Simulations

From the lectures:

 Let the (Indirect) Sun Shine In

http://continuingeducation.construction.com/article.php?L=5&C=406&P=1

Energy Software to Link Design and Science by B.J. Novitski

http://www.architectureweek.com/2000/0705/tools_1-1.html

Computer Visualization as a Tool for Critical Analysis by Mark Maddalina

http://www.architectureweek.com/2000/0705/tools_4-1.html

 

These three lectures provide a great overview of different examples of simulation software that have been used lately in the architectural field. The purpose of these kinds of software is basically to provide the user or designer an imitation of how final designed spaces are going to look like in real life.

 In the architectural design field, some of these softwares have been developed in order to previously evaluate building performances. One of the lectures refers to BDA software (Building Design Advisor) created by Konstatinos Papamichael, as software where architects can calculate energy consumption and daylight distribution.

One of the features on this software is that is able to create high level performances evaluations even from a schematic design process by developing " smart defaults”, which means that the software automatically fills in the gaps of missing data in the project from data developed by the Department of Energy.

 In the project described in the lecture:“ Computer Visualization as a Tool for Critical Analysis”, architectural space is also analyzed through 3D computer visualization. Trough this tool, designers try to evaluate the spatial conditions and relationships in Wright’s design helping to decipher this house spatial treatment.

 During the lecture “ Let the (Indirect) Sun Shine In” Architects and designers seek to incorporate indirect daylight in museum environments. This is a very challenging task since each artwork might require different limits of light exposure and conservation criteria.

At the Queens Museum of Art in NY natural light illumination has been considered in its galleries interior spaces. Architect Renzo Piano has designed a skylight ceiling where blinds can be programmed during non-operating hours and to be closed during summer early morning and late afternoon hours. But there’s a huge disadvantage in this design since the north –facing part of the ceiling diffuses light condition that do not provide uniformity; for this reason the design team have used an illumination vector analysis in order to evaluate drawbacks and their solutions.

 During the Queens Museum of Art, this kind of technology was also implemented to determine variables such as: day lighting levels in the museum, the experience of visitors moving through museum spaces and not perceiving abrupt illumination changes. In order to evaluate the relationship between roof aperture configuration and side-gallery day lighting levels in this museum, the designers conducted a modeling of the museum’s projected spaces and architectural elements. They have combined this with illumination software in order to evaluate the space characteristics.

 I definitely believe that these kinds of technologies have enhanced architectural developments. Simulation softwares are very effective and able to guide designers to be in the right place at anytime they want to imitate their future architectural spaces. They also help to facilitate projected works at the time designers want to materialize their spaces in real life since they have created previous evaluations and test the space and materials performance.

GIS

Geographic information systems are important tools for defining the social and environmental contexts of urban design, planning, and architecture.

By Bill McGarigle

 

This article provides great information about GIS (Geographical Information Systems), this is a software tool that helps to define the context in which we build structures and cities. It also allows users to create interactive searches, analyze spatial information, demographics, edit data and create maps using a layer system (2D or 3D just like AutoCAD Software). This information is later distributed as interactive maps via the Internet or any other electronic media.

 

This article points out different case studies where GIS has been implemented and its successful outcomes in those projects.

This system has been used for the City of Los Angeles-California to conduct an environmental-justice analysis; these analyses were focused on excessive noise, traffic congestion and decreased air quality in order to decipher how city areas were affected by these variants.

For the Seattle’s Safeco Field, Project scheduler Patrick Moore has successfully implemented the GIS Software as a visual model for collaboration and shared basis where all project participants could understand the project and its development in a 2d- 3d layer sequences.

Another example was the Master Plan of the city of Glendale-Colorado, where the project utilized GIS thinking, also architectural, 3D and flash software to animate and analyze proposed land use, planning and development schemes.

 

I believe that this tool is a great invention of technology, thanks to this, sociologist, urban planner, designers, geologist, architects and more fields can get a very precise and organized environmental data that is linked to any location around the world.

DAT Symposium at High Point University

On March 6^th, our Computer –Aided Design class went to the DAT symposium that took place at High Point University.

We had the opportunity to see Designer Julian Alexander, a North Carolina Designer from Chapel Hill who was the guest speaker during the morning.

It was quite interesting, I’ve never heard about him before but he talked about very creative things in the fashion, interior design and architectural field.

He’s been the first designer to design college and professional sportive uniforms. He designed the UNC Tar heels basketball uniforms and also some suit for NASCAR professionals.

Also, he has a lot of experience in the fashion design field, he has a huge reputation designing textiles and combining colors and has experimented with new techniques such as: Photo printing, Digital printing and Watercolor + cork. His textiles designs have been influenced by artists’ paintings such as: Pablo Picasso and Mondrian.

Part of his work is specialized in the Home Furnishing field designing Rugs, Linens, Flooring and lines of furniture. He also designed the seats for the Charlotte Knights' baseball stadium.

I considered this presentation very helpful for the interior architecture field since it gave us a broad idea about furniture, colors and architectural design.

We also attended to the Art, Creativity & Entrepreneurship workshop, which was very fun and entertained. Creative professional talked about their works and experiences and how to pursue your dreams in in the design field. The ones that I enjoyed the most was Designer John Murphy who’s the creator of Stupid Creatures, I can’t see this very related to the interior architecture field, but still was fun! He uses very colorful textiles to design these toys. If you go to this link you will be able to see all his monsters:

http://www.stupidcreatures.com/.

Another artist was Professional Photographer Bill Lusk; his work is focused on Commercial, Real and Cartoon Photography. I considered his work very fascinating and creative. http://www.billlusk.com/

800 x 600

Internet and Animation

INTERNET AND ANIMATION:

"The World Wide Web" from The Computer in the Visual Arts by Anne Spalter, Addison Wesley Longman Inc. 1999, pp 415-437.

 

"2D and 3D Animation and Video" by Anne Spalter, Addison Wesley Longman Inc. 1999, pp 323-358 (pages 358-365 have additional information which are not required to be read)

 

Both lectures were very informative to me. Reading “ The World Wide Web” lecture I could recognize many of the concepts that they explained, at the same time some vocabulary was familiar to me but I was not sure about the real meaning of these terms.

This lecture starts with a brief overview about the history of the Internet and the web; explaining how the number of web servers and users has increased dramatically is the past few years. Some concepts such as Internet Protocol Internet Service Providers, web browsers, and bandwidth were familiar to me since we deal with this vocabulary to set Internet connections at our homes.

 

 Some other words such as Java, JavaScript and Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) were also familiar to me, however I was not sure about their function within the World Wide Web. I could learn that the HTML is a way of controlling the composition and structure of a Web page; at the same time the JavaScript is embedded in a page’s HTML for making it more interactive and making the page more responsive to users input. Java is a programming language used to write special applications for the Web called applets. Java 3D works with Java and both program environments for creating 3D applets. At the end of this chapter the author makes special interest on how the Web is a great place for exhibiting, marketing and distributing any type of work. For instances, museums are supporting the art work online and Web based work, different interesting links are also provided to be visited in order to search a huge variety of artists and their outstanding work letting artists reach enormous audience.

 

I definitely think that this media is very important and is a huge advantage for artists and designers; the Web is perhaps the best way right now for creating works based on user’s interaction and communities.Interior Architects are now able to show their work throughout the web and attract a diversity of audience all around the world. Thanks to this technology architectural and design firms are able to show high quality pictures, post high quality videos creating an interactive way to promote their designs and projects.

 

The second lecture “ 2D and 3D Animation and Video” gives a wide overview about how to create motion in computer, it gives a brief description about 2D and 3D animation, being 2D animation programs often called Motion graphics and 3D animation programs usually the ones that can render and record sequences of images of a 3D scene capturing the motion of objects, changing lights and cameras views.

Some of the concepts previously explored during the first lecture are also present in this one, like for example Hypertext, described as a new form of narrative engendered by the computer; this type of composition helps the animated computer process. At the same time, some other concepts in this lecture were very familiar to me since I have a little knowledge about computer animation.

This technology has contributed to enhance the process of creating motion on computers making the work easier and less time consuming for artists and letting them create certain type of work without the application of tiresome effects and processes. I believe that this kind of technology has to evolve a lot more, but at this point we’ve reached a place where artists, designers and architects are able to render, illuminate and animate their objects and spaces in an accurate and real manner which can be very helpful at anytime they want to promote or present their projects to clients and colleagues. 

Internet and Animation