Description

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Program

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Architectural Engineering And Environmental Design

Objectives

• This is a comprehensive course in both the theory and practice of Virtual Environments (VEs). Virtual Environments are simulations that engage the senses of users through real- time 3D graphics, audio and interaction to create an experience of presence within an artificial world. The course will introduce the history of VEs, what kind of problems VEs have proven to be best at addressing, what their shown limitations are, what models of human-computer interaction apply to VEs and how these models are evolving and pushing the state-of-the-art in interactivity. In addition, the course elaborates its usage of user behavioural simulation in the designed environment to support decision making processes in the early design phase. The technical portion of the course will lead students through the construction and population of VEs in a very hands-on manner, covering topics such as world representation, real-time graphics and simulation issues, networked environments, avatars and interactive characters, event scripting and AI control, special real-time visual and aural effects and intuitive user interfaces.