Abstract
Developing virtual reality (VR) simulations for replication of real-world studies in spatial cognition research is a tedious process, as numerous processes must be considered to achieve correspondence. In this chapter, we describe the development of a virtual model for a replication of a real-world study in the Seattle Central Library. The aim is to pragmatically report challenges and solutions in translating real-world conditions of complex and large-scale buildings into virtual reality simulations. For this aim, the chapter focuses on three steps for development: modelling the virtual environment, optimizing the performance, and designing the human-environment interaction.
Author notes: The authors thank Dan Baird for supporting the development of signage for the VR model. The first author contributed to this chapter during a postdoc fellowship of the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD), at the Future Cities Laboratory, Singapore-ETH Centre, which was established collaboratively between ETH Zurich and Singapore’s National Research Foundation (FI 370074016) under its Campus for Research Excellence and Technological Enterprise programme.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Notes
- 1.
Readers who may wish to build upon the research discussed in this chapter may have access to alternative software, frameworks, data formats, etc. For instance, Maya and Blender are 3D modelling packages designed for animation and visual effects, whereas the native polygon modelling approach, texture mapping features, display functions, and the capability to support numerous file types and large-scale, detailed, and complex architectural models is well-established in 3Ds Max. However, the processes and guidelines discussed in this chapter would be relevant to most 3D modelling packages.
References
Schneider, S., Kuliga, S., Weiser, R., Kammler, O., Fuchkina, E.: VREVAL - A BIM-based framework for user-centered evaluation of complex buildings in virtual environments. Proc. Ecaade 2018(36), 1–9 (2018)
Kuliga, S.: Evaluating user experience and wayfinding behaviour in complex, architectural environments – towards a user-centred approach of building usability, Doctoral dissertation, University of Freiburg (2016)
Franz, G.: An empirical approach to the experience of architectural space. Doctoral Dissertation, Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics Tübingen and Bauhaus University Weimar, Germany, Logos-Verlag (2005)
Westerdahl, B., Suneson, K., Wernemyr, C., Roupé, M., Johansson, M., Allwood, C.M.: Users’ evaluation of a virtual reality architectural model compared with the experience of the completed building. Autom. Construct. 15(2), 150–165 (2006)
Chamilothori, K., Wienold, J., Andersen, M.: Adequacy of immersive virtual reality for the perception of daylit spaces: comparison of real and virtual environments. Leukos 15(3), 203–226 (2019)
de Kort, Y.A.D., Ijsselsteijn, W.A., Kooijman, J., Schuurmans, Y.: Virtual laboratories: comparability of real and virtual environments for environmental psychology. Presence: Teleoperators Virtual Environments, 12(4), 360–373 (2003)
Süzer, Ö.K., Olguntürk, N.: The aid of colour on visuospatial navigation of elderly people in a virtual polyclinic environment. Color Res. Appl. 43(6), 872–884 (2018)
Kuliga, S.F., Thrash, T., Dalton, R.C., Hölscher, C.: Virtual reality as an empirical research tool—exploring user experience in a real building and a corresponding virtual model. Comput. Environ. Urban Syst. 54, 363–375 (2015)
Lazaridou, A., Psarra, S.: Spatial navigation in real and virtual multi-level museums. In: Proceedings of the 11th International Space Syntax Symposium, pp. 14–21. Instituto Superior Tecnico (2017)
Li, H., Thrash, T., Hölscher, C., Schinazi, V.R.: The effect of crowdedness on human wayfinding and locomotion in a multi-level virtual shopping mall. J. Environ. Psychol. 65, 101320 (2019)
Münzer, S., Zadeh, M.V.: Acquisition of spatial knowledge through self-directed interaction with a virtual model of a multi-level building: effects of training and individual differences. Comput. Hum. Behav. 64, 191–205 (2016)
Andrée, K., Nilsson, D., Eriksson, J.: Evacuation experiments in a virtual reality high-rise building: exit choice and waiting time for evacuation elevators. Fire Mater. 40(4), 554–567 (2016)
Kuliga, S.F., et al.: Exploring individual differences and building complexity in Wayfinding: the case of the seattle central library. Environ. Behav. 51(5), 622–665 (2019)
Bielik, M., et al.: Examining trade-offs between social, psychological, and energy potential of urban form. ISPRS Int. J. Geo-Inf. 8(2), 52, 1–31 (2019)
Von Stuelpnagel, R., Kuliga, S., Büchner, S.J., Holscher, C.: Supra-individual consistencies in navigator-driven landmark placement for spatial learning. Proc. Ann. Meet. Cognitive Sci. Soc. 36, 1706–1711 (2014)
Langenfeld, V., Rist, M., Dalton, R.C., Hölscher, C.. What space syntax does not know: movement triggers beyond integration. In: Kim, Y.O., Park, H.T., Seo, K.W. (eds.) Proceedings of the 9th International Space Syntax Symposium, Seoul, South-Korea. Sejong University: Seoul, p. 076, 1–18 (2013)
Toet, A., Van Welie, M., Houtkamp, J.: Is a dark virtual environment scary? Cyberpsychol. Behav. 12(4), 363–371 (2009)
Steinicke, F., Bruder, G., Hinrichs, K., Steed, A.: Gradual transitions and their effects on presence and distance estimation. Comput. Graph. 34, 26–33 (2010)
Dalton, N., Dalton, R.C., Hölscher, C.: People watcher: an app to record and analyzing spatial behavior of ubiquitous interaction technologies. In: Gehring, S., Krüger, A. (eds.) Proceedings of the 4th International Symposium on Pervasive Displays, pp. 1–6 (2015)
Kuliga, S., Weiser, R., Falke, S., Schneider, S.: Nutzerzentrierte Gebäudeevaluation mittels Virtueller Realität. EI - Der Eisenbahningenieur: Internationale Fachzeitschrift für Schienenverkehr & Technik, 4/18, Verband Deutscher Eisenbahn-Ingenieure e.V. (VDEI), Frankfurt/Main, pp. 56–60 (2018)
Hölscher, C., Brösamle, M., Dalton, R.C.: On the role of spatial analysis in design synthesis: the case of wayfinding. NSF International Workshop on Studying Visual and Spatial Reasoning for Design Creativity (SDC 2010), pp. 1–5. France (2010)
Unity Tutorial. https://docs.unity3d.com/Manual. Accessed 31 Jan 2020
Dubey, R.K., Kapadia, M., Thrash, T., Schinazi, V.R., Hoelscher, C.: Towards an information-theoretic framework for quantifying wayfinding information in virtual environments. In CAID@ IJCAI, pp. 40–46 (2017)
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2020 Springer Nature Switzerland AG
About this paper
Cite this paper
Kuliga, S., Charlton, J., Rohaidi, H.F., Isaac, L.Q.Q., Hoelscher, C., Joos, M. (2020). Developing a Replication of a Wayfinding Study. From a Large-Scale Real Building to a Virtual Reality Simulation. In: Šķilters, J., Newcombe, N., Uttal, D. (eds) Spatial Cognition XII. Spatial Cognition 2020. Lecture Notes in Computer Science(), vol 12162. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-57983-8_11
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-57983-8_11
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-030-57982-1
Online ISBN: 978-3-030-57983-8
eBook Packages: Computer ScienceComputer Science (R0)