**4.1.3 Multi-user (3D) games**

As one of the most relevant Protospace applications, Virtools allows development of Internet-supported, multi-user (3D) games. Known as *serious games* (Zyda, 2005) such games have a primary purpose other than entertainment as they are designed for the purpose of solving an architectural or urban design problem. They are accessible via a game interface on the Internet by multiple users that can interact with the virtual environment in real-time. Their development in Virtools is based on the separation of objects, data and behaviors, employing an intuitive user interface with real-time visualization window and graphical programming. This allows programming with spatial arrangements of text and graphic symbols, whereas screen objects are treated as entities that can be connected with lines, which represent relations (Fig. 6).

Fig. 6. Hsiao's Virtools script showing graphical programming interface and behaviour setup for urban design simulations.

Virtools' behavior engine runs both custom and out-of-the-box behaviors, whereas behaviors relevant for architectural and urban design at Hyperbody are swarm behaviors relying on principles of self-organization (Reynolds 1987; Oosterhuis et. al. 2004). Swarm behaviors are collective behaviors exhibited by natural or artificial agents, which aggregate together, exhibiting motion patterns at group level (Mach & Schweitzer, 2003). These behaviors are emergent, arising from simple rules that are followed by individuals (agents).

Protospace applications such as Virtual Operation Room (VOR), Building Relations (BR) employ swarm behaviors in order to address issues such as interactivity in architecture (Bier et al. 2006) and automated placement of programmatic units in 3D space either at city or at building scale (Bier, 2007).

As one of the most relevant Protospace applications, Virtools allows development of Internet-supported, multi-user (3D) games. Known as *serious games* (Zyda, 2005) such games have a primary purpose other than entertainment as they are designed for the purpose of solving an architectural or urban design problem. They are accessible via a game interface on the Internet by multiple users that can interact with the virtual environment in real-time. Their development in Virtools is based on the separation of objects, data and behaviors, employing an intuitive user interface with real-time visualization window and graphical programming. This allows programming with spatial arrangements of text and graphic symbols, whereas screen objects are treated as entities that can be connected with lines,

Fig. 6. Hsiao's Virtools script showing graphical programming interface and behaviour set-

Virtools' behavior engine runs both custom and out-of-the-box behaviors, whereas behaviors relevant for architectural and urban design at Hyperbody are swarm behaviors relying on principles of self-organization (Reynolds 1987; Oosterhuis et. al. 2004). Swarm behaviors are collective behaviors exhibited by natural or artificial agents, which aggregate together, exhibiting motion patterns at group level (Mach & Schweitzer, 2003). These behaviors are emergent, arising from simple rules that are followed by individuals

Protospace applications such as Virtual Operation Room (VOR), Building Relations (BR) employ swarm behaviors in order to address issues such as interactivity in architecture (Bier et al. 2006) and automated placement of programmatic units in 3D space either at city or at

**4.1.3 Multi-user (3D) games** 

which represent relations (Fig. 6).

up for urban design simulations.

building scale (Bier, 2007).

(agents).

VOR is, basically, an interactive environment allowing participants to playfully start to understand interactivity principles, which are then applied in design using Protospace's design interface. In order to incorporate behaviors and interactively change geometry in real-time, VOR employs self-organization principles of swarms enabling elements of the structure to respond to external changes. According to Oosterhuis (2006) swarm architecture implies that all building components operate like intelligent agents, whereas the swarm is, in this context, of special interest: Self-organizing swarms go back to Reynolds' computer program developed in 1986, which simulates flocking behavior of birds. The rules according to which the birds are moving are simple: Maintain a minimum distance to vicinity (1), match velocity with neighbors (2) and move towards the center of the swarm (3). These rules are local establishing the behavior of one member in relationship to its next vicinity.

Similar to Reynolds' flocking rules, VOR's icosahedral geometry employs rules regarding the movement of its vertices. The movements of its vertices are controlled as follows: (1) Keep a certain distance to neighboring vertices; move faster if you are further away. (2) Try to be at a certain distance from your neighbors' neighbors; move faster if you are further away. These rules aim to establish a desired state of equilibrium implying that VOR aims to organize itself into the primary icosahedral structure. Under exterior influences VOR executes geometrical-spatial transformations according to the rule (3): Try to maintain a certain distance to the avatar, whereas the avatar is an embodiment of the user in this multiuser virtual reality (Fig. 7).

Fig. 7. VOR can be navigated via an avatar that can enter a virtual world represented as an icosahedral structure.

Internet-Supported Multi-User Virtual and Physical

solution.

2010).

Virtools.

sections.

and fabrication sessions.

**4.2 Users' interaction in education and research** 

Prototypes for Architectural Academic Education and Research 327

Based on a similar strategy BR generates solutions for complex layout problems in an interactive design process. Furthermore, it operates in the 3D-space and therefore, it represents an innovative approach to semi-automated design processes. The BR database establishes connectivities between different software and functions as a parameter pool containing geometric and functional data. BR is being used interactively and in combination with other software, to achieve non-deterministically designs. It is a design support system, since it supports the user (designer) in the functional layout process rather than prescribes a

At urban scale, applications developed by Hyperbody have been addressing space allocation in a similar way BR does: While at building scale spaces are allocated within a building, at urban scale buildings and building clusters are allocated within an urban area (Fig. 9). The allocation principle is, however, the same: Functions and dedicated volumes swarm within the urban context towards local optimal spatial configurations (Jaskiewicz,

Fig. 9. Urban design studies implemented in interactive environments developed in

Obviously, these applications are of interest for Internet-supported education and research as they enable interactive, collaborative, (virtually and physically present) multi-user design

The classical concept of distance learning implemented when time and distance separate educators and students is increasingly replaced by Internet-supported systems that are employed to assist daily academic interaction even when researchers, educators and students are not separated by time or distance. This is the result of a conceptual and methodological paradigm shift that implies an ongoing change towards pervasive computing and ubiquitous education and research as already discussed in the previous

Considering the Internet as the start, Castells extrapolates 1996 the expected development of such a networked system towards becoming pervasive, permeating the everyday life. The

VOR, as a multi-user interactive environment, is a computer simulation of an imaginary system, a game that enables users to perform operations on the simulated system (Oosterhuis et al. 2004) while showing effects in real-time. Basically, VOR consists of responsive environments with which the user interacts via input devices such as mouse, keyboard, and/or joystick; these allow for intuitive maneuver and navigation.

At building scale, applications developed by Hyperbody have been focusing on the development of interactive design tools, which allow simulation of complex design processes such as space allocation: BuildingRelations (BR), for instance, proposed an alternative design method based on swarm behavior.

BR consists of agents interacting locally with one another and with their environment as follows: In the absence of top-down control dictating how individual agents should behave, local interactions between agents lead to the bottom-up emergence of global behavior. Similarly, all functional units pertaining to a building can be seen as flocking agents striving to achieve an optimal spatial layout (Bier et al. 1998; Bier et al. 2006). In this context, spatial relations between functional units can be described as rules, according to which all units organize themselves into targeted spatial configurations (Fig. 8). This approach is particularly suitable for the functional layout of middle large structures: While the architect might find it difficult to have an overview on all functions and their attributed volume and preferential location, functional units can easily swarm towards local optimal configurations.

Fig. 8. BR - Architectural design studies implemented in interactive environments developed in Virtools.

Basically, programmatic distribution of functions in architectural design deals with the placement of functions in 3D-space; in this context, building components such as rooms have neither fixed dimensions nor pre-defined positions in space. Attempts to automate the process of layout incorporate approaches to spatial allocation by defining the available space as an orthogonal 2D-grid and use an algorithm to allocate each rectangle of the grid to a particular function. Other strategies break down the problem into parts such as topology and geometry: While topology refers to logical relationships between layout components, geometry refers to position and size of each component of the layout. A topological decision, for instance, that a functional unit is adjacent to another specific functional unit restricts the geometric coordinates of a functional unit relative to another (Michalek et al., 2002; Bier et al. 2007).

VOR, as a multi-user interactive environment, is a computer simulation of an imaginary system, a game that enables users to perform operations on the simulated system (Oosterhuis et al. 2004) while showing effects in real-time. Basically, VOR consists of responsive environments with which the user interacts via input devices such as mouse,

At building scale, applications developed by Hyperbody have been focusing on the development of interactive design tools, which allow simulation of complex design processes such as space allocation: BuildingRelations (BR), for instance, proposed an

BR consists of agents interacting locally with one another and with their environment as follows: In the absence of top-down control dictating how individual agents should behave, local interactions between agents lead to the bottom-up emergence of global behavior. Similarly, all functional units pertaining to a building can be seen as flocking agents striving to achieve an optimal spatial layout (Bier et al. 1998; Bier et al. 2006). In this context, spatial relations between functional units can be described as rules, according to which all units organize themselves into targeted spatial configurations (Fig. 8). This approach is particularly suitable for the functional layout of middle large structures: While the architect might find it difficult to have an overview on all functions and their attributed volume and preferential

keyboard, and/or joystick; these allow for intuitive maneuver and navigation.

location, functional units can easily swarm towards local optimal configurations.

Fig. 8. BR - Architectural design studies implemented in interactive environments

Basically, programmatic distribution of functions in architectural design deals with the placement of functions in 3D-space; in this context, building components such as rooms have neither fixed dimensions nor pre-defined positions in space. Attempts to automate the process of layout incorporate approaches to spatial allocation by defining the available space as an orthogonal 2D-grid and use an algorithm to allocate each rectangle of the grid to a particular function. Other strategies break down the problem into parts such as topology and geometry: While topology refers to logical relationships between layout components, geometry refers to position and size of each component of the layout. A topological decision, for instance, that a functional unit is adjacent to another specific functional unit restricts the geometric coordinates of a functional unit relative to another (Michalek et al., 2002; Bier et

alternative design method based on swarm behavior.

developed in Virtools.

al. 2007).

Based on a similar strategy BR generates solutions for complex layout problems in an interactive design process. Furthermore, it operates in the 3D-space and therefore, it represents an innovative approach to semi-automated design processes. The BR database establishes connectivities between different software and functions as a parameter pool containing geometric and functional data. BR is being used interactively and in combination with other software, to achieve non-deterministically designs. It is a design support system, since it supports the user (designer) in the functional layout process rather than prescribes a solution.

At urban scale, applications developed by Hyperbody have been addressing space allocation in a similar way BR does: While at building scale spaces are allocated within a building, at urban scale buildings and building clusters are allocated within an urban area (Fig. 9). The allocation principle is, however, the same: Functions and dedicated volumes swarm within the urban context towards local optimal spatial configurations (Jaskiewicz, 2010).

Fig. 9. Urban design studies implemented in interactive environments developed in Virtools.

Obviously, these applications are of interest for Internet-supported education and research as they enable interactive, collaborative, (virtually and physically present) multi-user design and fabrication sessions.
