COMPUTER VISUALIZATION FOR DESIGN

3D visualization has become such a part of the architectural design process in many firms. Architects use virtual model-making for many reasons.

For instance, 3D computer visualizations help teams to make design decisions by testing different solutions as they create. Also, 3D visualizations help to communicate architectural design schemes to consultants and clients.

All in all, visualizations have made their way into not just helping to produce construction drawings, but also, as a way to communicate design ideas to an array of other involved parties.

VISUALIZATIONS AFTER A DESIGN IS BUILT?

A team of computer scientists at the University of Washington’s Graphics and Imaging Laboratory have developed algorithms to be used with Microsoft’s Photosynth. The big idea behind their work is to create a “collective” visualization where a 3D model is constructed from a repository of Flickr photos of an urban space. So far, they have reconstructed the small city of Dubrovnik and several famous Italian landmarks.

By using a puzzle-like approach to stitching together photos taken by random tourists, the resulting visualizations make me realize the significance to a “collective” approach to perception — especially with the increasing social and dynamic nature of the internet.

As social media becomes more popular and increasing amounts of data are collected, visualization techniques will really be able to place our architectural treasures (and non-treasures) within a dynamic and virtual “time-capsule”.

I wonder what these sort of “collective-visualizations” will look and feel like in the future? Will they be somewhat true to the original or will they take on an architectural spirit of their own? Will architecture move on to a new sort of virtual after-life once it is demolished?

What will be the ultimate purpose of such collective visualizations? Will they exist as a truer collective memory of our real-world buildings, or could they augment present-day architecture that is still in use? Will we have a sort of architectural “Second Life”?

THE NEXT GENERATION OF A MAP

Sameer Agarwal, an assistant professor at UW who worked on the project said this about potential uses for the technology they’ve developed…

Agarwal said the technology could be used for everything from video games, to next-generation GPS, to preservation for the sake of posterity.

Venice is slowly sinking into the lagoon that surrounds it, for instance, and a 3-D tour could digitally preserve the city for future generations. Earthquake-prone cities could be catalogued, both for history and for municipal planning efforts.

“If you have a digital representation of something, then you can study it. Maps only offer you a limited view,” Agarwal said. “There are a number of very different kinds of uses for something like this. And there’s just the pure science aspect of it, which is advancing how you can do large scale 3-D construction.” (1)

SEE FOR YOURSELF…

Here is the video of “The Old City of Dubrovnik” compiled from 4,600 Flickr photos (as mentioned above):

Here is the video of “St. Peter’s Basililca” (as mentioned above):

(1) Boyle, Rebecca. Algorithm Generates a Virtual Rome in 3D from 150,000 Flickr Users’ Photos. Popsci.com. September 17,2009.

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