Educational Application of Virtual Reality in Graphical Simulation of the Construction Process of Chinese Dougong

Shilun Hao; Adrian Hadipriono Tan; Fei Yang; Fabian Hadipriono Tan; Michael Parke

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Conference: 2017 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition
Location: Columbus, Ohio
Publication Date: June 24, 2017
Start Date: June 24, 2017
End Date: June 28, 2017
Conference Session: Engineering Design Graphics Division Technical Session 1: Instructional
Tagged Division: Engineering Design Graphics
Tagged Topic: Diversity
Page Count: 22
DOI: 10.18260/1-2--28197
Permanent URL: https://peer.asee.org/28197
Download Count: 1156

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Paper Authors

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Shilun Hao Ohio State University orcid.org/0000-0002-4808-9265

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Shilun Hao is a Ph.D. student at the Ohio State University. Shilun has been awarded the B.S. in in Civil Engineering from the Beijing University of Civil Engineering and Architecture in 2012 and M.S. in the Ohio State University in 2014. Shilun’s current research is mainly on the application of virtual reality in engineering and education.

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Adrian Hadipriono Tan Ohio State University

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Adrian H. Tan is a Ph.D. alumnus from the Ohio State University. Adrian has a B.S. in Computer Science and Engineering and an M.S. and Ph.D. in Civil Engineering from the Ohio State University. Adrian's dissertation work concerned ancient civil engineering and construction with a focus on computer graphics and virtual simulation in the engineering industry.

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Fei Yang Ohio State University

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Fei Yang is a graduate student at the Ohio State University. Fei has a B.S. in Civil En-gineering from the Beijing University of Civil Engineering and Architecture and is currently working towards an M.S. in Civil Engineer-ing at the Ohio State University, focusing on the graphical simulation and reconstruction of ancient buildings.

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Fabian Hadipriono Tan P.E. Ohio State University

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Fabian Hadipriono Tan has worked in the areas of construction of infrastructures and buildings, failure assessment of buildings and bridges, construction accident investigations, forensic engineering, ancient buildings, ancient bridges, and the ancient history of science and engineering for over 40 years. The tools he uses include fault tree analysis, fuzzy logic, artificial intelligence, and virtual reality.

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Michael Parke Ohio State University

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Dr. Parke has over twenty years experience in satellite based earth science research. He has been teaching first year engineering for the past seventeen years, with emphasis on computer aided design, computer programming, and project design and documentation.

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Abstract

The research described in this paper uses a state-of-the-art technique, virtual reality (VR), to recreate the complex structure and construction processes of dougong, a unique characteristic of ancient Chinese architecture, in an environment where users can interact with objects with a high degree of realism. Virtual reality has become a powerful tool in the field of education, as it enables students to examine digital assets in a virtual environment without relying on expensive props or compromising the safety of the students in an on-site demonstration. This gives students a more in-depth picture of dougong than in previous studies, and at the same time enables an immersive experience when exploring this virtual world.

The basis of the VR environment used in this study is a comprehensive, complete and accurate 3-D graphical database of Chinese dougong, in which students can examine the complex structures and construction processes via multiple methods: 1) static images, such as 3-D graphical models, multi-view engineering drawings, exploded views and illustrations; 2) dynamics videos, such as animation clips of assembly procedures; and 3) VR interactivity, such as simulations constructing and deconstructing the virtual dougong models in the VR environment. All of these graphical and video elements, VR environments, event sequences and hierarchies were compiled and integrated into a knowledge-based system known as the Intelligent Dougong System with Virtual Reality (IDSVR), a multimedia learning platform designed to introduce dougong knowledge to college students or public audiences by combining the perspectives of engineering, history, architecture, culture, archaeology and construction.

All the tasks of this research follow a graphical production pipeline which consists of four stages: initial modeling, establishing the VR environment, VR production, and dissemination. In the initial modeling stage, all of the basic 3-D models of the dougong components, connections and assembly parts were created using Autodesk Inventor. Based on these models, multiple presentation methods of dougong construction process details and example structure were then conducted with Autodesk 3DS MAX and virtual simulations using the Oculus Rift. It is hoped that this multimedia system can be used as an example of the application of VR in engineering education to facilitate the learning of complex architecture and engineering, and that systems like this can be applied to both additional types of dougong and other, similarly sophisticated construction systems, which can help engineering students understand the structure and construction of these complex buildings and infrastructures.

Citation
Format

Hao, S., & Tan, A. H., & Yang, F., & Tan, F. H., & Parke, M. (2017, June), Educational Application of Virtual Reality in Graphical Simulation of the Construction Process of Chinese Dougong Paper presented at 2017 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, Columbus, Ohio. 10.18260/1-2--28197

TY  - CPAPER
AB  - The research described in this paper uses a state-of-the-art technique, virtual reality (VR), to recreate the complex structure and construction processes of dougong, a unique characteristic of ancient Chinese architecture, in an environment where users can interact with objects with a high degree of realism. Virtual reality has become a powerful tool in the field of education, as it enables students to examine digital assets in a virtual environment without relying on expensive props or compromising the safety of the students in an on-site demonstration. This gives students a more in-depth picture of dougong than in previous studies, and at the same time enables an immersive experience when exploring this virtual world. 

The basis of the VR environment used in this study is a comprehensive, complete and accurate 3-D graphical database of Chinese dougong, in which students can examine the complex structures and construction processes via multiple methods: 1) static images, such as 3-D graphical models, multi-view engineering drawings, exploded views and illustrations; 2) dynamics videos, such as animation clips of assembly procedures; and 3) VR interactivity, such as simulations constructing and deconstructing the virtual dougong models in the VR environment. All of these graphical and video elements, VR environments, event sequences and hierarchies were compiled and integrated into a knowledge-based system known as the Intelligent Dougong System with Virtual Reality (IDSVR), a multimedia learning platform designed to introduce dougong knowledge to college students or public audiences by combining the perspectives of engineering, history, architecture, culture, archaeology and construction.

All the tasks of this research follow a graphical production pipeline which consists of four stages: initial modeling, establishing the VR environment, VR production, and dissemination. In the initial modeling stage, all of the basic 3-D models of the dougong components, connections and assembly parts were created using Autodesk Inventor. Based on these models, multiple presentation methods of dougong construction process details and example structure were then conducted with Autodesk 3DS MAX and virtual simulations using the Oculus Rift. It is hoped that this multimedia system can be used as an example of the application of VR in engineering education to facilitate the learning of complex architecture and engineering, and that systems like this can be applied to both additional types of dougong and other, similarly sophisticated construction systems, which can help engineering students understand the structure and construction of these complex buildings and infrastructures.

AU  - Shilun Hao
AU  - Adrian Hadipriono Tan
AU  - Fei Yang
AU  - Fabian Hadipriono Tan P.E.
AU  - Michael Parke
CY  - Columbus, Ohio
DA  - 2017/06/24
PB  - ASEE Conferences
TI  - Educational Application of Virtual Reality in Graphical Simulation of the Construction Process of Chinese Dougong
UR  - https://peer.asee.org/28197
DO  - 10.18260/1-2--28197
ER  -