Advanced Building Simulation

(a)
(b)
Immersive building simulation 237
Figure 9.25 CAVE display of CFD thermal data as seen by participants. (See Plate XVII.)
Sensors channel data into the model for simulation verification as well as for storage
into a database that can be called on to visualize historical trends. For data visualization,
three different 2D meshes were created (Malkawi and Primikiri 2002), one
in each direction (xy, yz, xz). The main technique used for the meshes was tristrips.
This technique allowed some flexibility in terms of the mesh control and thus enabled
the possibility of manipulating the nodes of the mesh more easily. Once the temperature
data from the CFD analysis or database is sent to the Performer, it is stored in a
3D array and then assigned to each of the nodes of the mesh. According to the temperature
value, a color range was assigned and displayed (Figure 9.25 (a) and (b)).
One or more users were able to navigate through the space, visualize its resulting
thermal conditions, real and simulated, and view historical trends. In addition, users
could change some of the space parameters such as window size or materials and
visualize the resulting thermal conditions. These conditions are displayed by choosing
the desired mesh to be deployed. With the click of the buttons on the wand, the
user can decide exactly which slice to show, visualize this information and share it
with other users. Simulation information regarding that condition is extracted and
displayed in a 3D format (Figures 9.26 (a) and (b)).
9.3.2 Augmented simulation and visualization
This study extends on a history for attempting to build a system that allows the human
eye to detect the impact of environmental conditions or perceiving the different