**6.2 Non-immersive instrument**

In 2018, a non-immersive 2D interface was developed to generate the urban form based on parameters related to building height, plot ratio, land division, construction cost, and building width [16]. It scripted in 'Grasshopper3D', which is a visual programming platform in Rhino. The developed script relied on a set of rules and instructions that could generate the desired outcome. The interface offered various site-specific variables which could be modified in terms of number in the sliders (**Figure 6**). In one stage, the script had been extended for online collaboration. The development of the instrument started with understanding the design context. Same as the immersive one, it dealt with the same neighbourhood in Wellington. The initial survey helped to understand the design problem. Then, we had to identify the urban parameters translated into the visual programming platform in the instrument development stage. In this case, the parameters in the sliders were building height, plot ratio, land division, construction cost, and building width. The users could play with those parameters and could visual the generated urban forms in the interface. While developing the instrument, several self-evaluation steps explored. These steps required the empathising attitudes on possible users' interaction. The study did not get enough data to report on the users' performance. However, it shows a viable way to involve design experts to develop the computational interface for non-experts to be a part of the design generation.

There is some limitation of this kind of interface. Due to the non-immersive interaction, the design tasks are basically controlled by the given parameter of the interface. The users had to decide on the generated urban forms without knowing how one parameter affected the others. Mostly, the users choose by playing with the numbers in the sliders. As the changes happen by the system, it is hard to affiliate with the new scenario by the decision taken on the parameters. These lose the connection of design decisions. Besides, the relationship between the parameters building height, ratio, cost and land division controls the design outcome, which lacks the intuitive nature of design generation. However, this interface allows taking decision in urban planning scale, which is ineffective in the immersive instrument.

**Figure 6.** *Internet based 2D interface for urban form generation and collaboration.*
