Virtual Reality in Interior Design Modelling

Abstract: Virtual Reality technology refers to a computer simulation system, which provides users with fully immersive in-depth feeling of the environment in which the user is simulated to. In Interior Designing domain it is challenging to convince the customer about the design without the look and feel of the design. This paper proposes virtual reality-based designing framework that helps the interior design engineers to design according to their customer requirements, were they can experience it by being part of it [walk through experience] before finalizing the design. The objective of this work is to save design time and provide the real feel and walk through experience for different design using virtual reality. The work flow includes gathering requirements, generating the virtual reality 3d model, rendering virtual reality generated model to android platform.

Keywords— Virtual Reality [VR], Android SDK, Unity 3D for VR, Google VR SDK for Unity, Scene, Plane, Character

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I. Introduction

Interior design is a refined and extended architectural design, which is a cross-disciplinary that is an aspect of the collection space, style, color, lighting, material. In present automated world technology is now an integral part of our day to day activity, they have not only improved our life style but also has opened many new ways of analyzing a situation or the possibility of solving a given problem. Virtual reality has been around from 20 years not until the late 2010. VR was only used as a means in gaming and entertainment, but now with the advancement and increased usage of internet and sensor technology, it has been implied into all the sectors of our day to day life.

Virtual Reality refers to a type of synthetic [virtual] integration technique, which combines computer graphics, computer human interaction, sensor technology and so on. With the application of VR technology in architectural design and interior design, interior designers are able to develop / replicate their works in 3D world, which is visible and interactive, that can be easily manipulated and changed as per the user needs. VR not only provides the designers a way to portray their artistic expression for interior design but also allows the user to make them as realistic as possible by the inclusion of effects such as sunlight, shadow, gravity, collision etc.,

II. Literature Survey

Interior designing is carried out manually by most of the design engineers. Once design blueprint is approved the same is sent for 2D designing. Later the conversion of hardcopy design to softcopy is carried out by again drawing it manually in CAD or CATIA software for which it is time consuming [1].These 2D designs are converted into 3D designs [2].This tradition interior designing process is very extensive and non-practical method where the user has to decide upon the designs and models or pre-defined 3D models, though this method produces the good quality models but it is not user specific and does not allow the user to have an immersed experience that’s where interior designing with virtual reality comes handy [3].

In traditional interior designing users/customers had to select from 2D diagrams, logs and 3D models of pallets of textures and designs, they could not determine if they were satisfied with the selection until the completion of the design, thus if any changes had to be done it meant that the entire process had to be re-done, which meant a loss of great human time and money [4].

VR technology in the 21st century which is most important and capable of changing the world can be found in fields as diverse as 1. Entertainment, which includes sectors such as Video games, Cinema, Virtual Tour etc. ,2. Education, 3. Business. VR enabled games helps in gathering more of users interests and thus increasing the number of players by increasing the curiosity and effects provided by the gaming experience, the addition of the joysticks and other VR enabled sensors helps in providing a more immersed experience for the players. VR enabled cinemas helps the viewers to get a 360-degree view of the cinema and thus the viewers can experience a more involved experience of the cinema. Virtual Tour helps the users to virtually have a look and experience a virtual model of a place that the user is not in and it can be made more realistic by using depth sensing camera’s and stitching the 360-degree pictures for the user to experience a flawless tour of the real place or location [7,8].

VR for education has helped the learners to view and experience complex theories and experiments using simulation and this has led the users to think from a different angle of problem solving. example for such areas are Neural surgery where the training surgeons are given a VR simulated brain to replicate the complex challenges that the surgeons face at the time of surgeries and helps them to practice on critical complexity issues that may occur in the real surgery. Another example is particle collision simulation of atoms that are very rare and expensive to replicate in real world, thus the scientists can use a simulated behaving atom for observation about a certain condition and reactions of atoms or particles. VR for business helps in giving an immersive simulated experience to the users about the new business plan or product launching etc. Example Interior designing of a place, Emergency alert system working in a real time scenario and reaction of a specific fabric or culture in outer space or environment [6,9].

Using VR, the users can select the desired textures, colors and other variables on the simulation after experiencing the model the users can easily decide upon the variables better compared to that of the procedure followed in the traditional system, thus VR is more effective, consumes lesser time and economical [10].

III. Methodology

The methodology adopted using VR is divided into different phases.

Phase I: Interior Design Modelling

The interior design modelling is broken down into 3 different stages as shown in the figure1

Figure 1: Interior Design modelling process

A. Hard Decoration Design

· This stage of the model requires precise size of the site or the plane on with the interior designing has to carry out, shape of the parts of the design such as the dimensions of the room etc. And spatial position of the accessories such as the sockets, installed instruments such TV, fridge etc. And it can generate the plane and complete the designing phase. Equations

B. Soft Decoration Design

· This stage of the model relies on the visual attention of the model such as material, shadow and it does not require accurate physical model of information completely.

C. Visual Design

· This stage different from the previous 2 stages aims to pursue the true sense of the rendering results and to make into account the key factors that affect the rendering speed, materials, textures, lightings and then enhance the object surface details of the real sense.

Phase II: Deploying the model on mobile device

Figure 2: Deploying the 3D environment as VR application

The next phase is downloading the Google SDK for unity to enable the VR experience and Android SDK to convert and export the generated VR scene to an Android platform-based application as shown above in the figure 2.

This process involves taking the VR generated 3d environment and importing the Google SDK for unity package and enabling the XR settings for a VR compatible project, and replacing the VR main with the default camera, setting the target version and minimum information for digital signature for android application such as company name, application version. By this process the basic setting up of the project is done, now using the SDK of android the project can be exported into an apk file.

The exported APK file should be installed and opened through the google card board application for auto calibration of the settings for a flaw less VR experience.

IV. Experimental Results

The interior design of the virtual interior scene includes plane, walls, TV set, sofas, chairs, kitchen, kitchen utensils, lamps and other items. In this paper the whole system of the virtual scene is divided into 2 blocks, when combined with data and standard structure image to generate the final output application.

Figure 3: An interior design model of the kitchen design rendered in VR mode below are the components of kitchen.

1. Refrigerator

3. Gas Burner

5.Storage racks

2. Gas burner

4. Exhaust

6. Coffee maker

Figure 4: An interior design model of the study room design rendered in VR mode, below are the component of study room

1. Book Shelf
2. Coffee Mug
3. Chair
4. Study Table

Figure 5: An interior design model of the bath room design rendered in VR mode, below are the components of bath room.

1. Mirror
2. Bath Stool
3. Bath Tub
4. Toilet Cumbered

Figure 6: An interior design model of the living room design rendered in VR mode, below are the components of living room.

1. Easy Chair
2. Tea Table
3. Sofa
4. Chair

V. Conclusion

This paper provided a new interior design framework based on Virtual Reality technology. The proposed interior design framework introduced the android based interior design developed with virtual reality, which is easy, light and easy portable. This model provides the customers with immersed experience with walk experience and interactive models.

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