International Journal of Architectural Computing

The Human-Computer interface is crucial to good design support tools. It has to be non-interruptive and non-distracting, yet allow the architect to interact with the computer software. The physical reality of the interface, such as the shape and manipulability of devices like the mouse, keyboard, joystick, or data-glove, has to be mapped on actions and commands in the software. Already the current user interfaces are felt to be inadequate for a good support of design, and the functionality of design tools is growing, requiring even more and new physical interface devices. In this paper, we present research on new tangible interfaces for architectural design support. In particular, we focus on the research methodological question how to investigate such devices. The research strategy is introduced and discussed, after which concrete implementations of this strategy are shown. Based on this work, we conclude that the combination of interface and the context of its use in terms of design method and user needs form crucial aspects for such research and cannot be considered separately.

This paper presents an interactive CAD platform that uses a tangible user interface to visualize and modify 3D geometry through manipulation of physical artifacts. The tangible user interface attempts to move away from the commonly used non-intuitive desktop CAD environment to a 3D CAD environment that more accurately mimics traditional desktop drawing and pin-up situations. An important goal is to reduce the apparent complexity of CAD user interfaces and reduce the cognitive load on designers. Opportunities for extending tangible design media toward an interactive CAD platform are discussed.

This paper describes a studio that explores interfaces for computationally enhanced artifacts and environments. The studio is designed as a traditional architectural design studio, fostering creative thinking and encouraging hands-on learning. It brings students from art, music, architecture, computer science, and engineering together into teams to design and build physical computing projects. The team's unusual mix of knowledge and experience allows for creative solutions. As a result, the studio has become a test bed for new and interesting ideas.

This study focuses on the problem of how to structure spatial and component based building data with the intention to use it in the simulation and analysis of the performance of buildings. Special attention was paid to the interoperability and optimization of the resulting data files. The study builds its investigation onto XML (Extensible Markup Language) data modeling framework. The authors have studied different ways of arranging building information in XML format for effective data storage and have developed a data modeling framework called bmXML for buildings. Initial results are two-fold: a VBA application was developed to create the appropriate building model in AutoCAD with the intention to write building data in bmXML format, and a JAVA application to view the file thus created. This paper primarily focuses on the former, i.e. the AutoCAD application and the bmXML format.

In this paper, we present LiQuID, a tool for clustering lighting simulation data. Photographs are useful vehicles for both describing and making assessments of architectural lighting systems. A significant barrier to using photographs during the design process relates to the sheer volume of renderings that needs to be analyzed. Although there have been efforts to produce novel visualization systems to manage large sets of photographs, this research aims to reduce the complexity by classifying data into representative prototypes. A hypothetical case study is discussed.

This article discusses the Cumulative Index of CAAD (CUMINCAD.SciX.net) – a digital library set up in 1998 serving the CAAD-community as an important source of scientific information. During the first stage, the metadata of CAAD-related conference proceedings were compiled and published on-line, including all abstracts and approximately 50 % of the full-texts. In a subsequent step a Citation Index was created. Currently, theses and dissertations are being added to the library. Furthermore, a hierarchical topic structure was developed for automated classification of publications in the future, with topics being defined by keywords and characteristic papers. The next version of CUMINCAD, expected to be released later this year, will also feature a discussion forum, an event calendar, an option for commenting on and ranking publications as well as creating an on-line personal bibliographic review. CUMINCAD is a unique digital library in the field of CAAD serving a growing user-community. Younger doctoral degree students and junior researchers will benefit most from this edited, structured collection freely available via Internet.

The VR-Desktop initiative is an effort to bring key benefits of projection-based virtual reality into the mainstream of teaching and research at the Pennsylvania State University, through the deployment of comparatively low cost and easy to use virtual reality and integrated multimedia display systems within a variety of contexts. Recent experiences with design and implementation of single- and multi-screen VR systems for teaching and research are described. The systems discussed employ low cost and readily available hardware components, familiar desktop computing environments, and open-source VR development toolkits. The approach is modular and easily adaptable to various applications in research or instruction.

More than 50 % of academic libraries' budgets are spent on peer review journal subscriptions [1]. One may wonder why these publications (often) with plain and dull covers (unlike those attractive, colorful magazines on newsstands), small subscription base and specialized readership carry such importance. The reason is simple.

Publishing a journal for interested researchers, academics, and practitioners benefits the advancement of knowledge. To be recognized as an academic subject, a discipline must publish a peer review journal. Unlike magazines with short shelf lives for general reading, peer review journals are archived and referenced within a discipline. These journals serve as a forum for professional intellectual exchange, and as a platform to present cutting edge research. Peer review (refereed) journals give direction to the field and industry. They also help researchers strengthen their academic careers and seek research funding. This article will review basic definitions of peer review and then discuss in detail issues and concerns that emerged in the editing of this issue.

In issue 1/2003 the first part of the title of the paper by Heylighen and Neuckermans appeared incorrectly as:

(Learning from Experience)?

this should have been:

(Learning from Experience)²