Abstract
The architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) industry involves substantial requirements for visualization of complex three-dimensional models. There is a significant opportunity to expand the range of tools used to prepare students for this reality, while increasing engagement in the learning process. This study details several potential benefits of advanced visualization tools for AEC design courses, and proposes augmented reality (AR) as an addition to current teaching methods. An AR prototype that facilitates a mock building project design meeting has been developed, and a user evaluation () was carried out to measure its impact on visualization and engagement. The results demonstrate that AR enables students to visualize buildings with greater speed, accuracy, and confidence than paper drawings during a mock design meeting. User perspectives strongly favored AR across fields such as attention span, affinity for the building design, and ease of both visualization and communication. These results show promise for the use of AR in facilitating visualization practice during design education.
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Data Availability Statement
Some or all data, models, or code that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request. Specifically, the performance of participants in the user trial may be obtained.
Acknowledgments
The research team would like to thank the 60 participants in the study for their time commitment. Additional thanks must go to Diego Torres, the Lead Technician of The University of Auckland’s Smart Digital lab, for his help and interest in the project. Furthermore, the team is grateful for the funding provided by the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at The University of Auckland.
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Published In
Journal of Civil Engineering Education
Volume 149 • Issue 1 • January 2023
Copyright
© 2022 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Mar 10, 2021
Accepted: May 8, 2022
Published online: Aug 26, 2022
Published in print: Jan 1, 2023
Discussion open until: Jan 26, 2023
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