Abstract

Virtual Reality interaction methods can provide better understanding of 3D virtual models of urban environments. These methods can be used to accommodate different civil engineering applications, such as facilities management and construction progress monitoring. However, the users of these applications may have severe problems in exploring and navigating the large virtual environments to accomplish specific tasks. Properly designed navigation methods are critical for using these applications efficiently. In this reserch, first a literature survey is conducted about existing navigation and visualization methods in order to identify the methods that are most suitable and practical for engineering applications. Based on this survey, a taxonomy of navigation methods and support tools for engineering applications in urban virtual environments is developed. In addition, a framework for virtual reality applications in civil engineering is proposed. The framework includes a practical method for creating virtual urban models and several interaction and navigation methods. Furthermore, a new method is proposed for usability testing of the navigation supports in these models. The proposed approach is demonstrated through three case studies for desktop, indoor and outdoor applications. The results of our usability study showed that using navigation supports allow users to navigate more efficiently in the virtual environment.