructed ,where the customer would not appreciate what has been constructed
because he had not understood the design before execution of the work.
1.4 Significance of the project
This project will help to eliminate the contradiction/misunderstanding between the
contractors (civil engineers) and their customers on building designs, since the
customers will be able to pre-view how the building will look like and do any
modification before the building is built.
1.5 The scope of the project
The project will show how we can make an animation of a building and make an
interactive. Using appropriate software we can view inside the building. This project
was conducted in kist specifically to AVU building.
1.6 METHODS
As one would require the achievement of the earlier given objectives, the researcher
utilized different reliable sources, which are stipulated as below:
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• Search from the library and different kinds of internet books were used. The
purpose was to Cleary understand the 3d animation walkthroughs for
construction application. And understand how to implement this knowledge
in RWANDA.
• Different people who are well equipped in the utilization of the ArchiCAD,
art*lantis and VRML software even some more knowledgeable sources of
which the guidance of our supervisors inclusive.
1.7 Organization of the study.
This project report consists of five chapters as follows:
• Chapter 1 is the General Introduction and it provides the problem statement
of the project, the project objectives, methodologies that will be employed as
well as the project scope.
• Chapter 2 describes what others have done related to the current project. It
also justifies the use of solution techniques and problem solving procedures
in this project work.
• Chapter 3 is the Research methodology which will discuss the methodologies
used to carry out the research in order to achieve the project objectives.
• Chapter 4 is the Results and Discussion chapter. It will present and discuss
the findings of the research in light of the project objectives.
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• Chapter 5 is the Conclusion and Recommendations chapter which will draw
conclusions based on the findings of the research and make the necessary
recommendations
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CHAPTER 2.LITERATURE REVIEW
2.1 Animation
Animation is the rapid display of image of 2-D artwork or model positions in order to
create an illusion of movement. It is an optical illusion of motion due to the
phenomenon of persistence of vision, and can be created and demonstrated in a
number of ways. the most common method of presenting animation is as a motion
picture or video program1.
2.2 Overview of 3D animation.
2.2.1 History of 3d animation.
According to Emile Cohl there is no single person who can be considered the
“creator” of the art of animation, as there were several people doing several projects
which could be considered various types of animation all around the same time.(short
,hand-drawn animation scenes could be presented with the Phenakistoscope the
Zoetrope, and other optical ”toys” already in the early 1800s).
The following is a brief listing on those who are often acknowledged as significant to
the development of animation. Note that this list is by no means a comprehensive list
of contributors.
• Georges Méliès was a creator of special effect films, such as A Trip to
the Moon. He used many techniques-one of which was to stop the camera
rolling, change something in the scene, and then continue rolling the film.
This is a very similar idea to that of stop-motion animation. Méliès
accidentally happened upon the technique when his camera broke down
while shooting a bus driving by. When the camera was fixed, a horse
happened to be passing by just as Méliès continued to film.The result was
that the bus appeared to change into a horse.
1 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/animation, 4 September 2007
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• J.Stuart Blackton was possibly the first filmmaker in America to use the
techniques of stop-motion and hand-drawn animation. Introduced to
filmmaking by Edison, he pioneered these concepts at the turn of the 20th
century, with his first copyrighted work dated 1900.
• Emile Cohl began drawing cartoon strips and created a film in 1908 called
Fantasmagorie. The film largely consisted of a stick figure moving about
and encountering all manner of morphing objects, such as a wine bottle
that transforms into a flower. There were also sections of live action
where the animator’s hands would enter the scene. The film was created
by drawing each frame on paper and then shooting each frame onto
negative film, which gave the picture a blackboard look.
• Winsor McCay created detailed animations that required a team of artists
and painstaking attention for detail. Each frame was drawn on paper,
requiring backgrounds to be redrawn, as well characters to be animated.
His films such as Gertie the Dinosaur (1914) and The Sinking of the
Lusitanian (1918) were of an impressive scale, although The Sinking of
the Lusitanian used cells.
• Otto Messmer, in 1919, created the character of Felix the cat for pat
Sullivan’s animation studios. The importance of Felix lies in the
character's strong personality, created largely through gesture and action2.
2.2.2 Computer Animation.
Computer animation is the art of creating moving images via the use of computer. It
is a subfield of computer graphics and animation .Increasingly it is created by means
of 3D computer graphics, though 2d computer graphics are still widely used for low
bandwidth and faster real-time rendering needs. Sometimes the target of the
animation is the computer itself, but it sometimes the target is another medium, such
as film. It is also referred to as CGI (Computer Generated Imagery or Computer-
Generated Imaging), especially when used in films. To create the illusion of
2 Salomon, Charles (1989).Enchanted Drawings: the History of
animation. New York; Random House, inc. ISBN 0-394-54684-9
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movement, an image is displayed on the computer screen then quickly replaced by a
new image that is similar to the previous image, but shifted slightly. This technique
is identical to how the illusion of movement is achieved with television and pictures3.
2.2.3 3D Architectural Animation
3D architectural animation has become a powerful application in conveying design
concepts of various buildings, spaces and industrial complexes in dynamic realism.
With 3D Walkthroughs and Flythrough, perspectives can be viewed from any angle
or height bringing a photo-realistic dimension to constructed spaces. Incorporation of
product specific and service oriented information into 3D walkthroughs of
commercial establishments such as companies, shopping centers, educational
institutions etc. can be to provide an impressive multimedia presentation.
Structural drawings depicting functionality of various large-scale engineering
projects can be incorporated into the final 3D visual presentation, thus enabling the
detection of design flaws in the pre-visualization stage itself.
Commercial demand and computer-generated rendering are on the rise, but three-
dimensional models are often seen to be more attractive, more accurate, and more
popular. Typically members of the AIA (American Institute of Architects) and
NAHB (National Association of Home Builders) prefer to use 3D animation and
rendering models for their customers before starting on a construction project. Those
who provide animation and rendering are usually small animation studios and
companies4.
3 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computer_animation, 9 October 2007 4 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/architectural-animation, 10 November
2007
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2.2.4 2D Miscommunication, 3D Remedy and Virtual architecture
Architect-to-client communication is important and oftentimes being the overlooked
aspect of design.
According to Chen (2004), an unbalanced number of defects and flaws in
architectural design can be traced to the inefficiency of communication between the
architect and the client. Poor communication has been the main hindrance to the
quality of design and at the same time affected clients’ satisfaction. The root of this
miscommunication stems from the fact that majority of the clients have difficulties
understanding the aspects of 2D architectural drawings. Human beings see objects
three-dimensionally and do not think in a two-dimensional perspective. Chen (2004)
further states that” The first problem the information receiver experiences when
communicating with the architect by architectural
Drawings are the difficulty to visualize the three-dimensional space by combining
various information from the plans and the facades.” In fact, architects and designers
go to school and study the method 2D interpretation for several years until it is fully
mastered (Sweller, 1988; Dobert, 1999).
However, when clients are presented with three-dimensional images, their mind does
not have to generate the mental imagery from the abstracted 2D architectural
drawings. This leaves more space to the actual spatial reasoning process (Chen,
2004). Furthermore, the series of 3d images or 3d animation decomposes the
information of the architectural concept into small chunks hence avoiding the chance
of information overloading during communication. Chen’s research shows that a 3D
image can greatly simplify the communication process by offering the client a
chance to see the architectural concept with the presence of depth, and thus taking
away the need to piece together two or more static images in order to get the desired
mental image of the architectural design.
Referring to another research by Sweller (1988) and Dobert (1999), it can also be
concluded that a person without formal architectural training is unable to digest the
information presented on typical 2D technical drawings. The information required to
visualize a specific design concept is scattered across several different illustrations.
This will greatly reduce both the fidelity and speed of communication between the
architect and the client.
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In order to tackle this communication problem, architects are beginning to utilize 3D
computer generated models. 3D modeling opens up the avenues for architects to
create photorealistic renderings and walkthrough animated movies that are easier for
clients to understand and comprehend. A complete model 3D constitutes of the
following elements (Cory and Bozell, 2001): Form - Shape and Size, Attributes -
Materials and Physical Properties,
Relationship/Assembly - How parts are related, and what moves with what and
Behavior - Doors opening and closing. The use of 3Dmodeling gives the architect the
upper hand when it comes to showing the client aspects of design. However, there
are still flaws in this approach. According to a research conducted by Kheir Al-
Kodmany
(2002), when a client views a 3D animation walkthrough of ones future home, one
may see something that needs to be changed e.g. the material used. Since the
animation was not rendered in real time (or pre-rendered) it is not possible for the
architect to make instant design changes5.
2.2.5 3D Walkthrough
Real Tour Vision offers 3D walkthrough animation service. The 3D walkthrough is
a moving representation of a building. This building can be an actual building, a
building under construction, or a planned building in development. The Real Estate
3D walkthrough plays like a movie and is not interactive. The viewer watches the 3D
walkthrough but cannot control it. One of the most popular uses of a 3D
walkthrough is for real estate development projects. A 3D walkthrough allows a
realtor to showcase a building while it is under development or in the planning
stages. This is also useful for city planners, construction companies, architects, and
home buyers. The 3D walkthrough is created using the building blueprints. A 3D
walkthrough specialist uses your information to create the 3D walkthrough using
special software.
5 Kevin Kitchens (2006).Interactive Home Design in a Virtual Environment. The University of Southern Mississippi Hattiesburg, MS39406 (USA).
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Some of the advantages of virtual walkthroughs are:
• Actual materials can be shown.
• Interior lighting can be previewed.
• Landscaping in the entire premises can be shown.
• Natural lighting, based upon window direction, time of year, time of day, and
even global latitude can be previewed.
• Lifts, escalators, and moving objects can be incorporated and can be shown in
operational condition.
• View can be previewed.
• Multiple design options can be explored and resolved before building begins6.
2.2.6 The Virtual Building The participants of a building project are not interested in Information Technology
sequence. Clients need visuals, possibly animated and in photo-realistic quality. They
also want fast modifications and estimates. Architects would like to create and assess
the design through 3D means rather than drawings, and reduce the time needed to
translate design into documentation.
Consultants need to interact with the building design to add special engineering value
to the project. What they all need is accurate, adequate and up-to-date information at
all times. What makes the information available for them is the building database
integration of Virtual Building technology.
According to JOHN MITCHELL, GROUP IT MANAGER WOODS BAGOT
“Conventional CAD is drafting and not much else. The next generation of
technology, Virtual Building systems such as ArchiCAD, have a natural language of
working with construction elements. In ArchiCAD, an integrated building model is
composed of objects with properties, relationships, 2D documentation and advanced
3D visualization.”
By using the power of intelligent, architecturally meaningful objects, the architect
can begin developing the design in 3D while the system continuously translates that
6 http://www.ardigitech.com/architectural-walk-throughs-animation.htm, 30 December 2007
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into 2D documentation and quantities. All members of the design team, as well as
clients, get instant visual feedback of the design development, without the logistical
complications of supplying ideas and documents to an operator or third party to
create a 3D image. Consultants can interact with a more finished model to
collaborate with the architect in finalizing the project; while a set of integrated
construction documents are generated to take the project through construction. The
integrated database continues living alongside the building even after completing
documentation. Project managers use the information to coordinate suppliers and
contractors, and building
Marketing specialists generate photo-realistic visuals to assemble advertising
materials so that building spaces could be sold or rented before the construction is
finished. Facility managers hugely benefit from being able to take control of the
integrated building database. A living set of information, the Virtual Building is a
faithful representation of the real building even through remodeling and
refurbishment, to the end of its life-cycle: demolition7.
7 www.graphisoft.com(15/05/2007)
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2.2.7 3D Software Technology
3ds Max
3ds Max is a fascinating 3D movie making software. With 3ds Max, one can create
3D environments and characters, objects and subjects of any type. One can arrange
them in settings and environments to build scenes as desired. One can animate the
characters, set them in motion as required. One can then shoot movies of the whole
virtual setting. Some of the important features and functions that can be controlled
using 3ds Max to create a realistic 3D animation model include assigning materials
to objects, providing lights, positioning cameras, animation and rendering8.
ArchiCAD
ArchiCAD gives users the ability to create great architecture and increase
productivity. From day one, ArchiCAD has been designed by architects for
architects, and over the years it has gradually become more and more refined to
allow its users to better:
• Focus on design,
• Manage change,
• Evaluate design alternatives,
• Collaborate,
• Coordinate
ArchiCAD offers a different approach to your workflow process, which gives you
more control over your design, while maintaining accuracy and efficiency in
documentation. While you raise walls, lay floors, add doors and windows, build
stairs and construct roofs this Building Information Authoring Tool creates a central
database of 3D model data.
From this you can extract all the information needed to completely describe your
design - complete plans, sections and elevations, architectural and construction
8 http://www.graphisoft.com/community/success-storied luminetek.html, 12 January 2008
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details, Bills of Quantities window/door/finish schedules, renderings, animations and
virtual reality scenes.
That means while you're designing, ArchiCAD is creating all the project
documentation so there's little repetitive and tedious drafting work. And unlike
designing in 2D software, the virtual building approach also means that you can
make changes at any time maintaining the integrity of your documents, without
risking costly errors or costing you productivity.
With ArchiCAD you can quickly and easily access just the right representation of
the building for each design phase, and for all of the different partners involved in
the project. All your documents are just a click or two away. Your client can see not
only the functional arrangement and the site plan, but also how it feels to walk
through the space, or how sunlight affects a particular room at different times of the
day. Consultants can receive the building data in electronic format, regardless of
which CAD platform they are on, make changes and return the file to you for further
work without any loss of the virtual building data in the process. Comprehensive
schedules and bills of materials are available for builders and sub-contractors, as well
as drawings of scale-sensitive details. Builders can plan tasks, create time-based
animations and document any phase of a building's construction or demolition. And
developers can use the photo-realistic renderings for a sales brochure9.
9 Hebert Peter (2004). Archicad Best Practice the Virtual Building TM Revealed. Second edition, Wigen Springer, Canada S7K-5X2.
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Art*lantis
Art*lantis Render is one of the easiest and most intuitive rendering programs on the
market today. Perfectly compatible with the leading CAD software (ArchiCAD,
Vector Works, AutoCAD, form•Z, Cad Soft, Chief Architect, ARC+, Amapi,
ZOOM…), Art*lantis imports most industry-standard file formats (DXF, DWG, 3D
Studio,IGES,VRML,Electri,Image,RIB…).
According to Starkey Art*lantis as a rendering tool, because of its user-friendly
interface and short time to mastery.
She liked the ability to see changes in textures and lights in real time, as well as the
control it offered her over the textures she had created.
Starkey finds Art*lantis fast, powerful, and accessible, yet simple and flexible. The
renderer's lighting model features global illumination, integrating the multiple effects
of light re-bounced by the surrounding objects. Thus, each element of a 3D scene
affects the color and brightness of other elements, resulting in the photorealistic
result. She finds Design Workshop and Art*lantis to be a good combination for
several reasons. Both are straightforward and easy to use, and although functions can
be performed mathematically, they can just as easily be adjusted visually. That frees
the artist to concentrate on product rather than process.10.
10 http://www.caduser.com/review/review.asp?a-id-107
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CHAPTER 3: RESEACH METHODOLOGY
3.1 Methodology used
In order to carry out a successfully study, we first collected data
trough interviews in construction companies, civil engineers and other
people from computer Engineering and Information Technology
department. During this period of data collection we also consulted
different books, news papers and internet.
Data collected have been analyzed in order to choose the best software
that can be used for drawing. The ArchiCAD mostly used by civil
engineers was found to be the best. This software helped us to draw
one of the building constructed in KIST known as AVU, after taking
all the measurements needed.
After drawing, an animation and walkthrough have been introduced
through another software working together with ArchiCAD, known as
art*lantis. With this software we also introduced an interaction for the
building drawn. ArchiCAD and Art*lantis have been installed in the
following ways:
3.2 Installation of ArchiCAD 9.
3.2.1 System requirement
Operating System:
Windows XP Professional.
Windows XP Professional x64 Edition*.
Macintosh® OS X 10.3.
Macintosh® OS X 10.4.
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CPU:
Intel® Pentium 4, Intel® Centrino, or compatible
RAM:
1 GB of RAM is require more than 1GB is recommended for
complex models
Hard Drive:
Minimum of 500 MB free hard disk space is required for a full
installation.
Additional 2 GB is required for work with complex projects and 3D
visualization.
Display:
Minimum resolution: 1024x768,
Recommended resolution: 1280x1024 Standard Open GL
graphic cards with on-board video memory of 64 MB are required.
On-board video memory of 128 MB or more is recommended11.
3.2.2 INSTALLING ArchiCAD 9
Windows:
After inserting the CD into your CD-Rom drive, the installer will
automatically start. Choose the "ArchiCAD 9" option to install
ArchiCAD.
In case the installer does not start automatically, double-click on the
"Setup" application in the CD root directory.
11 http://www.graphisoft.com/support/archicad/system_requirements/archicad9.html.12 December 2007
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Macintosh:
Insert the ArchiCAD 9 CD-ROM into your CD-ROM drive and
double-click on the "ArchiCAD Installer" application in the CD root
directory.
Important: When installing ArchiCAD, you must be logged on as a
member of the Administrator Group. Make sure that NO WIBU
protection key is connected to your computer during the installation.
The ArchiCAD 9 installation wizard will start helping you through the
various install options. Select "ArchiCAD 9 Commercial" option if
you have purchased a commercial version of ArchiCAD that comes
with a hardware protection key. Also choose this option, if you
received a demo copy for evaluation purposes only. Choose
"ArchiCAD 9" option.
After accepting the license agreement, you will define a location on
your computer's hard drive for installing ArchiCAD 9. You can either
point to an existing folder or create a new folder. The next step is to
choose one of the following three install options:
• typical
• custom
• advanced
The "typical" option installs all components of ArchiCAD. We
recommend you to use this option when first installing ArchiCAD.
The "custom" option lets you install only selected parts of the full
package. Choose this option only if you are experienced in installing
and using ArchiCAD. The "advanced" option installs ArchiCAD
with
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Pre-set defaults. This option allows CAD managers to set up an
office with standardized ArchiCAD 9 installations. When you first
install ArchiCAD 9, this option will not be available.
Then follow the steps, and choose your own options, and provide the
information in any way you want. And When ArchiCAD finishes
installing; it will require a restart of the computer.
3.2.3. Art*lantis System Requirements.
PC with Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows 2000, XP
Home or Professional Editions with .NET 1.1 frameworks
(Note that Sketch up Pro is Vista compatible but due to the poor
support for OpenGL in vista, it is not ideal. Windows NT is not
supported at all anymore. Install and run Sketch Up Pro in Windows
2000 compatibility mode.
Minimum Requirements
1 GHZ Pentium 4 Processor.
512 MB RAM.
>200 MB of available hard-disk space.
Video card that is 100% OpenGL compliant.
Microsoft Internet Explorer 6.0 or higher.
Windows Media Player or QuickTime 5.0.
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Apple Macintosh with OS X
Minimum Requirements
1 GHz G5
512 MB RAM
>200 MB of available hard-disk space quick Time 5.0.
Within the above softwares all the objectives have been achieved12.
12 http://www.design8.nl/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=33&Itemid=50,12 December 2007
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CHAPTER 4: Research Findings
4.1 Introduction
This chapter presents results of this project in relation to the project goal.
The goal of the project was to design AVU building and walk inside it interactively.
From the interview method we found out the software that we have used and from
documentation we learnt how to use those softwares.
For designing we used ArchiCAD software and art*lantis was applied to achieve the
remaining part of our project.
4.2 Designing using ArchiCAD
4.2.1 Getting started with ArchiCAD Software.
4.2.1.1 Setting unites
Before setting the unit we have to open ArchiCAD from start menu > program then
ArchiCAD or double click on ArchiCAD icon if it is on the desktop.
You can set the unit of a building by clicking an object category, and type on object
you wish to draw. For example the following figure shows how to set a wall for the
building.
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For example the following figure show how to set a wall for the building
.
The designers have to click on a wall icon from tool box and then the
wall settings window appear. In that case he/she can set the height,
width and the length of the wall.
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4.2.1.2 Floor plan view.
The figure bellow shows application window with a floor plan after designing all parts of the building. You can view this building in 3D Window by right clicking on the floor plan and
then select 3D Window.
The following figure will appear
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4.3 Importing from ArchiCAD to art*lantis software.
4.3.1 Lights and Cameras
A programmer creates lights with various properties to illuminate the scene.
Lights in art* lantis includes the following standard light types; omni, spot ,and
directional lights .the programmer can set a light to any color and even animate the
color to simulate dimming or volumetric effects.
Camera in art* lantis can be created and placed as desired using art* lantis software,
camera define viewpoints for rendering, and can be animated to produce
cinematic effects. A programmer can create a camera just by choose window then
select edit panorama and the camera appear. After that we can move the camera
where you want to view.
The figure bellow will show how to create a camera using art*lantis
and how to rotate it.
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4.3.2 Animating the scene
A programmer begins animating the scene at any time by clicking on window then
select Edit animation. In this case a programmer can set the sequence number for the
animation and he can set the time required for animating the scene. When the play
button is on, art*lantis automatically record the movement, rotation and scale
changes a programmer makes, not as change to a static scene ,but as keys on certain
frames that represent time.
The following figure show how the animation can be done automatically according
to the time setting.
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4.3.3 Rendering the scene
We have used the rendering features to define an environment and to produce the
final output from a scene. we have rendering a single image by setting the’ render’ to
render a single frame of an animation. Rendering an animation is the same as
rendering a single image except that that one can set the ‘render’ to render a
sequence of frames. We have chosen to render an animation to multiple single frame
files or to popular animation formats such as .flc or .avi.
4.3.4. 3D walkthroughs
Having created a classic floor plan, it is easy to create a three-dimensional
Walkthrough at the touch of a button. The 3D Walkthrough is an extremely powerful
way of 'feeding' the visitor's imagination. It is a magical experience. The 3D
Walkthrough video is like somebody moving through the property with a video
camera. But the visitor can jump from one room to another simply by setting the
camera in one room and walk inside. At the end of the 3D Walkthrough tour the
viewer can see photographs that show exactly how the home looks like before it is
built.
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The figure bellow show how the viewer can walk inside the building
In order to make the walkthrough of a given building, the user place the camera at
the place where he wish to see and then use the mouse for walking inside that
building.
4.3.5 Interactive walkthroughs
We have developed a system that supports interactive walkthroughs of a building
model. Interactive computer programs that simulate the experience of "walking"
through a building interior are useful for visualization and evaluation of building
models before they are constructed. In order to achieve interactive walkthroughs of
such large building models, a system must store in memory and render only a small
portion of the model; that is, the portion seen by the observer. As the observer
"walks" through the model, some parts of the model become visible and others
become invisible; some objects appear larger and others appear smaller. The client
may not be satisfied with the color setting by the contractor or the roof of the
building or the pavement of that building. In this case the client may be able to
change every thing in the walkthrough process.
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The figure bellow shows how the client can set any color as he want.
In summary, the current state of home design relies heavily on the communication
between the architect and the client. It is the responsibility of the architect to ensure
that clients completely understand the design aspect of ones future home. It is often
the case that a bad design is not bad but rather it was misinterpretation by either the
client or the architect. Architects have tried to remedy this by offering clients to view
photorealistic still renderings and walkthrough movies of their future home. These
rendered images may give clients more understanding of the design.
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CHAPTER 5: CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION
5.1 Conclusion
This work was carried out with sufficient data obtained from different
sources.
The main aim of the project was to design the AVU building, allow
user to animate it, walk inside it, and set a color as he /she wish
interactively. Therefore using appropriate software we have achieved
all those objectives.
Those softwares will facilitate all contractors, civil engineers,
computer engineers and other people to learn how they can design,
and make an interactive walkthroughs in their design. With this
system, the customer will be able to walk inside the model
interactively and ‘pre-view’ how a building or environment will ‘look
like’ before it is built.
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5.2 Recommendation
We highly recommend civil engineers to learn more about those
softwares and show how to walkthrough inside their design so that it
will be a better way of advertisement.
We recommend implementing a system online in which the designer
will publish different model of design like hotels, buildings, etc… for
more information concerning those design.
We also recommend this project to all coming graduates to ameliorate
this system in order to achieve their objectives.
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REFERENCES
A. Literature
1. Kevin Kitchens (2006).Interactive Home Design in a Virtual
Environment. The University of Southern Mississippi Hattiesburg,
MS39406 (USA).
2. Hebert Peter (2004). ArchiCAD Best Practice the Virtual Building
TM Revealed. Second edition, Wigen Springer, Canada S7K-5X2.
3. Salomon, Charles (1989).Enchanted Drawings: the History of
animation. New York; Random House, inc. ISBN 0-394-54684-9
B. Websites
[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/animation, 4 September 2007.
[2] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computer_animation, 9 October 2007.
[3] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/architectural-animation, 10 November
2007.
[4] http://www.ardigitech.com/architectural-walk-throughs-animation.
.html, 30 December 2007.
[5]http://www.graphisoft.com/community/success-storied, 12 January
2008.
[6] http://www.caduser.com/review/review.asp?a-id-107, 13 January
2008.
[7]www.graphisoft.com,15may2007.
[8]http://www.graphisoft.com/support/archicad/system_requirements/
archicad9.html.12December2007.
[12]http://www.design8.nl/index.php?option=com_content&task=vie
w&id=33&Itemid=50, 12 December 2007.
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