Konstructor – 3D based Intelligent Interactive House Building System

Submitted to

Sri Lanka Institute of Information Technology

In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the

Degree of Bachelor of Science in Information Technology

Specializing in Interactive Multimedia Technology

August, 2013

DeclarationWe hereby declare that the project work entitled “Konstructor – 3 D based Intelligent

Interactive House Building System”, submitted to the Sri Lanka Institute of Information

Technology is a record of an original work done by us, under the guidance of our Supervisor

Mr. Dilhan Manawadu. This project work is submitted in the partial fulfillment of the

requirement for the award of the degree of Bachelor of Science in Information Technology

Specializing in Interactive Multimedia Technology. The results embodied in this report have

not been submitted to any other University or Institution for the award of any degree or

diploma. Information derived from the published or unpublished work of others has been

acknowledged in the text and a list of references is given.

Project Title : Konstructor – 3D based Intelligent Interactive House Building System

Project ID :

Names of the Authors :

Student ID Student Name Signature

IT 11 1562 84 Laknath K.L.I

IT 11 2259 66 Sumanasena R.E.L.K

IT 11 0784 56 Ariyawansa A.R.M.D.P

IT 11 2265 74 Wijerathne B.N

IT 09 0755 28 Galahitiyawa H.M

IT 09 6121 98 Iddamalgoda I.M.D.H.S

IT 11 1773 88 Harankahawa R.D.B

Date of Submission:

Internal Supervisor:

Mr. Dilhan ManawaduName Signature Date

Acceptance by Lecture in charge:

Mr. Dilhan Manawadu

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Name Signature Date

AbstractTo keep pace with projected global growth through 2030, the world will have to spend $57 trillion on infrastructure [1]. When it comes to building infrastructure, anyone from large construction companies that build skyscrapers to individuals who are trying to build their dream house, have to consume a large amount of data, before starting the construction process. One of these is the compression of soil. If the proper calculations are not done, there is a high risk of subsidence. In addition, traditional architectural fables (“Vaasthu Vidya”) also play a significant role in building construction, especially in the South-Asian countries like Sri Lanka [2]. Currently, if a building plan has to be altered in order to reduce the risk of subsidence, there is no option for anyone to see how the changes would affect the final appearance of the structure, and whether it would match their beliefs, until an architect makes all the necessary changes and completes a new 3D model. This research is aimed at tackling these issues and coming up with a real time 3D, intelligent and interactive virtual environment that will be integrated with a new algorithm specially designed to calculate the impact that a building’s weight has on the soil. There will be two main components, an interactive 3D construction component and a soil compression calculator, integrated through the algorithm. The integration algorithm will perform real time calculations for any changes that are made to the 3D model and compare it with the maximum weight level that particular land can bear. In addition, the changes will also be cross checked with traditional architectural fables, when a user tries to save their work. If a model violates a rule in architectural fables, they will recieve an error message when they try to save the model, which allows them to make changes. this will offer a chance for the users to make changes to the plan of the building, before they start the actual construction process.

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Table of Contents

Declaration............................................................................................................................................. i

Abstract................................................................................................................................................. ii

Table of Contents.................................................................................................................................. iii

List of Figures and Tables.......................................................................................................................v

List of Abbreviations.............................................................................................................................vi

1. Introduction...................................................................................................................................1

1.1 Research Problem..................................................................................................................1

1.2 Background Context..............................................................................................................2

1.3 Research Gap.........................................................................................................................3

1.4 Research Questions...............................................................................................................4

2. Overall Research Description.........................................................................................................5

2.1 Addressing the literature.......................................................................................................5

2.2 Methodology.........................................................................................................................8

2.2.1 Reasons for Selecting the Prototype Development Methodology.................................8

2.2.2 Purpose of Using Prototype Development Method.......................................................9

2.2.3 Phase 1– Planning..........................................................................................................9

2.2.4 Phase 2 –Analysis...........................................................................................................9

2.2.5 Phase 3 – Design............................................................................................................9

2.2.6 Phase 4 – Implementation...........................................................................................10

2.2.7 Resources.....................................................................................................................11

2.2.8 Reasoning for Resource Selection................................................................................11

2.2.9 User Experience...........................................................................................................11

2.3 Research findings.................................................................................................................12

3. Results & Discussion....................................................................................................................13

3.1 Evidence...............................................................................................................................13

3.1.1 Test Cases....................................................................................................................13

3.2 Discussion............................................................................................................................20

4. Conclusion...................................................................................................................................21

4.1 Importance of the outcome.................................................................................................21

4.2 Limitations...........................................................................................................................22

4.3 Future work.........................................................................................................................22

5. References...................................................................................................................................23

6. Appendices..................................................................................................................................25

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6.1.1 Sample Questionnaire..................................................................................................25

6.1.2 Sample Interview outline.............................................................................................26

6.1.3 Interview #1.................................................................................................................27

6.1.4 Interview #2.................................................................................................................27

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List of Figures and TablesFigure 1 - System Diagram........................................................................................................2Figure 2 - How people responded when they were asked whether they believe in traditional architectural fables.....................................................................................................................3Table 1 - Konstructor vs. other related or competing products in the market...........................3Figure 3 - Prototype Development Methodology......................................................................9Table 2 - WBS (Work Breakdown Structure)..........................................................................10Figure 4 - Login Interface........................................................................................................13Figure 5 - "Create New Model" Interfce..................................................................................14Figure 6 - Weight Calculation..................................................................................................15Figure 7 - Preset Models Interface...........................................................................................16Figure 8 - View Preset Model Interface...................................................................................17Figure 9 - My Sve Model Interface..........................................................................................18Figure 10 - Instructions Page...................................................................................................19

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List of Abbreviations

2D Two-dimensional

3D Three-dimensional

AR Augmented Reality

CGI Computer-generated Imagery

ICT Information and Communication Technologies

IT Information Technology

MS Microsoft

VR Virtual Reality

WBS Work Breakdown Structure

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1. Introduction

1.1 Research ProblemWhen we made inquiries about building construction from architects and the customers, we were able to find out that above problems are frequently encountered within the construction process.

From all the issues, sinking of the buildings (due to subsidence) and the problems in traditional beliefs were far more common.

We found out that most of the people do not think of the soil constitution of the land before starting to build a house. Some may use marsh lands for construction after being filled with soil, which magnifies the risk of subsidence later on. If the construction is done through a company, the end customer might not even be aware of this matter. But it is necessary that it is given a thought before choosing a land for construction, and before starting construction on a land. If not many problems will arise after the construction is done. Therefore, it is always better to prevent problems before they occur.

As mentioned above, the traditional architectural fables and astrology plays a huge role in building construction in Asian cultures. Even if a particular customer does not pay much attention to these views at the onset, he might have some doubts later, while the construction is going on or after it is finished. This may create problems as it is difficult to change the plans at this stage. It will also cause distress to the customer as well as to the architect giving an unsatisfied outcome.

Even after searching thoroughly for an effective way to solve all these problems, we did not come across any way that would satisfactorily give solutions to all of them.

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1.2 Background Context

Figure 1 - System Diagram

We are planning to develop a software solution that can be used in several aspects, such as defining the soil constitution, calculating the weight of the building the soil can endure and using the architectural fables in an appropriate manner. This is the basic idea of our software.

The main target groups of our software are architectures and building constructors. Other than these groups, any person who is interested in constructing buildings can use our software. They do not need much knowledge in IT to use this product.

Defining the soil constitution is somewhat difficult using manual methods. We will get a few data from a company which deals with these sorts of works. After deciding the soil constitution of the particular land using that data, we will enter that value to our software. Then we can plan the house/building accordingly. We can then get an idea as to whether we can add more items to our building or we need to remove few some if the weight of the building exceeds the weight which the soil can endure.

Most of the Sri Lankans believe in architectural fables such as Vaasthu Vidya and astrology. Therefore we have integrated a database of traditional architectural fables into our system. Our research show that about 81% of the Sri Lankan population believes in traditional

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architectural fables. However, if someone does not have much belief in such architectural fables, they can ignore that facility.

Figure 2 - How people responded when they were asked whether they believe in traditional architectural fables

Other than the facilities mentioned above, the end user can have a look or even have an interactive tour inside the building he is planning to construct, before the construction is started. They can also decide on the interior decoration using this software. Through our research, we found out that more than 95% of the people prefer being able to check out a 3D model of a building before starting the construction process. However, only about 38% of people have had the chance to do so.

1.3 Research GapThrough the research our team has done so far, we have been able to find out that there is no such system or software that can offer the services that we expect to deliver at the end of our project. Thus we have decided to go forth with it.

Below is a comparison of Konstructor with other such products in the market.

Software Can calculate weight

Consider architectural fables

Virtual tour

Interior designing

User-friendly

Probuilder [3] X X √ X √

Maya [4] X X √ √ √

3Ds Max [5] X X √ √ √

Unity [6] X X √ √ √

AutoCAD [7] X X X X √

Konstructor √ √ √ √ √Table 1 - Konstructor vs. other related or competing products in the market

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1.4 Research Questions How to build a virtual 3D environment using Maya to visualize the building before

starting the construction? How to handle the Maya models in Unity 3D? How to measure the weight of the 3d model we design using the particular algorithms

and then predict the weight of the building?

How to incorporate the astrological and traditional architectural fables presented by customers into our software system to get a better outcome?

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2. Overall Research Description

2.1 Addressing the literatureThere are many difficulties in building a house on compressed soil and in some areas which have different raining patterns. Before starting the construction process, proper calculations have to be done. At present, these calculations done manually using calculators, which is highly time consuming. Many researchers have done research regarding this problem and they are described within this section.

First of all, we have to find the definition of soil compaction. “Compaction is densification of soil by removing air using mechanical equipment. The degree of compaction is measured by its dry unit weight”. In the literature of 1980, it is recognized that “Compression curves determined for soils at different water contents were approximately parallel to each other over the range of initial pore water potentials from −0.05 to −1.0 bar.[8]” They have used some methods to get the results, “determined on 36 world agricultural soil samples at given water content were linear over the range of stresses from about 1 to 10 kg cm−2.[8]”

Also in another research done about soil compression in 2011 that states, “Simulated soil compression and piling, vehicles leaving tire traces spinning, skidding and even sinking. This first step is the simulation of the soil object system at a discretization scale that can be termed "intermediate". A subsequent step consists of the simulation of a finer physical soil model in order to account for smaller scale dynamic phenomena.[9]”

Another section we are focusing on our project is, Interactivity. Definition of interactivity is “Computer program, device, game, etc., that (in response to a user's action or request) presents choices (paths) depending on where in the program the user initiated the action. By following different choices, the user can accordingly control or change the action of the device or outcome of a game or program.” There are some researches regarding interactivity. In 1998, University of Kansas Lawrence has done a research which says “The current paradigm evaluates speech recognition technology in terms of word recognition accuracy on large vocabulary transcription tasks, such as telephone conversations or media broadcasts.[10]”And they have introduced a solution for that problem, “more productive and more accessible paradigm for spoken language research, in which research advances are evaluated in the context of interactive systems that allow people to perform useful tasks, such as accessing information from the World Wide Web, while driving a car.[11]”

The next aspect we are going to consider is 3D designing. Definition of 3D is “Three-dimensional model that displays a picture or item in a form that appears to be physically present with a designated structure. Essentially, it allows items that appeared flat to the human eye to be display in a form that allows for various dimensions to be represented. These dimensions include width, depth, and height” There are some researches regarding 3D. In 1997 Department of Computer Science and Graduate School of Architecture have done a research which says “We introduce an application that presents information about our

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university's campus, using a head-tracked, see-through, head-worn, 3D display, and an untracked, opaque, hand-held, 2D display with stylus and track pad. We provide an illustrated explanation of how our prototype is used, and describe our rationale behind designing its software infrastructure and selecting the hardware on which it runs.[12]” Another research in Sientific.net says “face recognition system based on 3D head modeling that is able to tolerate facial rotation angles was constructed by leveraging the Open source graphic library (OpenGL) framework.[13]”

Then we will consider about Virtual Environment. Definition of virtual environment is “a computer-generated, three-dimensional representation of a setting in which the user of the technology perceives themselves to be and within which interaction takes place”. In 1997 Northeastern University Boston has done a research project. They have produced a virtual driver simulator and they say “when the lead driver in a car-following situation suddenly brakes, the following car driver needs to respond as quickly as possible to avoid a collision. Such driving paradigms suggest that broadcasting and dead-reckoning may be applicable only if the human controlled actors are further apart than some delta time value.[14]” Another research is done in freepatentsonline.com and it says “The system consists of a server and client architecture. Within this architecture, the server or controller plays a "master" role, puffing, storing, and delivering media content from a plurality of client sources. The master server or controller manipulates the storage and delivery of these streams through an intelligent database and programming architecture.[14]”

Those are some of the key previous researches related to our project. We are now going to have a look at some of the currently available projects that are somewhat similar to our project, but do not present the same outcome.

In 2002, Fuzhou University has done a similar project. They have done a virtual plant project which says “The purpose of the software package is to provide an integrated software solution to realistic plant modeling, real-time scene rendering, growth simulation and applications at different scales from individual, stand (population, community) to landscape. We are used to build individual plant model. Para Tree combines geometric modeling and parameterized modeling.[15]” Most important thing is that this software doesn't require much knowledge about biology from the users.

Another project is done by producing a VR visualization experience and they say “The system aims towards a cost-effective, clearly presented and timely accessible system that follows a threefold approach; It entails managing the extensive amount of the daily produced medical data, combining the scattered information related to one patient in one interface with a filtering criteria to the required information, and visualizing in 3D the data from different sources, in order to improve 3D mental mapping, increase productivity and consequently ameliorate quality of service and management.[16]” Medical industries can get more advantages using this system.

Another project is done in which the target audience is crane operators. This says “The proposed system has a function called multimodal display which presents various kinds of operational assistance. We consider the realization of the training system by adaptation of the

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strength of operational assistance based on operator’s state; we focus on the operator’s skill level.[17]” Most important thing is that someone who likes to be a crane operator can get training using this crane system.

Another project is done about cultural heritage assets, which says “our approach for an asset management is described. This includes the system configuration and asset creation method. Finally, we address how to present the virtual heritages. Here, we show two approaches, Web-based and virtual reality theater-based system. We also address the networking issues for transcontinental cultural heritage exchange and our future plan for the 3D cyber museum through the Trans-Eurasia Information Network.[18]” The importance of this project is that any user can easily walk through this virtual museum and see what the cultural heritage assets are.

After that we will move on to another project. This project is done by E-Learning using 3D technology. They say “This application gives the student the ability to perform all experiments in a certain crucial. The second application is an on-line English language education system. This application gives the students the ability to learn the language audile and visual via on line interactive system. X3D is used as the main implementation tool which give the systems users the full visualization and interactivity of all learning steps.[19]” Most important thing is that by using this project every student can learn real manner of using a 3D object.

Another project done by 3D photo Gallery on mobile, says “The system will allow users to take pictures with the mobile device and exhibit in the form of virtual 3D gallery and navigate or walk through in the gallery by pressing the button or moving the device. The device has the computational unit which is capable of determining motion data from the g-sensor or accelerometer sensor. The motion data describes the movement of the device including a rotation of the device. Therefore, the benefit of the sensor could be applied such as modifying the view displayed on the screen vertically or horizontally automatically.[20]” Importance of this software is that the user can view photos in a 3D view which is the actual objective of 3D technology.

Another project is done on a virtual museum but using deferent approaches. It says “conducted indicate that previous experience with ICTs (Information and Communication Technologies) did not correlate with perceived AR objects’ presence or VR presence while exposed to a virtual heritage environment. Enjoyment and both AR objects’ presence and VR presence were found to be positively correlated. Therefore, a high level of perceived presence could be closely associated with satisfaction and gratification which contribute towards an appealing experience while interacting with a museum simulation system.[21]” By using this system, every user can walk through whole museum and see all the heritage things.

Another project which produced a virtual 3D city says “We present a technique to automatically generalize a given virtual 3D city model consisting of building models, an infrastructure network and optional land coverage data; this technique creates several representations of increasing levels of abstraction. Using the infrastructure network, our technique groups building models and replaces them with cell blocks, while preserving local

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landmarks.[22]” Importance of this project is that the user can get some idea about city roads without actually going there by using this 3D virtual city system.

There are also some Industrial products that are somewhat similar to our end system. One such product is “ProBuilder”, which is kind of similar to our project but does not have any weight calculation functions. This is a brief introduction of ProBuilder - “ProBuilder is a tool for building, editing, and texturing custom meshes right in Unity 3D. It is a fast, intuitive, and dead-simple way to create everything from environment details, to structures, to entire levels. ProBuilder is also great for quickly adding volumes, zones, triggers, occlusion areas, collision boxes and more. Best of all, you can do all this without ever leaving Unity.[3]”

2.2 MethodologySelecting a good methodology helps in creating a high quality software product. Out of various types of software development methodologies, our research group has decided to use the Prototype development methodology. With this approach, when the basics of analysis and design are performed, the work on a system prototype starts immediately, and a “quick-and-dirty” program that provides minimal amount of features is developed.

2.2.1 Reasons for Selecting the Prototype Development MethodologyPrototyping, as a methodology, is important in building fast, more reliable, better quality systems. Here is why and how. This method is based on building a model of a system to be developed. Moreover, the initial model should include the major program modules, the database, screens, reports, and the inputs and outputs that the system will use for communicating with others.

Because of that, for this research we decided to select prototype development methodology to complete the task.

Figure 3 - Prototype Development Methodology

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2.2.2 Purpose of Using Prototype Development MethodWhen using the prototype model, user can easily get a clear idea and feel about the model of the house. Because of this reason he can suggest the changes and modification that he expects. On the other hand we can use this developing method for non-IT-literate people. They usually are not good at specifying their requirements. Because of these reasons users can minimize their failures on the model of the house.

2.2.3 Phase 1– PlanningThis is the fundamental process of understanding why this system should be built. According to the above description, first of all we held some meetings and came up with some decisions.

2.2.4 Phase 2 –AnalysisAnalysis is the phase which analyzes user requirements and identifies system problems. In addition, this phase analyzes the currently available information in order to capture the goals of the project.

For that reason we gathered some details about past researches that can be of help in our project and in overcoming the risks and problems that we can have in the future. We went through a lot of research papers to find out what has already been done by previous researchers. We also requested and received the assistance of our lecturers in order to decide which software to use for our project.

2.2.5 Phase 3 – DesignThe design phase describes how the system is going to operate. According to that we had some steps to consider.

Architecture design – The plan for the hardware, software and communications infrastructure for the new system.

Process design – Different procedures that we hope to use in the system. Data Storage design – Logical Structure of the database. 3D model design – All the model designs of the system.

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2.2.6 Phase 4 – ImplementationThis is the most important development method of the research. This is the longest development process. In this phase, we had to build the prototype, and check for the bugs and errors of the model and the algorithms that we built.

Each member of our research team had a specific task to perform, which we rendered together in the end to build our final solution. Proper execution of each of these tasks was critical to the success of our project. Below is a WBS that gives an idea about the individual contribution of each team member of our research group.

Team Member 1st Responsibility

2nd Responsibility

3rd Responsibility

4th Responsibility

Isuru Coding Documentation Sound Algorithm Programming - (Architectural Fables)

Buddika Database Implementation

Coding Algorithm Programming - (Architectural Fables)

Video Editing

Heshan Documentation 3D Designing Algorithm Programming - (Soil Compression)

Sound

Lilanga 3D Designing Coding Sound Video Editing

Dhanushka Algorithm Programming - (Soil Compression)

Sound Coding Documentation

Hasitha 3D Designing Video Editing Coding Documentation

Ruvisanka Video Production

Sounds Database Implementation

Coding

Table 2 - WBS (Work Breakdown Structure)

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2.2.7 Resources Microsoft Visual Studio 2012 Microsoft SQL Server 2012 Autodesk Maya 2012 Unity 4.0 SONY Vegas PRO v12.0.0.486 MS office package 2010 Adobe Photoshop CS 5

2.2.8 Reasoning for Resource SelectionThere were two software options we could have used for the interactive 3D implementation of our project. They were Unity and Cry-engine. As Cry-engine is a non-commercial software, we cannot create a final ".exe" using it. And in order to run a project created using cry-engine (via the engine) on a user’s computer, it must also have the exact same performance level as the computer that was used to design the project. Therefore we decided that Unity is the best choice for our project.

For programming, Unity allows only 3 languages. They are Boo, C# and JavaScript. As we were not mush familiar with using Boo, we decided to use C# and JavaScript for the project. JavaScript in Unity is different and more advanced than the normal JavaScript language we were working with earlier. So we had to use a combination of C# and JavaScript to achieve our goals.

In order to address the security concerns, we decided to define each user by giving them their own user account with a unique username and a password. To serve this purpose we designed a login interface in our solution. And to store the user information, we selected Microsoft SQL as we had a lot of prior working experience with it.

2.2.9 User ExperienceAfter logging into an account, a user can enter the main interface. Before designing the interfaces we did some UX research to find out how we can offer a better user experience for the users. According to our findings we decided to add large buttons with icons and use simple interfaces.

The interfaces in Konstructor are designed in a way that helps the users get their work done easily within a short time period. Therefore it is very convenient for the users with busy schedules, as well as the ones who does not have much prior knowledge or experience of working with our solution. We also added an exit button at the bottom of the page which allows the user to leave the page whenever he wishes.

Overall, we have designed the interfaces in our solution in a simple, logical and attractive way.

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2.3 Research findings How to calculate the weight of each component of the 3D model

How to measure the weight of the whole 3D model in Unity 3D

How to move each component of the 3D model in Unity 3D

How to integrate architectural fables into the solution

How to remove and add components to a 3D model in Unity 3D

How to change the color and texture of each surface in Unity 3D

How to implement a soil compression calculator and integrate it into the solution using Unity 3D

How to add a 1st person walkthrough into the software solution using Unity 3D

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3. Results & Discussion

3.1 Evidence

3.1.1 Test Cases

01.

Test Case Name - User login

Steps - Enter username and password

- Click Login button

Expected Results - Login to the system and go to the main interface

Figure 4 - Login Interface

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02.

Test Case Name - Create new model

Steps - Click "Create New Model" button

Expected Results - Go to the "Create New Model" interface and load the default model for modification

Figure 5 - "Create New Model" Interfce

Once they are in this interface, users can modify the model by adding or removing walls. In addition, users can also move the items inside the model and change the colors of the walls. Users can also input the soil compression data through this interface.

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03.

Test Case Name - Weight calculation

Steps - Mouse click each wall of the model

Expected Results - Add the weight of each wall to the total weight of the model

Figure 6 - Weight Calculation

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04.

Test Case Name - Go to preset models

Steps - Click the "Preset Models" button in the main interface

Expected Results - Go to the preset model window and view the pre-loaded models

Figure 7 - Preset Models Interface

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05.

Test Case Name - View selected model

Steps - Click on a model in the presets window

Expected Results - Go to preset model window and view the selected model

Figure 8 - View Preset Model Interface

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06.

Test Case Name - Go to my save models

Steps - Click the "My Save Model" button in main window

Expected Results - View the models that have been previously saved by the user

Figure 9 - My Sve Model Interface

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07.

Test Case Name - Go to instructions

Steps - Click the "Instructions" button in the main window

Expected Results - Go to the instructions page

Figure 10 - Instructions Page

This page will have instructions on how to use Konstructor.

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3.2 DiscussionThroughout our research project we met with many issues and had to resolve or work around them to reach our final goal.

One of the first issues we faced after deciding to add architectural fables into our solution was which ones to choose. In many Asian sub-cultures, including Sri Lanka, people believe in many traditional architectural fables, which includes Vasthu Vidya, Feng Shui and astrology. Even though, we decided to focus our research only on a Sri Lankan tradition, namely Vasthu Vidya, in order to narrow the scope of our project, we still had to study a lot about it. In order to overcome this issue, we appointed two of our team members to thoroughly study the architectural fables. After that, the other members of the research group were given a general idea about them by those two. In order to simplify our project and to manage our time frame, we also decided to focus only on implementing few of them in our system.

While implementing our software solution, we had issues with importing the 3D models we made using Maya into Unity 3D. As we did not have any prior knowledge of working with Unity 3D, we had to do a lot of research to find solutions to those issues.

After we imported the 3D models from Maya to Unity 3D, we faced scaling problems. The models that were in the same scale in Maya were imported to Unity 3D in different scales. We also had to find a solution to this issue before going forward with the project.

When we started implementing the soil compression algorithm, we had to do it from the scratch. There were no software solutions made for this purpose. So we had to visit actual construction sites and meet up with architects and engineers to get data about the current manual soil compression calculation techniques.

Even after getting the data about soil compression from the construction industry specialists, we had to go through the algorithms they provided and go through them one by one and understand them. The most difficult task was grasping and dealing with the symbols and the terminology used in the construction industry. For that, we had to request the help of some of the friends who are working in the construction field (civil engineers, quantity surveyors).

While going forward with implementing the soil compression calculator, we had to face many other obstacles. We managed to get through them using our Internet research skills and, in few occasions, by requesting assistance on online forums.

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4. Conclusion

4.1 Importance of the outcomeWe have recognized that there are many user groups that would benefit from the outcome of our project.

Maya Users

We have found many methods that Maya users can use in order to keep their models the same in Unity 3D. This will be helpful to many people who are planning to work with Maya and Unity 3D in the future.

Unity 3D Users

As direct results of our research, we have come up with a way to implement a soil compression calculator into an interactive 3D model in Unity 3D. This will be highly useful for anyone who is planning to use Unity 3D for a project related to the construction industry.

In addition, we have shown that it is possible to incorporate architectural fables into an interactive 3D model using Unity 3D.

Students

The results and the findings of our project will be important to students in a number of fields, including construction, interior design, 3D animation, 3D modeling, architectural fables (Vasthu Vidya), and CGI.

Architects

Architects are one of the groups that directly benefit from the final product of our project. They can use it to for the projects of their clients.

Vasthu Vidya Gurus

Vasthu Vidya gurus can use our solution to check the issues in their work. In addition, they can use it to justify the changes that they make to a certain building plan, by using it to demonstrate the issues in the current plan.

Customers

Our final product is made in a highly user friendly manner. So anyone can use it to check the issues in the construction of their house. In addition, they can ask their contractors to use this product to make sure that their house does not get affected by subsidence.

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4.2 LimitationsThe biggest limitation in our solution is, not being 100% done. There are thousands of architectural fables and it is impossible to implement them all in our system within the short time period we have. We believe that it is also possible to improve the soil compression calculator of our system by providing more input options.

4.3 Future workThere are few ways that researchers can improve our solution in the future:

Integrating Feng Shui

Integrating architectural fables from other parts of the world

Translating the final solution into different languages

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5. References[1] “Rethinking infrastructure,” Feb. 2013. [Online]. Available: http://www.mckinsey.com/features/infrastructure [Accessed: Feb. 15, 2013].

[2] A. Pieris, Architecture and Nationalism in Sri Lanka: The Trouser Under the Cloth. Abingdon, Oxon: Routledge, 2013.

[3] Sixbyseven, “PROBUILDER”, Available: http://www.probuilder3d.com/. [Accessed: March 29, 2013].

[4] Autodesk Inc, “Maya”, Available: http://www.autodesk.com/products/autodesk-maya/overview. [Accessed: March 29, 2013].

[5] Autodesk Inc, “3Ds Max”, Available: http://www.autodesk.com/products/autodesk-3ds-max/overview. [Accessed: March 29, 2013].

[6] Unity Technologies, “Unity”, Available: http://unity3d.com. [Accessed: March 29, 2013].

[7] Autodesk Inc, “AutoCAD”, Available: http://www.autodesk.com/products/autodesk-autocad/overview. [Accessed: March 29, 2013].

[8] W. E. Larson, S. C. Gupta and R. A. Useche, “Compression of Agricultural Soils”, Soil Science Society of America Journal, pp. 450–457, 1980.

[9] B. Chanclou, A. Luciani, A. Habibi, “Physical models of loose soils dynamically marked by a moving object”, Computer Animation '96. Proceedings, 2011.

[10] Cole, R.A, A new approach to spoken language research, Conference Publication, vol.2, pp. 1037– 1040, 1998.

[11] S. Feiner, B. MacIntyre, T. Hollerer, A. Webster, A touring machine, Personal Technologies, pp. 208–217.

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[14] Upton, S. Kevin, Weiner, Brian, Tata, Christopher, Virtual Environment with shared video on Demand, research and communities, 2013.

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6. Appendices

Figure 11 - Konstructor - The logo

6.1.1 Sample Questionnaire1. Name:2. Area:3. Age:

a. Below 20b. 20 < 30c. 31 < 40d. 41 < 50e. Above 50

1. When did you finish building your house?a. Within last 6 monthsb. Within last 12 monthsc. Before 1 yeard. 1 < 5 yearse. More than 5 years ago

2. The size of your house:a. Smaller than 1000 sq ftb. 1000 < 5000 sq ftc. 5000 < 10000 sq ftd. 10000 < 50000 sq fte. Bigger than 50000 sq ft

3. Number of floors in your housea. 1b. 2c. 3d. 4e. More than 4

4. How much did your house change from the initial planning at the end of the construction?a. Below 25%b. 25% < 50%c. 50% < 75%d. 100%

5. How satisfied are you about your house?a. Extremely dissatisfiedb. Somewhat dissatisfiedc. Neither satisfied nor dissatisfiedd. Somewhat satisfied

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e. Extremely satisfied6. Do you believe in traditional architectural fables, such as vassthu vidya and astrology?

a. Not at allb. Believe to some extentc. Strongly believe them

7. Did you have to change the original plan of the house due to fit it into an architectural fable (Vassthu Vidya, Astrology)?

a. Yesb. No

8. Did you check the soil compression of the land before you started constructing your house?a. Yesb. No

9. Has your house been damaged due to subsidence?a. Yesb. No

10. Did you get the chance to check out the appearance of your house in 3D before starting the construction?

a. Yesb. No

11. If "yes", how?a. 3D videob. Printout of a 3D modelc. 3D model on a PC (on a modeling software)

12. Do you think it is important to check the 3D appearance of a house before starting the construction?a. Yesb. No

6.1.2 Sample Interview outlineName

Company

Position

1. How many years have you been working in the construction industry?2. In which sector have you been mostly working in? (Buildings, Houses)3. Are you currently working on any projects? If not, what was your last construction project?

a. Size (sq ft)b. Estimated cost

4. What type of software do you use, and for which aspects?a. 3D modelingb. Soil compression

5. Do you believe in traditional architectural fables, such as vassthu vidya and astrology?6. How important is it to check the soil compression of a land before starting a construction project, and

why?7. Are your clients usually interested in using traditional architectural fables?8. Are they usually interested in checking the soil compression before start building a house?9. Have you ever had to change a plan of a building, in the middle of a project, to address a client’s issue

related to traditional architectural fables?10. Do you think a system like ours will be helpful for you in your future construction projects? (Describe

our system) And which aspects of the system do you think will be more useful?

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a. Soil compression calculatorb. Client previewc. Being able to cross-check with traditional architectural fables on the go

11. What advantageous do you see in our proposed system?

6.1.3 Interview #1Name K.G.L.V. Warunika

Company State Engineering Corporation

Position QS (Quantity Surveyor)

12. How many years have you been working in the construction industry?I have been working in the construction industry as a Quantity Surveyor for 2 years now.

13. In which sector have you been mostly working in?In building construction sector (Big, multi-storied buildings).

14. Are you currently working on any projects?Yes, I am. (Aaurweida Clinic - Diwulapitiya)

a. Size (sqft.) - 2 floors, 72*55b. Estimated cost - Rs.22 Million

15. Do you believe in traditional architectural fables such as Vassthu Vidya and astrology?Yes, I do.

16. How important is it to check the soil compression of a land before starting a construction project and why?We build a house or any other building for long period usage purposes. So we have to build it well. And we can stop cracks and reduce the subsidence risk if we do a soil compression test. So I think it is very important aspect.

17. Are your clients usually interested in using traditional architectural fables?No

18. Are they usually interested in checking the soil compression before start building a house?Yes

19. Have you ever had to change a plan of a building, in the middle of a project, to address a client’s issue related to traditional architectural fables?No

20. Do you think a system like ours will make it easy for you in construction projects? (Describe our system) And which aspects of the system do you think will be more useful?

a. Soil compression calculatorb. Client previewc. Being able to cross-check with traditional architectural fables on the go

All these things are import. But while both, astrology and soil is more important for house building, for bog construction projects, soil compression is more important.

21. What advantages do you see in our proposed system?Client will be able to know what we are building before starting the construction. In the industry we have big problem with customer satisfaction, due to differences between the final output and construction plan. I think this software might help to reduce it.

6.1.4 Interview #2Name K.G Sirisena

Company –

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Position House Planner

22. How many years have you been working in the construction industry?More than 40 years.

23. In which sector have you been mostly working in?House building.

24. Are you currently working on any projects? If not, what was your last construction project?No.

a. Size (sqft.) - 28.5*33.7 (3floors)b. Estimated cost - Rs.7,500,000 (before 5 years)

25. Do you believe in traditional architectural fables such as Vassthu Vidya and astrology?Yes.

26. How important is it to check the soil compression of a land before starting a construction project and why?It is important for the safety of a building.

27. Are your clients usually interested in using traditional architectural fables?Yes.

28. Are they usually interested in checking the soil compression before start building a house?Most of the time they don’t. But it’s better if we can always do it before starting construction.

29. Have you ever had to change a plan of a building, in the middle of a project, to address a client’s issue related to traditional architectural fables?Yes.

30. Do you think a system like ours will make it easy for you in construction projects? (Describe our system) And which aspects of the system do you think will be more useful?

a. Soil compression calculatorb. Client previewc. Being able to cross-check with traditional architectural fables on the go

I think if we can get correct measurements, all the features will be very important for house building projects.

31. What advantages do you see in our proposed system?I think that the user-friendly soil compression calculator you have in your system will be very useful to house builders.

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