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Virtual Reality in the Design Studio: the Eindhoven Perspective Henri Achten, Walther Roelen, Jan-Thijs Boekholt, Arthur Turksma, Joran Jessurun

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Virtual Reality in the Design Studio: the Eindhoven Perspective Henri Achten, Walther Roelen, Jan-Thijs Boekholt, Arthur Turksma, Joran Jessurun Virtual Reality in the Design Studio: the Eindhoven Perspective Henri Achten, Walther Roelen, Jan-Thijs Boekholt, Arthur Turksma, Joran Jessurun Since 1991 Virtual Reality has been used in student projects in the Building Information Technology group. It started as an experimental tool to assess the impact of VR technology in design, using the environment of the associated Calibre Institute. The technology was further developed in Calibre to become an important presentation tool for assessing design variants and final design solutions. However, it was only sporadically used in student projects. A major shift occurred in 1997 with a number of student projects in which various computer technologies including VR were used in the whole of the design process. In 1998, the new Design Systems group started a design studio with the explicit aim to integrate VR in the whole design process. The teaching effort was combined with the research program that investigates VR as a design support environment. This has lead to increasing number of innovative student projects. The paper describes the context and history of VR in Eindhoven and presents the current set-up of the studio. It discusses the impact of the technology on the design process and outlines pedagogical issues in the studio work. Keywords: Virtual Reality; Design studio; Student projects Historical context computer usage and the use of the CAAD-tools mentioned above. The Calibre Institute was founded in 1988 by the Shortly after this first period the development of Faculty of Architecture, Building and Planning of PC’s and PC-based applications reached such a level Eindhoven University of Technology. The main goal that they also could be used for CAAD. From that for this Institute was to perform research and time on ‘standard’ CAAD-applications like AutoCad education on the combination of computer science and MicroStation were explored and used in and architecture. At the time the Institute started its education. These programs were first designed to work, the only computer applications that could directly facilitate 2D-drawing but over times more and more be used in the field of architecture, building and 3D features were built in. The development of CAAD- planning were Computer Aided Design (CAD) tools was stopped in the Institute and focus changed programs. These programs ran on main-frames and to the application and adaptation of commercially minis with graphical terminals attached. In available CAAD-programs. Calibre also started combination with Abacus (an institute of the University research and did developments on many other of Strathclyde, Glasgow Scotland) where prof. Tom applications that could be used in or adapted for Maver lead the research, the Institute participated in architecture, building and planning. For instance the development of a set of CAAD-tools: VIM, BIBLE, programs for facility management, planning and cost- and Viewer. The Institute in combination with the calculation were developed (Bouwplan, 1990). To Building-Informatics group started courses in basic investigate the possibilities and to facilitate the Architectural Computing: The Education Process 169 educational tasks of the group, Calibre also developed programs could serve two purposes. First the computer-aided-learning programs (CalInCAD early prediction of illumination, luminance and colour helps 1990’ies, Geberit bathroom program 1998, 1999). to create buildings with better performance and higher Because the purpose of the Institute also was to comfort in respect to lighting. Secondly the data from bridge the gap between industry and university, most lighting-simulations can be used to enhance the level of the research and development was done in of realism in visualisations. partnerships with or based on contracts with parties Renderings of 3D-models proved to be intuitive from the building-industry. Especially in the and efficient tools for the evaluation of an architectural Netherlands the building-industry is very fragmented, design. At first these rendering were presented as still many small companies participate in the design, images, later when the performance of computer development and construction of a building. To initiate systems allowed the rendering of multiple images in and invest in research programs of the university was a short time animations were used. The animation therefore difficult or impossible for these companies. mostly consisted of walk-throughs and fly-overs. Since Participating in a research-project of the Calibre the images and animations only could show what was Institute was much easier since it did not have the previously chosen to be visualised the recipient was disadvantages of high financial and elaborate legal not able to interact with the design. The user could consequences of signing a contract with the university. only perform the role of a spectator. Especially for the The Institute could also deliver guarantees on the cost designer himself but also for the other users of and quality level which a university would never do. architectural visualisations this lack of interactivity was a major disadvantage. VR: First steps When in the early nineties Virtual Reality Systems The building-industry is one of the few industries that became commercially available Calibre did not lack the possibility of using full-scale prototypes to hesitate to invest in VR hard- and software. Virtual evaluate and test their designs. Until then the only Reality held the promise to develop into a tool for means to communicate designs to other partners in intuitive, interactive and realistic evaluation of (non-) the process of building and to the customers and existing three-dimensional environments. In fact designers themselves, were sketches, drafts Calibre bought one of the first systems that were drawings, artist-impressions and small-scale mock- produced by Division. Division now is world-wide the ups. CAAD and 3D-model based visualisations biggest company on VR-software. Using this seemed to open possibilities to overcome at least part transputer-based system the possibilities of VR in of this problem. A lot of effort was put into the research, architectural design were investigated. The poor development and adaptations of these programs to performance of such systems combined with the make them suitable for the use in our context. Filters relative low quality of the peripherals made them and converters were written to facilitate the use and unusable for direct application in the architectural re-use of design related data, especially for practice. But the system gave Calibre the opportunity visualisation purposes. At the same time simulation to investigate future possibilities, to participate in the programs were developed to evaluate the technical development of the next generation systems and to aspects of buildings. Programs to calculate and gain experience and acceptance in the field. As predict constructional and acoustical aspects of expected both performance and quality of VR hard- buildings were created. Special effort was put into the and software increased enormously over the years. development of programs that simulated the Calibre initiated and participated in many behaviour of light in and around buildings (Rayder research-projects on the application of visualisation and Dim: Dynamic Illumination Model). These and simulation in general and more specific in Virtual 170 Architectural Computing: The Education Process Reality. projects, became less important. The level of Ideas and initiatives of G.T.A. Smeltzer, the investments necessary to maintain the “state-of-art’ director of the Calibre Institute at that time, combined status of the facilities however stayed very high. with the research and graduation projects of W.A.H. Among other reasons this gave birth to the initiative Roelen and J.M.M. Mantelers made Calibre one of to stop the activities of Calibre as an Institute and to the leading names in the field. Tools for the evaluation the foundation of the company Calibre. The company of architectural designs, for constructional- and still facilitates the administration, management and lighting-simulation were developed. These tools were acquisition of the contract-research of the Design tested in the architectural and building practice and Systems group. But for projects with no research also used for educational purposes. aspects it acts as and is treated as a normal commercial company. The company now renders Towards a mature presentation tool services on simulation and visualisation for all Based on the projects and research mentioned above branches of the industry. The experience and Calibre as an Institute became a centre that rendered knowledge appeared to be applicable in many areas, services based on Virtual Reality. These services in which opened up a much bigger market for the many cases consisted of the use of VR as an intuitive company. Also, gathering experience in other fields and interactive presentation tool. At first they were helped the further development of tools for the building restricted to presentations of definitive designs, which industry. The abbreviation VR-DIS was also adopted were used to communicate the designs to customers, by the Calibre company but with a slightly different project managers and other parties with no real interpretation: Virtual Reality based Distributed architectural background. But later it was used more Interactive Simulation. The use of the same ‘name’ in and more in all stages of the design process,
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