The application of current digital modeling technology in related fields of architecture and design creation (links to various software tool platform resources/continuously updated until 2023.1.10) by Anqi Yang

Note: The appendix is in the end of this article which includes a large number of links to third-party resources/free or paid design software and application platforms, the tools/software can be referred or used according to specific situations.

• About Digital Modeling
• technical background
• Since CAD technology entered the architectural design industry in the last few years of the last century, digital modeling has almost always dominated or influenced the development of this industry and its related industries. It is not only widely used in the architectural design industry, but also in other related industries. It has great potential and commercial value. Over the past two decades, the human lifestyle has undergone several profound changes, and the use of digital and intelligent equipment has long been a part of people's life and work development. In the field of architecture, the significance of digital modeling has also gone far beyond the modeling category that was only used as a tool in a certain stage of architectural design. Now it has been deeply infiltrated by many other related new technologies. Its significance and value It also profoundly affects architectural design and related industries. From the original two-dimensional drawing and simple 3D modeling to the current parametric modeling, digital sculpting, physical performance simulation, virtual construction, real-time dynamic rendering, VR/AR technology and enhancement technology, voxel modeling and rendering technology , Based on game architecture engine modeling technology, artificial intelligence, machine learning in architectural/interior/product/landscape design and urban planning various visualization parameter simulation applications (architectural generation, generative design, style migration, GAN, AI Generated Art , planning review), etc. Many new technologies have developed explosively in recent years, which has brought great challenges to designers and related practitioners. For example, AI technology, which has made major breakthroughs in recent years, has completely shocked the artistic creation of planes, products, illustrations, clothing, etc. industry, and even spread to interior design and interaction design. At the same time, the real-time interaction technology of the game engine, such as the rendering technology based on Unreal 5, has basically subverted the traditional rendering industry and the old design process. Game VR interaction scene. For another example, parametric design technology has further changed the original design process and methods, and has already begun to be applied to the preliminary design of a simple small store (see the AutoDesk generative design case below). Digital modeling and design simulation, scheme generation technology iterations are accelerating, and some aspects are accelerating rapidly, which is the main feature of the current digital modeling technology ecosystem based on the design and creation industry.
• definition
• It is true that the industries that support the development and operation of these new technologies go far beyond the architectural design industry itself, and are the result of the participation of countless scientific and technical talents, business leaders, experts in various industries, scholars, entrepreneurs, venture capitalists, etc. within organizations such as the global computer/smartphone and other mobile device manufacturers, the computer/Internet graphics industry, the Internet technology industry/advertising industry, the VR/AR wearable device industry, the industrial design industry, the game industry, the movie industry, various national policy-making and administrative bodies, and other organizations. The result is the joint participation of numerous scientific and technical talents, business leaders, experts, scholars, entrepreneurs, venture capitalists, etc. within organizations such as computer/Internet graphics industry, Internet technology industry/advertising industry, VR/AR wearable device industry, industrial design industry, game industry, film industry, various national decision-making administrative agencies, top academic institutions, and huge architectural planning companies. On the one hand, many architectural design entities are still stuck in the traditional design method, and their understanding of digital modeling remains in a narrow scope, only using digital modeling technology to do some 3D modeling and rendering display work, but not really using digital modeling technology throughout the whole process of planning, design, construction and operation. It should be pointed out that digital modeling in the architectural design industry is usually defaulted to the visualization and simulation of architectural models, but the concept of digital modeling itself is not preset to be visualized. Each industry has its own digital modeling technology, for example, the modeling in the built environment engineering is usually done by filling in the form of simulation calculations, and finally the desired model (to derive the indexes and parameters of each component of the building) is derived through continuous adjustment. The following section describes the specific aspects of digital modeling in the architectural design industry and related industries.

• Specific applications of digital modeling in architectural design and construction-related works
• Simulation of Building Physical Performance and Its Economic Benefits / Key words: building performance simulation / building economic benefits / building energy consumption simulation / sunlight analysis / lighting design
• Architectural digital modeling is essentially a digital simulation of architectural objects. Building physical performance can be estimated, predicted, simulated, and data visualized through various abstract or specific modeling and analysis methods. 3D demonstrations can be as small as the thermal performance of a building skylight and roof envelope, or the comfort evaluation of a living room, as large as the aerodynamic thermal performance of a residential neighborhood or a central business district. Specific objects to be simulated include, but are not limited to, the thermal performance of a single building structure, wall-to-window ratio analysis, sunlight angle change, roof solar energy index, light intensity, dry and wet temperature of the project location, air fluid analysis between buildings, and overall lighting Radiation analysis, HAVC indoor environment simulation analysis, etc. Although there will be some differences between the simulation process and the actual project, the purpose of the simulation process is to ensure that the environment and physical performance of the proposed project are reliable and controllable, and provide developers, investors, owners, designers, builders, and creditors, relevant administrative departments and third-party professional certification organizations a common and feasible dynamic building simulation index platform. Whether the building is an existing project, especially a building project that has been used for many years and needs to be renovated, or a proposed project, it is extremely meaningful to use digital modeling simulation combined with cloud computing big data and even VR/AR technology for analysis and projects evaluation.
• Samples: Take the detached residential buildings in the United States as an example. Several years ago, the U.S. Department of Energy, the University of California, Berkeley, the U.S. Department of the Environment and other national departments have jointly developed an online detached residential energy performance economic benefit evaluation system (Home Energy Saver) [2], through extremely detailed Input the basic parameters of the building, and guide the owner step by step on how to carry out the transformation of the envelope structure, such as the replacement of the outer wall insulation layer, how to optimally configure the indoor appliances to achieve the most economical energy consumption, and how to carry out comprehensive management and operation based on the day, month, quarter, and year A guide to the building and other systems. The basic control parameters can be the general plan and size of the existing or proposed detached houses, the surrounding conditions of the neighborhood, the size of each section of the outer wall, the wall material, thickness, the type of insulation layer material (for different building structures), construction Year, floor/roof materials, thermal insulation coefficient of doors and windows, proposed indoor cooling/heating plan, parameters of cooling and heating equipment, parameters of water heaters and related indoor appliances, parameters of lighting fixtures, etc. Any homeowner or potential investor can use this online assessment system to conduct a lifetime energy economics analysis of a detached residential property. Of course, it is also necessary to combine the local city/county/state and federal government's relevant preferential policies/deduction and tax exemption policies, as well as the parameters provided by energy-saving product suppliers/manufacturers to conduct a comprehensive assessment. For example, according to the personal tax laws of the US Internal Revenue Service, the following situations may qualify for Non-Business Residential Energy Credits, including but not limited to qualified solar/wind/geothermal/battery/energy-saving sector certifications Doors and windows/external wall insulation materials/other enclosure structures: 

  Qualified solar electric property costs / Qualified solar water heating property costs / Qualified small wind energy property costs / Qualified geothermal heat pump property costs / Qualified biomass fuel property costs / Qualified fuel cell property costs / Subsidized energy financing / Qualified energy efficiency improvements.[3]

• Environmental simulation software is required in the architectural design process or the evaluation process of existing buildings, such as the commonly used 3D visualization simulation software and platform BIM360 for physical performance of buildings, Autodesk’s own online green building energy consumption simulation platform Green Building Studio, or based on trimble A series of environmental simulation plug-ins for sketchup, such as energyplus recommended by the U.S. Department of Energy and the well-known energy consumption simulation plug-in openstudio, as well as passive house design software designPH[4], and 6 free lighting simulation software based on Windows, MIT sustainable Design Lab’s architectural environment simulation tools (free) and The MIT Design Advisor, also developed by MIT, are a series of digital design tools or platforms for simulating the internal and external environments of various buildings. For example, The MIT Design Advisor, an online evaluation system, is actually a set of smart forms. The modeling idea is similar to that of Home Energy Saver but extremely simplified. It can only analyze a single indoor room in a building. By inputting climate, equipment/number of people, HVAC Generate energy consumption reports for system categories, enclosure structure insulation layer categories, building perimeter dimensions, door and window parameters, etc. In addition, there are a series of targeted professional lighting design free software such as Relux, DIALux, VELUX and other professional analysis systems developed by European countries, such as VELUX can quickly generate sunlight plane/section/perspective photo rendering and sunlight illuminance/brightness Analyze diagrams and reports, and can automatically combine each parameter of the corresponding lighting standards of European countries to judge whether the design meets the standards.
• The beneficiaries of this kind of software are not only architectural design professionals and related technical personnel, but house owners can also learn related concepts and knowledge and use this kind of software to simulate and model their own houses, so as to better understand their living conditions. environment and know how to improve and maintain it. Just like many car enthusiasts and professionals know the performance of their cars very well, property owners, especially those who are keen on real estate sales, should also know the performance of their properties better than others. I wrote before An article on a comprehensive performance assessment method for existing detached real estate properties.
• Reverse Engineering / Keywords: market analysis/case analysis
• Through 3D scanning of the building's outdoor volume or building's interior space, it is restored to a common 3D model format for research, disassembly and redesign. Carry out 3D modeling through the existing drawings that need to be referred to, and then detail scrutiny, and if necessary, 3D printing of components, so as to analyze the real object to find the problem. The same components, the same appearance, or even two buildings with the same appearance may have completely different exterior wall structures, structures, interior component details, materials, and internal facilities such as kitchens and bathrooms.
• For example, the details of project A are very sophisticated, the materials and craftsmanship are very high-quality, and the decorative components of every detail are not ignored, while the appearance of project B looks the same as A, but the details lack rigorous design, lack of necessary interior components and details, all The built-in furniture integrated kitchen and bathroom are made of stock materials and stock design drawings, and the walls are poor in sound insulation, moisture resistance and heat insulation. This kind of work is to analyze those projects that seem to be of the same type, but why the design quality, materials, detail components, and degree of customization are very different between the two. The detached residential buildings developed and constructed by many developers and builders are often directly constructed with stock plans (Stock Plan) [5], or directly redesigned with some popular well-known architectural drawings, but often The lack of systematic detail design is far from meeting the customized design standards, resulting in rough construction of this type of building, details that cannot withstand scrutiny, and poor materials. The physical performance of the building envelope may only meet the basic standard requirements , or even worse. This kind of problem is more acute in the self-built houses in the suburbs or outer suburbs of those cities in China. This kind of problem is not so difficult to solve. In fact, through reverse engineering modeling, research on those mature architectural projects or products, section analysis of components, combined with those original high-standard drawings (especially architectural detail drawings), redesign the entire Architectural projects to create physical works.
• Digital modeling based on 3D printing/CAD/CAM/intelligent construction / Key words: intelligent construction technology/integration of design and construction/digital programming
• The integration of design and manufacturing has always been a main direction of the construction industry's continuous upgrading, and many technologies have already matured in the market. However, taking 3D printing as an example, although there are only a handful of actual construction projects that can achieve 3D printing in the construction industry, it does not mean that 3D printing technology is difficult to be widely used in the actual construction process, so it is only a matter of time. At least, in the current situation, 3D printing can be widely used in the manufacture of architectural components and architectural scale models as a reference medium for design evaluation. When it comes to CAD/CAM, that is, using professional CNC machine tools and corresponding integrated design and manufacturing software, many building components can be processed by CNC, especially special-shaped building components, exterior wall covering materials, and special-shaped structures can be processed by machine tools . A considerable number of designers and design companies have adopted this technology to design and manufacture indoor and outdoor hanging walls, interior partition walls and ceilings, which are widely welcomed by the market. Similarly, in industries such as interior furniture design and manufacturing, which have been highly standardized and modularized, CAD/CAM kitchen cabinet design and manufacturing platforms such as 2020SPACE can also be used to process various customized cabinet panels with the help of professional complete sets of machine tools. For flow production and processing. Smart construction is a relatively new concept, but it has been around for a while. In short, intelligent construction technology is to use various programmable machines such as robots/mechanical arms/drones that can be used for engineering to construct buildings, such as installing several large robotic arms on tracks through predetermined programs They can carry out construction projects on designated bases, so a large-scale 3D printing equipment is assembled, and the raw materials conveyed and extruded or grabbed by the robotic arm can be bricks, special polymer fiber materials, concrete, etc. Relying on highly customized parametric digital modeling and continuously upgraded programming development procedures, combined with advanced construction equipment and Internet of Things systems, intelligent integrated design and manufacturing technology will further improve the level of high-quality customized design and high-efficiency and high-quality In terms of construction mode, it challenges the traditional building construction and engineering methods.
• 3D rendering simulation and real-time interaction / Keywords: commercial rendering/rendering platform/real-time rendering/VR/AR interaction/ray tracing/cloud rendering
• 3D rendering is the core value of digital modeling in the architectural design industry. Almost all architectural/interior/landscape design companies and individuals are using 3D rendering simulation technology. In addition, this technology has also been adopted to a certain extent. Builder/contractor applications in terms of customized architectural design platforms. Rendering simulation work often runs through the entire architectural preliminary design process and the entire process of interior design. Professional rendering engines such as VRAY/C4D/OCTANE/ENSCAPE, Lumion, the most popular rendering software for architectural exteriors, and VR/AR development platforms include UNITY, Epic Game's Unreal 5[6], and Twinmotion. These software combine parametric plug-ins, powerful professional building/furniture/component/landscape model libraries on the network platform and PBR material syntax, as well as the global GIS 3D map system, to quickly simulate almost any complex construction results.
• For example, a living room with an open kitchen can be quickly simulated and dynamically rendered in real time based on the customer's requirements, including various customized furniture equipment, PBR materials and a lighting system based on actual lamps and their parameters. Today's 3D rendering simulation can be done through game or movie production software, or 3D modeling and rendering simulation can be performed on a third-party professional network platform. Some designers have started modeling and rendering simulations on some game platforms.
• For another example, in the game "Minecraft", ray tracing rendering technology (Ray Tracing) is set to achieve realistic dynamic real-time photo-level rendering [7]. Using the game "My World" to achieve voxel modeling and rendering is completely different from other types of modeling and rendering. Traditional architectural 3D rendering simulation results are often presented in the form of pictures and animations. Such output is inefficient, and the viewing angle is single and fixed. For example, the camera position must be set for static rendering, and the route for animation rendering has been set. Customers and other third parties provide the medium of interaction. The current and future architectural 3D rendering simulation technology is based on the VR platform technology and realizes gamification, that is, users can "enter" the world where the architectural project is located as a player with a wearable device to achieve free experience in any direction, and can simultaneously Other players participate in the design and construction process of the building, and at the same time can simulate life and work in this parallel world, which is also one of the core goals of the "Metaverse" mentioned above.
• Here it is necessary to focus on UE5 under Epic Game and MetaHuman Creator, an online creation platform for digital human beings. The reason for mentioning these two platforms is that the combination of the two platforms can create virtual human beings. The object is to model and interact with human beings. Most digital modeling in the design industry is aimed at objects, not people. And people are the terminal of design, and experience is the terminal. Some games have been doing this for many years. For example, the SIM game series, the main body is people, and buildings and communities are just the scenes where stories happen. Talent is the protagonist. The space of the built environment, together with the factor of time, allows events to happen, creating a virtual parallel world with a time axis. Players use virtual characters to "build a family, build a house, have children, work and play and make friends" together with other virtual characters played by real people. Combining the two, digital modeling can be applied to the following scenarios:
• Create Image Storyboards
• Quick Creation of Movie/Animation Characters
• Virtual anchor/virtual idol creation (real-time motion capture or pre-recording)
• Quick generation of game main characters/quick generation of game background characters
• Create virtual characters or avatars for VR/AR scene interaction, and participate in real-time interactive scenes (virtual meetings, telecommuting, virtual gatherings, virtual shopping, virtual online games, virtual weddings, virtual online social networking, VR virtual offline games, virtual house viewing, virtual building/indoor and entertainment space experience, etc.)
• Demonstration of virtual plastic surgery and beauty makeup process (MetaHuman Creator beauty makeup function)
• Integrate the latest AI technology into virtual and visualized virtual humans to create commercially meaningful, customized and visualized virtual intelligent humans (I believe it will be popularized soon)
• Restoration of Architectural Research/Urban Settlement Simulation / Key words: planning research/architectural protection and renovation/digital architectural archivist, creating a commercially meaningful and visualized virtual intelligent person (I believe it will be popularized soon)
• Background studies can be widely applied to existing architectural projects, but are not limited to existing buildings and historic buildings, and can also be applied to those buildings that exist only in blueprints and have never been built. For example, the process of 3D modeling and restoration of a destroyed historical building requires the collection of a large number of relevant documents and archives for modeling analysis, and even the post-modeling based on on-site exploration of 3D scanning ruins.
• 3D scanning of historical buildings to better study the buildings, or as a reference for future reconstruction/repair, or to establish 3D digital online museums of famous historical buildings, such as the 3D scanning VR dynamic display of the interior space of the Paris Opera House , using the Photogrammetry technique. The well-known British architectural illustrator Simon Edward used 3DCGI modeling technology to restore the IRT Powerhouse, a dedicated power station in Manhattan, New York, which was built a hundred years ago to supply power for the New York City subway, in 3D. The restoration method is based on historical archive photos and construction drawings. In addition, His team used the same open style to restore London Bridge in the seventeenth century in London, England. Furthermore, for those buildings that have been rebuilt many times, the original appearance restoration modeling can be carried out, especially the various colors, patterns, materials, original interior space layouts and decorations of those historical buildings can be simulated and restored.
• The empirical building/settlement simulation can be deduced in any settlement/town of a certain scale in the world. This technology can be widely used in building site selection, project evaluation, urban planning and design, land resource management, urban research, etc. For existing building projects such as those neighborhoods in a certain city, field and GIS surveys, satellite images, open map resources, data collection, literature search, analysis and classification of relevant local building types (including floor plans), and existing photos can be used. and other reliable data to draw charts and 3D modeling, combined with relevant parameter data and reference information such as the population, ethnicity, social and cultural background, customs, building utilization rate, green coverage rate, Building volume ratio, residential land ratio, regional network, traffic network form (road grid), sunshine, natural environment data model, after systematic sorting and data modeling, the possible economic indicators of various buildings in the neighborhood can be deduced backwards, Important parameters such as the number of households, per capita area, green area, floor area ratio, total building volume (Cube Meter), derived building/residential floor plan, etc.
• For example, take downtown Los Angeles as an example. Like most other American cities, the downtown area of Los Angeles is composed of high-rise/super-high-rise large-scale business office buildings, surrounded by high-rise and multi-storey medium-to-large-scale residential hotel apartments and commercial buildings, surrounded by a large area of small-scale low-rise buildings Commercial single-storey or multi-storey buildings are surrounded by private residential communities. The volume of all building blocks can be extracted only through satellite imagery/Google Earth and GIS open system (of course, it needs to be corrected in combination with the general height of the building). Combined with on-site investigation and related data, it is easy to get the theoretical number of users/businesses that can be accommodated by each building type of these different types of blocks, combined with the current tax data, income distribution, and ethnic distribution of various local districts in downtown Los Angeles And the real estate market and other relevant information can understand the actual population living and usage conditions in each area of the city. Comparing the relationship and gap between the two, we can see at a glance the problems of population loss that have existed in this city for a long time.
• Advertising and Media / Keywords: streaming media / interaction design / storytelling / architectural project promotion
• Not only traditional static 2D advertisements, but also static 3D, 3D animation, and interactive 3D namely VR/AR advertisements. In the above cases, the value of 3D rendering simulation in the design industry has been explained. If we look at the market of this technology beyond the design industry as a whole, we can understand that the huge industry of advertising media promotion system has long-term growth in architectural rendering simulation technology. demand. Combining rendering, animation, VR and even interactive results, as well as traditional 2D diagrams, architectural plans, axonometric drawings, and necessary dynamic interaction effects, guide the Storytelling of architectural projects step by step.
• Sketchfab is currently an influential online VR/AR dynamic display platform on the Internet. It uses PBR textures or baked textures to achieve real-time rendering. Customers can enter this virtual world to feel the architectural space very intuitively. For example, the platform shows the author's recent A completed residential building transformation hotel project located in a tourist attraction, you can set up VR to enter every important place of this long-term rental residence, and understand the design significance of every part of the building through the accompanying text description.
• Although all parties involved in the planning and design of an architectural project often have a high and professional level of expression and communication, once the project is completed and delivered, almost no one will mention the story behind its design and construction. Unless the project is from the hands of a certain master, or is a key historical landmark, or has other important social or cultural influences, it is possible to be published in a book, or by any local news media It was reported, or some niche professional magazine forums or salons reported on this grand event. However, many well-known developers and builders are very familiar with their own project promotion, such as building a website for a certain project, compiling brochures, and even publishing books to tell stories.
• For example, every small project of Walt Disney and Universal Studios has unique and fascinating original fairy tales, movies, novels, and related works as a large number of background foreshadowing. Those Hogwarts castles built in Universal Studios are all in the Harry Potter stories and movies. Tourists have implanted the impression of the building in movies or literary works in advance, and finally come here in person to actually Experience has greatly stimulated people's curiosity and desire to explore the world that does not exist in reality. One of the magic things about people is that they like to compare the virtual image and the actual image of the same thing, and they are often very curious about this comparison, which can partially explain all visual art or related works such as many paintings, movies, and animations. , soap operas, photography, dance, opera, fashion shows, reality shows, etc. can attract people's attention for a long time.
• The theme park theme hotel resorts built are the by-products of the film entertainment of Disney and Universal Pictures, and complement the mainstream film and television entertainment and media of these two companies; as ordinary public construction projects, they often lack the other half of this complement, namely That by-product cannot form a situation where the two interact. The building recognized by the owners and users is only a physical constructed structure, and there is no virtual interactive image of the building, and even some of the most basic information and history of the building are hidden consciously or unconsciously.
• I recently participated in the design and reconstruction of a historical residence in San Francisco (county). Since the urban planning department does not have the building to determine whether it is a historical protection project, the author needs to personally apply for the HRA evaluation form (HISTORIC RESOURCE ASSESSMENT) to the city (county) planning department, waiting for their assessment, and then start the next step of building renovation design and construction. The application process needs to collect a lot of relevant historical materials of the building - nearly a hundred years of homestead files, title change files, construction drawings/designer materials, etc. Most of these materials are scattered in several government departments in the city (county) of San Francisco in the form of original files, and it is still a bit troublesome to find them. In fact, if it is put into the present, each newly built building should have a corresponding virtual 3D model and related digital files, which is very convenient for the demand side to call and use at any time according to its special password, and can even be redesigned and redesigned. Build seamlessly.
• In fact, as a general requirement, the construction investment leader of the building can still tell the society according to the story behind its building project, construction motivation, design concept, human settlement thought, social practice, or just tell the story of the building in its The dynamic demonstration of virtual modeling on the official website aroused great curiosity and interest from the outside world and potential investment partners. As Internet terminals, especially mobile Internet users account for the vast majority of Internet users, how to effectively promote to such mobile Internet users is a very important issue in the design and delivery of digital media advertisements.
• AI/Machine Learning/Generative Design Digital Modeling / Key words: intelligent design of buildings, A.I. Generated Art, artificial intelligence, generative design
• This is a brand-new field, which is developing rapidly and widely used in architectural design and related industries.
• For example, SAAS Xiaoku Technology, which focuses on the development and evaluation of real estate projects, is based on the AI-BIM-CLOUD linkage. It only needs to import the CAD drawings of the site, and the intelligent platform can use the cloud database, especially the linkage with local construction planning regulations, to complete the base evaluation online. Intelligent design planning and drawing review intelligence. By inputting the basic architectural parameters of the project to be built, such as volume ratio, sunshine time, green coverage and other basic constraints, the system can generate several design schemes, and can also generate 3D modeling in real time to approve buildings according to local construction conditions. The specification automatically generates multiple sets of residential planning models/general plans, and can be evaluated and edited based on the generated models for synchronous real-time lighting and other strong conditions.
• AUTODESK has also developed its own intelligent design platform, which is called architectural derivative design. By inputting relevant building construction control parameters, it can quickly generate a large number of design schemes that meet the requirements of the initial parameters for evaluation by designers/investors. The official website of the system introduces the overall workflow as follows: 1. Generating schemes based on parameters; 2. Analysis; 3. Evaluation/scoring; 4. Evolution. The designer indicates the evolution direction of project schemes for the system, and the system generates new schemes again. ; 5. Explore the new scheme and compare it with the old scheme; 6. Select the final scheme and integrate it into the design [8]. The department can be applied to areas such as commercial storefront interior design/optimum economical furniture arrangement, and architectural planning such as residential real estate development/economical budget work.
• Of course, there are also some platforms that use the RHINO building intelligence generation system developed by the GRASSHOPPER plug-in, and have related settings such as structure/architecture/interior design inside. According to the settings and input parameters, specific types of architectural drawings/3D models can be dynamically generated. For example, some plug-ins are specially designed to generate residential buildings, and some plug-ins can quickly and dynamically generate 3D stadiums.
• In interior design, generative design is also applied. The designer parametrically models many needs of customers, and obtains a series of results for evaluation. For example, basic design elements such as the size, spacing, location, shape, and unit price of a commercial building’s interior space display cabinet, the ratio of the storage room to the sales space, the location of the cashier, and the length/time of the customer flow line, etc., set values one by one (parametric / digitization), then modeling (establishing a mathematical decision-making model), and then integrating each independent data into an organic whole, making dynamic adjustments, obtaining a series of results (in the form of parameters), and then scoring, and repeating this process until Get satisfactory results. [9]
• In addition to the above-mentioned several categories of intelligent building design methods that can be operated and used in practice, the following introduces some design methods that apply machine learning technology. At present, the School of Architecture and the School of Computer Science in many colleges and universities are jointly researching and developing the application of machine learning in architectural design, such as using the method of style transfer for style intervention design.
• Architectural Intelligence, founded by several Chinese scholars, displayed their latest research results. For example, a former Penn University architecture student named Hang Zhang published an article called "3D Architectural Form Style Transfer through Machine Learning", trying to let the machine learn/train the building of Notre Dame de Paris (Gothic style) After the section and overall appearance, they were transferred to the Sydney Opera House and the Spanish Guggenheim Museum in 3D respectively. Based on GAN (Generative Adversarial Network) generation confrontation network technology, the migration of 3D architectural style at the macro and micro levels is realized by training the machine on two types of 2D data (section fragments and architectural appearance). For example, the Graduate School of Architecture at the Vienna University of Applied Arts allows students to train machines to learn residential architectural design languages such as Corbusier and Wright, and then migrate to other 100 well-known modern and contemporary detached residential projects to generate new architectural forms in batches.
• Artificial intelligence generation art technology has made significant progress in 2022, the most well-known such as Midjourney, OpenAI's DALL-E-2, and StableDiffusion. Combining OpenAI's latest artificial intelligence system ChatGPT and artificial intelligence generation art search engines such as Lexica.art, and referring to the above-mentioned specific prompt word generators and operation manuals for each type of artificial intelligence platform, such as the instructions for use of DALL-E-2, and adjusting Relevant parameters (such as StableDiffusion, which can be adjusted with a high degree of freedom) use cloud rendering technology to quickly generate results. Combining some 2D drawings or even hand-painting, and constantly feeding back to AI, such iterative adjustments, it is very easy to get the plan expected by the designer/customer in the end. At present, these artificial intelligences have mastered a huge creative language of architectural/interior/landscape design, and are very familiar with modern residential architecture and parametric architectural design, as well as stylized architectural interior space and furniture/layout design. For example, based on the facade of a detached house or the living room of a modern house (as a reference), these AI platforms can change some of the layout or elements according to the given prompts in line with expectations or even extremely creatively, such as replacing or moving Remove some furniture, or just change the position of these furniture, or replace a wall with a floor-to-ceiling door and window facing a forest and a lake. The output result styles and styles are almost infinite, and can be easily generated and combined with one or more styles/styles (including almost all styles in the history of art development, contemporary digital art styles, etc.), settings/setting (such as camera angle, focal length, aperture, lighting, clarity, rendering pixels, renderer type, strokes, post-effects, etc.), style/type (such as hand-drawn, axonometric, perspective, conceptual scheme, sketch, various renderings, concept Illustrations, photos, animations...), at the same time, you can tell OpenAI's ChatGPT specific ideas and design ideas, it can also give a lot of specific and very professional tips and settings, especially a lot of very effective Tips for professional imaging terminology.
• In short, artificial intelligence/machine learning/derivative design and other related intelligent design technologies have always been a hot spot in the architectural design industry. Combining the complex computer logic structure and language architecture behind it, digital modeling for architectural design and related design creation industries Opened up a new high-tech development direction.
• Professional Architectural Design Modeling / Keywords: modeling software / polygon modeling / voxel modeling
• As a conventional production tool and internal communication tool in the architectural design industry and related industries, it includes various technical means such as simple conceptual models, parametric models, building information modeling BIM, and voxel modeling. The operating platforms in the current architectural design industry include AUTO CAD drawing software, BIM series software such as REVIT/ArchiCAD, structural design software, basic 3D modeling platforms such as SKETCHUP series, SAAS online interior design platform, advanced 3D modeling software such as Blender/MAYA/RHINO with GRASSHOPPER, 3D sculpting modeling software such as ZBRUSH, particle modeling and high-quality real-time rendering platforms such as "My World" MINECRAFT with RAY TRACING. Considering that too many industries, enterprises, and brands are currently working on digital modeling platforms for the construction industry, here are just a few examples. Some SAAS online interior design platforms have integrated the integrated function of parametric modeling, rendering and drawing, combined with the brand model library and various modular design models in the powerful cloud computing/storage function of the online platform, can quickly complete a A set of standard residential unit interior space design, and can enter the VR mode. Kujiale and Sanweijia are two SAAS interior design platforms that dominate the market in China. In addition, some large enterprises have also developed an exclusive SAAS online interior design platform, such as IKEA online platform design system [10], which is divided into kitchen design platform, bathroom design platform and wardrobe design platform, including all the company's various Various types of cabinets, wardrobes, hardware and other related facilities. Nowadays, the design industry has also begun to popularize the method of voxel modeling to construct architectural models.
• Except for ZBRUSH, all the software platforms mentioned above apply polygonal modeling. The advantages of polygonal modeling are also very prominent, such as the designer's good sense of operation and easy control of model accuracy. However, the disadvantages of polygonal modeling are very obvious, such as these models essentially only have a hollow volume (MASS) and the cumbersome UV MAP is often used in the modeling process. In comparison, voxels in voxel modeling are three-dimensional pixels. In three-dimensional space, each block particle has a volume, and the built models are all solid models. The created model can be built or changed and dismantled at will in a game/software platform such as MINECRAFT. Of course, voxel modeling needs to rely on powerful hardware support. For example, the above-mentioned MINECRAFT ray tracing real-time rendering technology requires NVIDIA RT series or higher graphics cards and high memory support. It is undeniable that games modeled by voxels occupy a growing market in today's video game industry. The biggest factor is that it greatly mobilizes the enthusiasm of players/users and allows them to participate in the game through Internet interaction. To be part of game development. In the architectural design industry, the traditional modeling software platform will also face greater challenges due to the voxel modeling method, especially the revolution from the latter's advanced real-time rendering technology and VR/AR interactive technology, which is essentially facing Challenges to new attitudes and thinking methods. The development of technology is unstoppable, and voxel modeling technology will definitely occupy an important place in architectural design and related industries.

Reference

^Israel Institute of Technology: A doctoral dissertation on the application of building performance simulation modeling in design, detailing the dialectical relationship between building performance and design process https://grobman.net.technion.ac.il/files/2013/03 /final_phd_thesis-92008-web.pdf

^Professional decision-making tool for detached house design/construction/renovation/refurbishment/new equipment for the development of comprehensive energy consumption/return on investment in the building life cycle

^Internal Revenue Service Explanation of Energy Incentives for Non-Commercial Residential Energy Design/Retrofit/Loan Credits https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/energy-incentives-for-individuals-residential-property-updated-questions-and-answers

^designPH is a professional passive house design plugin https://passipedia.org/planning/tools

^Stock Plan of ordinary detached houses in the United States, covering almost all architectural styles/styles popular in the market, convenient for customers to choose

^10 Creative Ways to Make Money with Unreal Engine 5 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=POzfbGXnjFw&t=741s

^Diduhui: "The Changes of Tiananmen Square in 72 Years", using "My World" to model a virtual Tiananmen Square, and ray tracing to render the animation in real time https://weibo.com/tv/show/1034:4687958855581726? from=old_pc_videoshow

^This is the basic description of the derivative design operation process on the AUTODESK official website, and the specific operation method depends on the specific project

^Stamhuis designs entire stores in minutes with generative design https://www.autodesk.com/solutions/generative-design/architecture-engineering-construction/stamhuis

^In addition to the IKEA online design platform, there are many similar online interior design platforms that are also very popular with customers

Appendix / external links, platform and tools sources

AutoDesk Series (BIM/CAD/3D Modeling/Rendering)

ArchiCAD (BIM/CAD)

Unreal Engine (Renderings/Animations/Games)

Twinmotion (VR/Renderings/Animations)

Blender (3D Modeling/Renderings/Animations)

Lumion (Rendering/Animation)

D5 Render (Rendering)

V-Ray (Rendering/VR)

Enscape (Rendering/VR)

Rhino (3D Parametric Modeling/Rendering)

Chief Architect (Professional Residential BIM)

Minecraft (Open world 3D modeling/Rendering)

SketchUp (General 3D Modeling)

Coohom (SAAS Interior Design/Rendering/VR)

RoomSketcher (SAAS Interior Design)

IKEA Kitchen Planner (online)

IKEA Bathroom Planner (online)

IKEA PAX (online cabinet design)

StableDiffusion (one of the online platforms of StableDiffusion)

Dall-E-2 (OpenAI)

XKool (AI Real Estate Project planner)

Sketchfab (Online 3D Projects Gallery)

2020Spaces (BIM/CAM for kitchen cabinetry)

HomeEnergySaver (Online Energy Simulation for SFH in US)

OpenStudio (Energy Simulation Tool)

DesignPH (Passive House Design Tool)

ReluxNet (Light Planner)

Velux (Day Light Planner)

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