Vassilis Bourdakis

Comparison of radiosity and ray-tracing techniques with a practical design procedure for the prediction of daylight levels in atria

Designers are often facing prescribed requirements concerning daylight in atria. For the accurate prediction of the illuminances the designers should employ either computer simulations or apply empirical equations. This study compares results obtained by a practical design procedure and simulated results using Radiance and Lightscape 3.2.

Living with a virtual city

Computer models of entire cities are becoming increasingly common. The uses to which these models are put are varied and include the visualisation of proposed changes, the marketing of the facilities a city has to offer and the mapping of socio-economic data. Developments in the Internet mean that city models can be widely accessed and computer hardware and software have developed to the point where it is possible to both construct and view these models on personal computers. This paper discusses some issues relating to the construction and use of large urban models and draws upon the authors’ experience of constructing the Bath computer model which remains one of the most detailed in the world.

Making Sense of the City

Large-scale, three dimensional, interactive computer models of cities are becoming feasible making it possible to test their suitability as a visualisation tool for the design and planning process, for data visualisation where socio-economic and physical data can be mapped on to the 3D form of the city and as an urban information repository. The CASA developed models of the City of Bath and London’s West End in VRML format, are used as examples to illustrate the problems arising. The aim of this paper is to reflect on key issues related to interaction within urban models, data mapping techniques and appropriate metaphors for presenting information.

Navigation in large VR urban models

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.