A platform for research: civil engineering, architecture and urbanism
A platform for research: civil engineering, architecture and urbanism
Studying User Experience in Architectural Education Using Unity Game Engine
https://orcid.org/http://orcid.org/0000-0002-4687-266X
Architectural design students utilize several interactive applications in order to walk around digital construction of buildings. Even though most Computer Aided-Design (CAD) tools can create 3D digital models of buildings, it is challenging for architecture students to study and to understand the user experience of these buildings. Therefore, we hypothesize in this study that the utilization of game engines (e.g., Unity 3D) might well consider the user experience at the architectural design stage, as it helps architects and architecture students to see their imaginary ideas from the perspective of the user of their designed buildings. Through a four-week assignment in “Architectural and Urban Simulation” course, third-year architecture students were invited to (a) create a simple redesign of a public square in the city of Leuven; (b) make it interactive using Unity game engine so that people can explore its spatial qualities; and (c) create an augmented reality (AR) application using a smartphone/tablet, allowing non-expert users to choose between potential design variations (e.g., materials, proportions, enclosures, positions, rhythm, etc.) of the architectural elements. Accordingly, the design was created as a 3D world that is navigable, existing of typical public square elements like for instance vegetation, pavilion, water surface, fountain, columns, public seating areas, podium, etc. Those elements could be changed in a meaningful way in the standalone application and in the AR application as well. Examples of changes include adjusting the spatial organization, the shape, the materials, and the proportions of a design element, or enabling users to leave comments regarding a specific element in the design. Results of this study show how the qualities of this architectural education approach correspond to the movements of participatory design and simulate the user experience. These qualities include, but not limited to, (a) accessibility: by affording an easier way of visualization for those who are not familiar with static architectural drawings (e.g., floor plans and sections); (b) interactivity: by using a graphical user interface (e.g., buttons and sliders), users can adjust the shape, proportions, scale, or materials of elements in a real-time visualization; and (c) flexibility: by allowing users to experience different variations of the design based on their adjustments and thus making choices regarding their preferred design. Future modifications and applications of the proposed approach are recommended to be further examined by architecture students at architecture educational programs.
Studying User Experience in Architectural Education Using Unity Game Engine
https://orcid.org/http://orcid.org/0000-0002-4687-266X
Architectural design students utilize several interactive applications in order to walk around digital construction of buildings. Even though most Computer Aided-Design (CAD) tools can create 3D digital models of buildings, it is challenging for architecture students to study and to understand the user experience of these buildings. Therefore, we hypothesize in this study that the utilization of game engines (e.g., Unity 3D) might well consider the user experience at the architectural design stage, as it helps architects and architecture students to see their imaginary ideas from the perspective of the user of their designed buildings. Through a four-week assignment in “Architectural and Urban Simulation” course, third-year architecture students were invited to (a) create a simple redesign of a public square in the city of Leuven; (b) make it interactive using Unity game engine so that people can explore its spatial qualities; and (c) create an augmented reality (AR) application using a smartphone/tablet, allowing non-expert users to choose between potential design variations (e.g., materials, proportions, enclosures, positions, rhythm, etc.) of the architectural elements. Accordingly, the design was created as a 3D world that is navigable, existing of typical public square elements like for instance vegetation, pavilion, water surface, fountain, columns, public seating areas, podium, etc. Those elements could be changed in a meaningful way in the standalone application and in the AR application as well. Examples of changes include adjusting the spatial organization, the shape, the materials, and the proportions of a design element, or enabling users to leave comments regarding a specific element in the design. Results of this study show how the qualities of this architectural education approach correspond to the movements of participatory design and simulate the user experience. These qualities include, but not limited to, (a) accessibility: by affording an easier way of visualization for those who are not familiar with static architectural drawings (e.g., floor plans and sections); (b) interactivity: by using a graphical user interface (e.g., buttons and sliders), users can adjust the shape, proportions, scale, or materials of elements in a real-time visualization; and (c) flexibility: by allowing users to experience different variations of the design based on their adjustments and thus making choices regarding their preferred design. Future modifications and applications of the proposed approach are recommended to be further examined by architecture students at architecture educational programs.
Studying User Experience in Architectural Education Using Unity Game Engine
https://orcid.org/http://orcid.org/0000-0002-4687-266X
Architectural design students utilize several interactive applications in order to walk around digital construction of buildings. Even though most Computer Aided-Design (CAD) tools can create 3D digital models of buildings, it is challenging for architecture students to study and to understand the user experience of these buildings. Therefore, we hypothesize in this study that the utilization of game engines (e.g., Unity 3D) might well consider the user experience at the architectural design stage, as it helps architects and architecture students to see their imaginary ideas from the perspective of the user of their designed buildings. Through a four-week assignment in “Architectural and Urban Simulation” course, third-year architecture students were invited to (a) create a simple redesign of a public square in the city of Leuven; (b) make it interactive using Unity game engine so that people can explore its spatial qualities; and (c) create an augmented reality (AR) application using a smartphone/tablet, allowing non-expert users to choose between potential design variations (e.g., materials, proportions, enclosures, positions, rhythm, etc.) of the architectural elements. Accordingly, the design was created as a 3D world that is navigable, existing of typical public square elements like for instance vegetation, pavilion, water surface, fountain, columns, public seating areas, podium, etc. Those elements could be changed in a meaningful way in the standalone application and in the AR application as well. Examples of changes include adjusting the spatial organization, the shape, the materials, and the proportions of a design element, or enabling users to leave comments regarding a specific element in the design. Results of this study show how the qualities of this architectural education approach correspond to the movements of participatory design and simulate the user experience. These qualities include, but not limited to, (a) accessibility: by affording an easier way of visualization for those who are not familiar with static architectural drawings (e.g., floor plans and sections); (b) interactivity: by using a graphical user interface (e.g., buttons and sliders), users can adjust the shape, proportions, scale, or materials of elements in a real-time visualization; and (c) flexibility: by allowing users to experience different variations of the design based on their adjustments and thus making choices regarding their preferred design. Future modifications and applications of the proposed approach are recommended to be further examined by architecture students at architecture educational programs.
Studying User Experience in Architectural Education Using Unity Game Engine
Ibrahim, Asmaa (editor) / Mohamed, Mady A. A. (editor) / Fekry, Mohamed (editor) / Nofal, Eslam (author)
International Architecture and Design Conference ; 2023 ; Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
Man and Place ; Chapter: 3 ; 33-43
2024-05-11
11 pages
Article/Chapter (Book)
Electronic Resource
English
Studying Architectural Glass Performance
| British Library Online Contents | 2008
Designing and building a three-dimensional environment using Blender 3D and Unity game engine
| BASE | 2016
British Library Online Contents | 1993