Application of Virtual Reality in Civil Engineering and Architecture (CAE)

[12]

Virtual Reality (VR) is an emerging technology to simulate the real world on the

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computer and is being applied to many fields of industries like Civil and Architectural Engineering (CAE). The computer has been intensively applied to CAE from traditional numerical calculation of structural responses under external forces to automatic safety checks basing on specific design criteria, from draft drawings of plan and structures to CG image of a space or a scene.

With those applications in design and calculation, CAE projects can be finished more efficiently, safely and in a large-scale within a short period.

1) Project Checks and Demonstrations: [12]

As a project presentation tool, VR has a great advantage over any traditional method such as the table scaled-model. It has many characteristics such as easily modified and digital-saved format. The model data can be repaired whenever necessary and be displayed in any world places. Here we show a specific case of VR application to the whole project planning of Fuji International Speedway.

(Fig 3.8)

Mt. Fuji is the most important landmark in Japan and hope to be seen from any places. For obtaining a good view from different points, the VR technology by the tool, UC-win/Road, was used to adjust the position and height of each part of the project. Mt Fuji, as a large 3D model, was placed 16km distant in the data.

Scene examination was performed from every position that overlooked Mt. Fuji and a simulation of driving along the management road was carried out. VR was also used to model exhibition booths and displays in the open area during event and even to check the views of billboards from TV camera positions. The Fuji speedway project involved many international companies in a variety of business categories, including course designers, drivers, construction engineers,

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TV Companies, sponsors and race officials. UC-win/Road provided a common language to assist communications between these organizations.

2) Constructional Stage Simulations: [12]

Construction processes of any large-scaled CAE project are not easily organized and mastered by designers and constructors only relying on the drawing and specifications. Any mistake will result in the whole project delaying and cost increasing. By using VR, the construction stage is simulated so that components or parts assembling and machine using can be checked in time and spatial position. Therefore, construction can go congruously based on VR simulation images among all the participants. (Figure 3.9) are VR application to the truss bridge construction process.

3) Transportation Simulations: [12]

The traditional traffic simulation was done on the 2D plane in which the moving cars can be modelized as a point or mark, the roads and buildings are only presented by line and box, lack of real impression. VR application to transportation simulation makes simulation more realistic and more impressive.

Besides of the traffic flow, vehicle type, intersection signal and car driving can be realized as a real world.

According to the traffic flow state, the effects to lessen traffic congestion can be viewed easily and simultaneously by changing road lane division, redesigning road crossings and resetting the signal light period. VR can be used to simulate the traffic flow state too for some repair or emerging cases. Except for the traffic flow simulation, the road marks and signals can be tested from the driver

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viewing points. By driving simulation on a road of VR, any estimation can easily be done on some project planning. (Fig 3.10)

4) Structures and Response: [12]

VR technology can be used to display the structural components, details, and load-acting responses. The 3D visual images not only give a quick understanding to the structural inner parts but also give a mechanical state under external forces and even the possible damage part. College students, project design can benefit from those 3d Images and get a visual concept that only be created by imagination when using 2D drawing or numerical figure. (Figure 3.11)

The 3 graphs in Figure 5 show a PC superstructures and its arrangement of reinforcement and PC Cable. By item selecting or object operating, the concrete and steel are separated shown clearly. The three graphs in Figure 6 show the forces) and supported nodal reaction at each step is displayed on the right. (Fig 3.12)

5) Predicted Disaster Demonstrations [12]

Natural disasters, such as flooding, firing, typhoon, earthquake (especially in Taiwan), can be heard of nearly every day from TV or newspaper. Disaster

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prediction and reduction are very important around the world nowadays, especially for populated city. The success of disaster prediction and loss reduction depends not only on the researchers‟ precise forecast to the possible damage, but also on the government and citizen consciousness on the potential dangers. Therefore how to present the future disaster to the related persons becomes an essential part on the success of disastrous reduction activity. (Figure 3.13)

3.4.1 The importance of Compressive Strength Test

Structural materials get through lots of revolution through centuries, from woods to bricks until concrete, which is undoubtedly playing an important role in construction material and one of the most common properties of concrete is compression. In addition to that, the amount of concrete consumed stays high in the construction industry. In consequence, compressive-strength test becomes the most common and basic experiments in material laboratory. Because of vital importance, it is strongly recommended to students to build up a reinforced memory on the understanding and importance of compressive-strength test.

In civil engineering, the consumption of concrete is huge amount every day. In order to provide safety standard for construction, compressive-strength test is of vital importance (Fig 3.14). The result of the test from cast cylinders may be used for quality control, acceptance of concrete, or for estimating the concrete strength in a structure for the purpose of scheduling construction operations such as form removal or for evaluating the adequacy of curing and protection afforded to the structure.

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Concrete mixtures can be designed to provide a wide range of mechanical and durability properties to meet the design requirements of a structure. The compressive strength of concrete is the most common performance measure used by the engineer in designing buildings and other structures. The compressive strength is measured by breaking cylindrical concrete specimens in a compression testing machine.

Due to the importance of concrete, compressive-strength experiment is chosen as the main experiment in the virtual laboratory. Through the presentation, students can easily understand the behavior and features of concrete.

In traditional education system, students can only focus on lectures or study materials but no self-experience. They can only imagine the behaviors between particles by words or arithmetic. However, if a series of material experiments will be demonstrated through simulation as a novel teaching system in education, students can feel like immersing themselves in the situation and can fully understand every process in the experiments before carrying out by his/her own.

In this way, students can no longer just imagine how things go; instead, they can take reference on the animation before any experience will be carried out.

In this research, 3ds Max is implemented for building up the laboratory components and tools, and Virtools, as the development platform for producing virtual reality and virtual interaction.

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Chapter 4 Construction of Virtual Civil Engineering Material