VIRTUAL REALITY

AS AN EFFICIENT
DESIGN TOOL

DEPARTMENT OF ARCHITECTURE AND PLANNING

INDIRA GANDHI DELHI TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY FOR WOMEN
INTRODUCTION TO VIRTUAL REALITY, AUGENMENT REALITY AND MIXED
REALITY

Virtual Reality refers to an environment which is artificially built using software and is presented
to the user as if he/she is in the real environment. This computerized environment is sensed
majorly by sight and sound. In most of the cases, virtual reality is experienced with head mounted
displays
(HMD), data gloves and a built-in tracking system to operate and interact within the virtual
environment. A totally immersive experience is the one in which the real world is replaced by an
alternate one. A freedom of six degrees is almost always required to interact with and move
through the alternate world.

Virtual reality applications in the field of architecture can be seen in the following areas:
Designing, construction, conservation, education, building services and architectural researches.

Augmented reality is basically integrating the digital information with the user’s real time
environment. This is different from virtual reality in the sense that in virtual reality, a completely
newly artificial environment is built from the scratch but in augment reality, the existing real-time
environment is used by over laying the artificially created environment on the top of it. The devices
like phones or glasses enable the user to see an overlaying image on the existing space.
Interaction in such environment is not always required.

The applications of Augmented reality in smart phones include global positioning system (GPS)
to find locations and for compass to detect the orientation of the device. Its use has widely
increased in the construction field as well as education field.

Mixed Reality or hybrid reality is merging two different worlds i.e., real and virtual worlds to
produce new environments and visualizations where physical and digital objects co – exist and
interact with each other in real time. It encompasses both augmented reality and augmented
virtuality via immersive technology. It is a way to place new imagery within the real space in such
a way that the new imagery is able to interact, to an extent with real elements in the physical
world.

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APPLICATIONS OF VR/MR/AR

GROUPS AR/VR/MR APPLICATIONS

Industrial Visualizing engineering concepts, Training
personnel, Visualizing virtual prototypes,
Visualizing virtual weapons, Exploring servicing
strategies, Simulating the interaction of
assemblies, Simulating the dynamics of
articulated structures, Stress analysis, Simulation
manufacturing process, Collaborative engineering
on large AEC projects.
Training Simulators Medicine, Teaching, Learning, Military simulators
(flights, etc.), Strategic simulators, Train driving
simulators, Vehicle simulators, Emergency
services.
Entertainment and Cultural Heritage Experiences at Thematic parks and museums,
Tourism and Advertisements.
Virtual Reality Centers Architecture, Indoor design, Urban development,
Airport design, Bridge, Design, Human Movement
Analysis.

PRINCIPLES OF VIRTUAL REALITY

SIMULATION
A simulation is the act of representing something which is not real. A program which models a
real-life situation by putting values into a model to see how it behaves in different environments.
Simulations can assist planners in optimizing their design and in minimizing its environmental
impact. By adjusting the architecture according to simulation results, and running further
simulations based on the adjusted design and help in increasing the design quality.
In typical architectural visualizations with pre-calculated simulations the flow of data for the
presentation engine can be characterized as a one-way direction.
The 3D geometry data from the CAD package (e.g. AutoCAD) is transferred to a modeling
package (e.g. 3D Studio MAX), where textures and videos as well as interactions are applied.
This combined data is then exported to the VR software system, where it can be combined with
simulation results.

INTERACTION
Interaction is a situation in which two or more people/ things (user and the virtual environment)
communicate with each other or respond to each other. For example, the use of navigation in
mobile phones is also a kind of interactivity. If a user can control his movement in a virtually
created environment, then, it is called interactive experience. Some virtual reality technologies
use immersive gesture-based controls, for example, using hand as a navigation tool, allowing the
user to interact with the immersive environment. Visual body information plays an important role
in interaction and communication in virtual environments. True interactivity is when the user is
also able to modify the environment.

PERCEPTION
It is the recognition of things using your senses, especially the sense of sight. It also refers to the
way one thinks or has an impression about something.

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Self-motion perception while walking and reaching:

A study was conducted to investigate the sensory contribution to the encoding walking velocity.
It was demonstrated that physical walking and imagined walking is different. While investigating
about human’s ability to detect to walk on a curved path, it was concluded that speed affects
curvature sensitivity.

Spatial perception and cognition:

How one perceives a space can vary from person to person. For example, a person may not be
comfortable with low height ceilings or slant walls, as compared to another person.

IMMERSION
Immersion plays the major role in the latest virtual reality technologies. Immersive virtual
environments, not only acts as a presentation and communication tool between the client and the
designer but it also provides a deep involvement of the user into the immersive environment to
get a better understanding of the spaces and make necessary modifications according to their
choice. Also, spatial layouts can be better understood using the principle of immersion.

CASE STUDY: IMMERSIVE VIRTUAL REALITY AS A TOOL FOR MULTI-SENSORY

EVALUATION FOR URBAN SPACES

The experiment focuses on to verify the quality of multi-sensory evaluation of virtual experience
vs the real one. Its aim was to verify the ecological validity of immersive virtual environment as a
tool for multi-sensory perceived quality of urban spaces.

Methodology: the experiment was conducted by total 40 participants which were further divided
into 20 participant (field-session group) which were sent to experience the real target area.
Another group includes the rest 20 participants (laboratory-session group), which were sent to
experience the immersive experience in laboratory. Both the groups, matched regarding their age,
gender, residence zone and familiarity with the site.

The selected target area was part of Parthenope Open Street near the waterfront of Maples. The
street is considered to be one of the most famous landmarks of the city which is used by tourists
as well as the citizens for their leisure time.
The street was graphically modelled, and surrounded sound field was produced for laboratory
test. A questionnaire was prepared for measuring global, visual and auditory experiences for the
environment which covered the following questions:

How do you rate the site in reference to the following adjectives?

• Non-pleasant/ pleasant
• Chaotic/ calm
• Boring/ vivacious
How do you rate the environment quality of this space? Negatively/ Positively
How do you rate the sound environment around you? Negatively/ Positively

RESULT: No significant difference was found between the two scenario, one which was virtually
created and the other which was already existing real physical world.

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CONCLUSION: the result showed that both the groups perceived the visual features of the target
area in the same way. The over-lapping of the results of both the scenarios is primarily due to the
high realism of the simulated environment. The evaluation of this experiment appears to be
homogeneous as it is similar to our natural multi-sensory perception.

IMMERSIVE VIRTUAL ENVIRONMENT VS TRADITIONAL VIRTUAL ENVIRONMENT

Very often, there is a huge loss of translation of ideas and concepts from the thinking stage to the
construction stage to actually the finished stage of a building. Immersive environment refers to
the perception of being physically present in non-physical world which is virtually created.

It is considered to be more beneficial as compared to non-immersive virtual-reality platforms in

context with design practices.
The adoption of immersive environment technologies in the AEC (architecture, engineering and
construction) industry is currently limited.
Researches on immersive versus non-immersive environments conclude that IVEs (immersive
virtual environments) deliver an overall better perception of spatial experiences as compared to
virtual reality through conventional work stations (usually displayed through computer screens).
Traditional virtual reality systems have been widely used in the past decades to provide better
conditions for collaborative decision-making and problem solving in the initial conceptual design
phases itself. Architects/ designers use the three-dimensional virtual models for critical reviews
from time to time, to reach an efficient design stage.
Understanding the spatial relationships in the design review meetings plays a major role in the
modification processes which are to be followed in the future stages.
Here comes the role of immersive virtual environments. It plays a crucial role in the critical analysis
stage, when the designers/ architects submit intermediate designs to other departments/
colleagues for the next stages, for the development of buildings which truly matches the end-user
demands- technical, functional and symbolic.
The goal of visual perception and spatial cognition are to estimate, identify and recognize and
give meaning to the objects and spaces with which the human beings interact.
It is in this phase where the decisions of greater impact on costs, quality and speed of the project
are subjected and has the ability to influence the overall construction quality of the project.
Reduction in costs and time of the project is expected through IVEs which enables the finalization
of design decisions earlier in the project life cycle.

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VIRTUAL REALITY WITH RESPECT TO VARIOUS STAKEHOLDERS:

• CLIENT
• ARCHITECT/DESIGNER
• ENGINEER
• SITE WORKERS

How often do clients demand a change in design after the building is completed? Even if they do
so, it practically becomes impossible to start all over again. Virtual reality becomes a synergy
between humans, architecture and technology.
Taking advantage of visual simulation and virtual reality, we can help in delivering a project not
only in an organized way but also every close to the user-demand.
By using an immersive virtual environment in the early design stages, we involve the users to
become an integral part of project, by giving them the ability to view and understand the three-
dimensional space and propose changes according to their needs to and create a liveable space.

With the help of virtual reality, the architect can easily communicate his/her designs to the
user/clients/participants to see in an immersive way the actions that happens in the environment
created in real time, in one-is-to-one scale.
For example, in the calculation of specific lighting in a space to show a very dynamic and realistic
result.

Virtual reality is far more useful than just as a presentation tool. It provides an opportunity to
evaluable various available design options and to decide which one is the most suitable as per
the site, context, theme and client. It thereby, helps in saving material, resources and a lot of time.

Moreover, building engineers, designers, architects as well students from this field can
incorporate immersive virtual environments in their design projects and research works as a tool
to understand the impact of design features on behavior and also as a tool to measure end user
behavior.

In AEC projects, during the designing phase, there is a lack of user input due to which the
researchers are also using virtual reality models to visualize and simulate possible user
interactions, simulate user energy consumption, simulate social and crowd behavior during
emergency situations and also to track routes within the designed environment.

The immersive virtual environments are not used only for the designing phase but also as cost
effective and efficient tools during construction phase to do preparations at site and maintain
logistics and safety and training the construction workers.

VR models are also used to simulate the operation of construction equipment and to identify the
optimal solutions for the site.

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Example – Implementation of CITY 3D - AR for Urban Planning Efficiency
Improvement

This pilot product is to provide 3D object placement in real space, using GPS longitude and
latitude coordinates. Participants’ or viewers’ positions is recorded all the time so that the
movement of the participant, automatic 3D transformations, rotations and scaling according to
new distance and angle can be managed.
Sight direction and field of view is detected using digital compass and tablet or viewers’ head
orientation is managed through gyroscopic sensors.
This is a case depiction 3D data for urban planning stages. This technology can be used to
precisely predict the look and influence of new architectural objects in the present environment
before it is physically built on site. This also helps in saving a lot of financial resources and time.
The complete estimation can be done before construction work gets started.
This example particularly focuses on the integration of public interests in the decision making and
discussion process.
Application City 3D is basically meant for urban planning which merges the real city and a virtually
created 3D environment on the top of it to understand whether this logical structure can be
physically implemented or not.

By using geodesy, trigonometry computations, graphics libraries, are carried back AR

technologies which physical structure is based on GPS, gyroscopic, compass and inertial
sensors. The above-mentioned solution is still far from a real use for professional application and
validation under urban planning requirements is continuing, but these are perspectives for the
nearest future. Also software modules set developed and merged, serves as an experimental
platform for future work, to ascertain actual and effective use cases, considering viewing distance,
movement speed, density of buildings, performance issues, models complexity.

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REFERENCES

• Paes, Arantes, Irizarry, D, E, J, 2017. Immersive environment for improving the understanding of
architectural 3D models: Comparing user spatial perception between immersive and traditional
virtual reality systems. Automation in construction, 84, 292-303.
• Heydrian, Carnerio, Gerber, Gerber, Hayes, Wood, A, J,D,B,T,W, 2015. Immersive virtual
environment versus physical built environment: A benchmarking study for building design and
user-built environment explorations. Automation in construction, 54, 116-126.
• Lugi, Massimiliano, Aniello, Gennaro, Virginia, M, M, P, R, P R, 2019. On the Validity of
Immersive Virtual Reality as tool for multisensory evaluation of urban spaces. Energy Procedia,
78, 471-476.
• Cirulis, Brigmanis, A, K, 2013. 3D Outdoor Augmented Reality for Architecture and Urban
Planning. Procedia Computer Science, 25, 71-79.
• Olmedo, H, 2018. Virtuality Continuum ś State of the Art. Procedia Computer Science, 25, 261-
270.

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