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Job:02-30056 Title: RP-Interior Design Reference and Specification
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THE INTERIOR DESIGN REFERENCE + SPECIFICATION BOOK
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THREE-DIMENSIONAL DESIGN SOF TWARE
Three-dimensional design applications, often referred to as modeling software, enable interior
designers to imagine the space and details of their design as volumetric projections. These
models can be used for analytic study in the development of details and as representations
of the project as it evolves—complete with accurate material, lighting, and atmospheric
qualities. Three-dimensional design programs offer great potential for engaging directly with
a design as it is being created, though they are not without their limits. Several options avail-
able to the designer are outlined below.
Three-dimensional modeling applications are often categorized by the types of objects they
create; that is, as either surface modelers or solid modelers. While several applications can
produce both solid and surface types, most specialize in one or the other. Not all available
applications are designed for interior visualization, and any decision to purchase software
should be considered carefully alongside issues of licensing and training.
Surface Modelers
Surface models are constructed by drawing three-dimensional splines and using a sweep func-
tion to form a surface; by making meshes that are then lofted and transformed into design
objects; or by creating a parametric surface that responds to changes in control points and
control polygons—also known as NURBS (Non-uniform Rational B-Spline). In a surface model,
faces and segments can easily be transformed, attached, and accumulated to create complex
forms. Surface modelers are especially useful in rapid prototyping scenarios, where the
designer desires the direct translation of the model to a physical object. One chief drawback
is how easy it is to delete individual surfaces, thus opening the precise modeling process to
error.
Solid Modelers
Solid modeling applications create objects that have closed geometries; a cube, for example,
can only be solid if it has six sides whose segments coincide with each other. Such an object
is considered to be well formed and therefore solid. Solid models are well suited to archi-
tecture and interior design practices, as they function in a way similar to the construction
process: Objects are decided on, created, and accumulated to form the intended design. This
cumulative approach is ideal for the creation of spaces that have a lot of detail and tectonic
qualities. In addition, various functions (copy, rotate, scale, etc.) can be used to alter the solid
after it has been created to reach the desired shape.
Boolean Operations
Solid models can also be affected by subtractive and additive functions known as Boolean
operations. Boolean operators can subtract solid volumes from each other, add volumes to-
gether, and split volumes into their component pieces, so that from an original object come a
number of resultant objects. Booleans depend on the order of objects picked. In the following
diagrams, the lowe
Union: One Solid
Original Objects
Surface Model
An example of a surface model shows the
profile line and the surface object. Surfaces
have no implicit volume.
Solid Model
Solid models have volume, and must have all
faces of the object closed along their con-
necting edges.
profile
revolved object
face
edge or segment
Job:02-30056 Title: RP-Interior Design Reference and Specification
#175 Dtp:216 Page:54
(RAY)
024-057_30056.indd 54 3/4/13 7:23 PM