An engine for real-time audiovisual rendering in the building design process

The gathering of information or data in shared models is becoming more frequent in the course of planning new buildings and environments. Three-dimensional visualizations of such models are often utilized as means for verifying the final design proposal. Simulations offer opportunities for an overall impression of environments prior to construction. They also support and improve communication between disciplines, allowing design decisions to be evaluated on a perceptual basis. TyrEngine is an application built to enable real-time visualizations based on a computer game engine. It is currently a part of Tyréns visualization toolset and can be freely distributed with no additional licence costs. Aimed specifically to provide aid in the planning process, visuals can be generated from a variety of geometrical input formats, such as those common to CAD. In this paper the addition of acoustic information through auralization is discussed. In addition, results are presented from initial tests to acoustically couple motion utilizing the engine’s inherent features. With evolving techniques for performing auralization, it has become a more integrated phase in the acoustic design of environments. Acoustic simulations are often utilized when existing building regulations do not stipulate design criteria or as means to determine such specific to a project. Hybrid simulations as proposed in this paper have the potential to widen the discussion on complex spatial features and aid discussions on quality of built environments.