3D Computer Animated Walkthroughs for Architecture, Engineering, and Construction Applications

Peter Kitson

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Introduction

Walkthroughs, as they are commonly called, are not only valuable for conveying information about a building, structure, or large scale environment, they are also relatively easy for almost anyone to produce at a simplistic or amateur level.  Typically in walkthrough animations, structural and environmental objects such as walls, columns, doorways, buildings, and trees remain stationary while the camera moves through the scene.  Walkthroughs and flythroughs differ in technique.   A walkthrough is used to show the actual point of view of a person walking through a scene and is generally shot at or slightly below eye level.  Flythroughs  are not as narrowly structured as walkthroughs and can be made from any point of view desired and at any speed and camera angle.  (Weishar).   For descriptive purposes in this paper, the term ‘walkthrough’ will be synonymous for all architectural, engineering, and construction walkthrough and flythrough animations.

Another reason that 3D animation walkthroughs have come into popular use in business and industry is that they are fairly inexpensive to produce, as well as an excellent way to ‘pre-visualize’ what a building or environment will ‘look like’ before it is built.  The purpose of this paper is to identify critical strategies and issues which must be considered when either teaching students or directing employees in the creation of a ‘professionally’ produced 3D computer graphic architectural walkthrough.