Real-time solar exposure simulation in complex cities

In urban design, estimating solar exposure on complex city models is crucial but existing solutions typically focus on simplified building models and are too demanding in terms of memory and computational time. In this paper, we propose an interactive technique that estimates solar exposure on detai...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores: Muñoz Pandiella, Imanol|||0000-0002-4781-7574, Bosch Geli, Carles, Merillou, Nicolas, Pueyo Sandez, Francesc Xavier|||0000-0002-3622-583X, Merillou, Stephane
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Fecha de publicación:2017
País:España
Institución:Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC)
Repositorio:UPCommons. Portal del coneixement obert de la UPC
Idioma:inglés
OAI Identifier:oai:upcommons.upc.edu:2117/403435
Acceso en línea:https://hdl.handle.net/2117/403435
https://dx.doi.org/10.1111/cgf.13152
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:Three-dimensional imaging in architecture
Sustainable architecture
Illumination rendering
Rendering
Real-time rendering
Visibility determination
Imatgeria tridimensional en arquitectura
Arquitectura sostenibl
Àrees temàtiques de la UPC::Informàtica::Infografia
Descripción
Sumario:In urban design, estimating solar exposure on complex city models is crucial but existing solutions typically focus on simplified building models and are too demanding in terms of memory and computational time. In this paper, we propose an interactive technique that estimates solar exposure on detailed urban scenes. Given a directional exposure map computed over a given time period, we estimate the sky visibility factor that serves to evaluate the final exposure at each visible point. This is done using a screen-space method based on a two-scale approach, which is geometry independent and has low storage costs. Our method performs at interactive rates and is designer-oriented. The proposed technique is relevant in architecture and sustainable building design as it provides tools to estimate the energy performance of buildings as well as weathering effects in urban environments.