A testbed for architectural modeling.

In Werner Purgathofer, editor, Eurographics '91, pages 47--58. North-Holland, September 1991.

A boundary-representation modeling system that can be used for architectural design is described. The system is easy to use and has the ability to migrate from coarse, preliminary design strategies to precise, geometric models for final design presentation. The system also incorporates fast rendering techniques for interactive use and employs global illumination algorithms for design evaluation and high quality presentations. The process of design is one of continued refinement of the design problem through the exploration of possible solutions. For computer tools to aid in this process, they must support conceptual and schematic representations as well as geometric representations, allowing for the specification of multiple levels of detail at a wide variety of scales. This article presents the philosophy and implementation of software that begins to provide such support. The system is currently being used for teaching a fourth-year architectural design studio in Cornell's Department of Architecture.