An environment for real-time urban simulation

ABSTRACT

Drawing from technologies developed for military flight simulation and virtual reality, a system for efficiently modeling and simulating urban environments has been implemented at UCLA. This system combines relatively simple 3-dimensional models (from a traditional CAD standpoint) with aerial photographs and street level video to create a realistic (down to plants, street signs and the graffiti on the walls) model of an urban neighborhood which can then be used for interactive fly and walk-through demonstrations.

The Urban Simulator project is more than just the simulation software. It is a methodology which integrates existing systems such as CAD and GIS with visual simulation to facilitate the modeling, display, and evaluation of alternative proposed environments. It can be used to visualize neighborhoods as they currently exist and how they might appear after built intervention occurs. Or, the system can be used to simulate entirely new development.

Index Terms

• Applied computing

  • Arts and humanities

    • Architecture (buildings)

      • Computer-aided design

  • Physical sciences and engineering

    • Engineering

      • Computer-aided design

• Computing methodologies

  • Computer graphics

    • Graphics systems and interfaces

    • Image manipulation

      • Texturing

  • Modeling and simulation

• Human-centered computing

  • Human computer interaction (HCI)

    • Interaction devices

      • Graphics input devices