Modeling the Environment

A single-source guide to harnessing the power of 3Dvisualization tools for analysis and representation oflandscapes Current technology allows designers to model environmentalphenomena and space in new and exciting ways that go beyond thetwo-dimensional plane. The models, illustrations, and animationsthat can be created usher in a new paradigm of landscaperepresentation that can become analytical tools as well asbeautiful imagery. The text focuses on digital modeling methodsthat can be used to express rich environments using digital toolsto develop, composite, and animate scenes. This full-color book provides coverage of 3D visualization toolsfor land planning and landscape architecture. The methods andtheories in Modeling the Environment present landscaperepresentation around a core set of ideas--scene, object,terrain, environment/atmosphere, time/dynamics, and thecomposite--that centers representation on human experience.Supported by www.lab.visual-logic.com, a website offering tutorialsand forums, the text shows you how to use Autodesk 3ds Max tocreate dynamic landscape environments while also referring to arange of other tools including Google SketchUp, Autodesk Maya, andAutoCAD Civil 3D. It also demonstrates how to integrate 3Dvisualization tools into existing workflows, and offers criticalcoverage of intelligent drawings and representations, giving you aglimpse at the future of the profession. This book: * Includes sections intended to build upon one another in order tounderstand the environment as a composite representation ofmultiple systems interacting * Shows how to integrate 3D visualization tools into existingworkflows, as opposed to offering an entirely new workflow * Emphasizes modeling, animation, and simulation as both designanalysis tools and presentation tools Modeling the Environment is essential reading for professionalsin landscape architecture, urban planning and design, architecture,and related disciplines who are looking to be at the forefront oftechnology.