Animationen bieten verschiedene Möglichkeiten, um Sachverhalte in der Softwarevisualisierung darzustellen. Die vielfältigen Ausprägungen von Animationen können eingesetzt werden, um die verschiedenen Hauptaspekte von Software, Struktur, Verhalten und Historie, zu visualisieren. Um ihren Einsatz für die Zwecke der Softwarevisualisierung zu optimieren, ist es aber essenziell, die verschiedenen möglichen Formen, deren Einsatzzwecke und ihre Eigenschaften im Bezug auf die Wahrnehmung von Menschen zu untersuchen. Die vorliegende Arbeit untersucht diese Aspekte und bedient sich dabei verschiedener Forschungsmethoden. Zu diesen Forschungsmethoden gehören eine Literaturstudie, die prototypische Implementierung von Werkzeugen und ein Experiment. Die Literaturstudie zeigt den aktuellen Stand der Forschung im Bezug auf die Verwendung und den Einsatzzweck von Animationen im Bereich der Softwarevisualisierung. Die prototypische Implementierung von Werkzeugen wird genutzt, um verschiedene Phasen des Visualisierungsprozesses zu unterstützen. So werden Techniken dargestellt, die es ermöglichen, Informationen über die Struktur, das Verhalten und die Historie von Ruby-Programmen zu gewinnen und diese in geeigneter Weise bereitzustellen. Des Weiteren wird ein Framework vorgestellt, mit dem es möglich ist, durch deklarative Angabe von Ereignissen, verschiedene Arten von Animationen in X3D- und X3DOM-Szenen auszulösen. Um die Visualisierungen zu erzeugen, stellt die Arbeit die Erweiterung eines Generators für Softwarevisualisierungen vor. Diese Erweiterung ermöglicht es, aus den extrahierten Informationen animierte Softwarevisualisierungen für alle drei Hauptaspekte von Software zu erzeugen. Im Rahmen der vorliegenden Arbeit wird ein Experiment zur Untersuchung der Effektivität und Effizienz von Animationen in Softwarevisualisierungen durchgeführt. Um die Durchführung dieses und anderer Experimente im Bereich der Softwarevisualisierung zu erleichtern, werden verschiedene Methoden und Hilfsmittel vorgestellt. Dazu gehört auch ein prototypisch im Rahmen der Arbeit implementierter Evaluationsserver, der Versuchsleiter für vergleichende Visualisierungsexperimente in den Bereichen Planung, Durchführung und Auswertung unterstützen kann. Dieser kommt im Rahmen der vorliegenden Arbeit bei der Durchführung eines Experiments zum Einsatz, das für die Aspekte Struktur, Verhalten und Historie jeweils eine statische mit einer animierten Softwarevisualisierung hinsichtlich der Aspekte Fehlerrate, Zeitbedarf zur Beantwortung von Fragen und von den Probanden durchgeführte Interaktion vergleicht.

Datavisualisering är ett hjälpsamt verktyg för beslutsfattare för att inom en kontext få en god översyn och skapa förståelse. Beslutsfattare kan enklare ta beslut utifrån datan som visualiserats och visualisera geografiskt knuten data med kartor har varit populärt under en längre tid. 3D grafik för webben har också med tiden vuxit sig mer mogen och kraftfulla bibliotek har ersatt tidigare pluginbaserade lösningar. Det har skapat möjligheter för nya licensfria former av datavisualisering. Det finns dock olika angreppssätt för att skapa och visualisera data i 3D för webben, det deklarativa och det imperativa, vilket detta arbete ämnar att jämföra. Arbetet undersöker det deklarativa X3DOM och det imperativa ThreeJS för att se vilket som presterar bäst i utritningstid. Resultatet visade att ThreeJS presterar bättre jämfört mot X3DOM men ThreeJS har en ojämn prestanda kurva med många spikar.

3D city models have been widely used in different applications such as urban planning, traffic control, disaster management etc. Effective visualisation of 3D city models in various scales is one of the pivotal techniques to implement these applications. In this thesis, a framework is proposed to visualise the 3D city models both online and offline using City Geography Makeup Language (CityGML) and Extensible 3D (X3D) to represent and present the models. Then, generalisation methods are studied and tailored to create 3D city scenes in multi-scale dynamically. Finally, the quality of generalised 3D city models is evaluated by measuring the visual similarity from the original models.   In the proposed visualisation framework, 3D city models are stored in CityGML format which supports both geometric and semantic information. These CityGML files are parsed to create 3D scenes and be visualised with existing 3D standard. Because the input and output in the framework are all standardised, it is possible to integrate city models from different sources and visualise them through the different viewers.   Considering the complexity of the city objects, generalisation methods are studied to simplify the city models and increase the visualisation efficiency. In this thesis, the aggregation and typification methods are improved to simplify the 3D city models.   Multiple representation data structures are required to store the generalisation information for dynamic visualisation. One of these is the CityTree, a novel structure to represent building group, which is tested for building aggregation. Meanwhile, Minimum Spanning Tree (MST) is employed to detect the linear building group structures in the city models and they are typified with different strategies. According to the experiments results, by using the CityTree, the generalised 3D city model creation time is reduced by more than 50%.   Different generalisation strategies lead to different outcomes. It is important to evaluate the quality of the generalised models. In this thesis a new evaluation method is proposed: visual features of the 3D city models are represented by Attributed Relation Graph (ARG) and their similarity distances are calculated with Nested Earth Mover’s Distance (NEMD) algorithm. The calculation results and user survey show that the ARG and NEMD methods can reflect the visual similarity between generalised city models and the original ones. / QC 20100923 / ViSuCity Project

On average, there are approximately ten fatal haul truck accidents per year in the United States. The most common causes for haul truck accidents include mechanical problems, inadequate training, and insufficient road/berm maintenance. Due to the frequency and magnitude of haul truck accidents, new training methods are being investigated. With the widespread availability of inexpensive and powerful computers and newer information technology, the ability to incorporate computer based training for miners is becoming more of a possibility. Computer based training is as effective in knowledge acquisition as traditional lecture, and computer based training can also lead to a significant increase in the retention of material. Studies have also shown that more engaging training methods lead to much more effective knowledge acquisition. A computer-based virtual environment training system was developed to supplement current new miner training and address the common causes of fatal accidents. The new training system is a virtual pre-shift inspection of a haul truck, and will train the beginner haul truck operator to identify parts which look defective compared to how the parts look normally. The training will increase the operator's ability to recognize problematic parts and correctly identify the corrective action needed. Increasing the quality of training by providing a very engaging simulated hands-on environment will lead to safer behaviors by the trainees, and ultimately fewer accidents and fatalities. / Master of Science

Habitar ambientes dimensionados a partir de estudos antropométricos e Avaliações Pós-Ocupação (APOs) dos aspectos funcionais é conseqüência de processos de projeto arquitetônico a serem consolidados. A tecnologia tem permitido obter um maior controle sobre todas as fases da produção de edificações, sendo a fase de pré-projeto decisiva para o efetivo sucesso de um empreendimento. A presente pesquisa objetiva o desenvolvimento de um roteiro para a elaboração de um programa computacional de Projeto e Desenho Arquitetônico Auxiliado por Computador (CAADD - Computer Aided Architectural Design and Drafting) que contribua para o trabalho do arquiteto nas análises geométricas de dimensionamento funcional de edificações habitacionais sociais multi-familiares, no momento do pré-projeto, considerando as especificidades do conjunto de variáveis envolvidas em cada situação de projeto. Ao escolher as alternativas de composição de Programa de Necessidades no sistema, este geraria maquetes eletrônicas (modelo digital) a partir dos parâmetros definidos no próprio programa. Os volumes abstraídos em meio digital são tratados genericamente no sistema como objetos volumétricos (mobiliário, eletrodomésticos, peças sanitárias, esquadrias, estrutura, vedação). A tecnologia de representação gráfica digital escolhida foi o padrão aberto para a distribuição de conteúdo tridimensional denominado X3D. A montagem do roteiro contempla conceitos de Computação Gráfica e de Geometria Computacional, aplicando critérios para arranjo físico de ambientes da habitação, relação entre ambientes, distribuição de unidades habitacionais (apartamentos) e análises de locação da edificação no sítio urbano. Utilizam-se como referências dimensionais resultados de APOs (classificadas como dados dinâmicos, os quais se alteram com maior freqüência no tempo) e legislação e normas vigentes (classificados como dados estáveis, os quais se alteram com menor freqüência no tempo), visando melhorias espaciais e manutenção contínua da abordagem do projeto e desenho arquitetônico funcional nos novos projetos habitacionais. / The possibility of living in environments that have been sized on the basis of anthropometric studies and post-occupancy evaluations (POEs) of the functionality of buildings is the consequence of architectural design processes yet to be consolidated. This technology has enabled greater control over all stages in the construction of buildings, the pre-design stage being decisive for the success of an enterprise. The objective of the present study is to develop guidelines for designing a computer program for architectural designing and drafting (CAADD-Computer Aided Architectural Design and Drafting) that will serve as an aid to architects in terms of geometrical analyses of the functional dimensions of low-income housing during the pre-design stage, considering the specific aspects of the variables involved in each design. By choosing alternatives for programming the software, the system is set up to enable designers to generate digital models based on standards defined in the program itself. The digitally extracted volumes are treated generically in the system as volumetric objects (furniture, appliances, plumbing fixtures, door and window frames, structures, waterproofing and others). The open standard for distributing tridimensional contents, known as X3D, was chosen as the technology for digital graphic representation. The guidelines take into account concepts for graphic computing and computational geometry and apply criteria for the physical arrangement of living environments, relationships among environments, distribution of the apartments and analyses of the location of the buildings in their urban context. Dimensional references are used to establish these guidelines, including the results of POEs (classifying the data that changes most often over time as \"dynamic\"). Other factors that must be taken into consideration are the local laws, norms and regulations (classified as \"stable\" data, which change less often over time). The objective is to develop spatial improvements and continuous feedback of the approach of the design and functional architectural drafting in new housing designs.

Habitar ambientes dimensionados a partir de estudos antropométricos e Avaliações Pós-Ocupação (APOs) dos aspectos funcionais é conseqüência de processos de projeto arquitetônico a serem consolidados. A tecnologia tem permitido obter um maior controle sobre todas as fases da produção de edificações, sendo a fase de pré-projeto decisiva para o efetivo sucesso de um empreendimento. A presente pesquisa objetiva o desenvolvimento de um roteiro para a elaboração de um programa computacional de Projeto e Desenho Arquitetônico Auxiliado por Computador (CAADD - Computer Aided Architectural Design and Drafting) que contribua para o trabalho do arquiteto nas análises geométricas de dimensionamento funcional de edificações habitacionais sociais multi-familiares, no momento do pré-projeto, considerando as especificidades do conjunto de variáveis envolvidas em cada situação de projeto. Ao escolher as alternativas de composição de Programa de Necessidades no sistema, este geraria maquetes eletrônicas (modelo digital) a partir dos parâmetros definidos no próprio programa. Os volumes abstraídos em meio digital são tratados genericamente no sistema como objetos volumétricos (mobiliário, eletrodomésticos, peças sanitárias, esquadrias, estrutura, vedação). A tecnologia de representação gráfica digital escolhida foi o padrão aberto para a distribuição de conteúdo tridimensional denominado X3D. A montagem do roteiro contempla conceitos de Computação Gráfica e de Geometria Computacional, aplicando critérios para arranjo físico de ambientes da habitação, relação entre ambientes, distribuição de unidades habitacionais (apartamentos) e análises de locação da edificação no sítio urbano. Utilizam-se como referências dimensionais resultados de APOs (classificadas como dados dinâmicos, os quais se alteram com maior freqüência no tempo) e legislação e normas vigentes (classificados como dados estáveis, os quais se alteram com menor freqüência no tempo), visando melhorias espaciais e manutenção contínua da abordagem do projeto e desenho arquitetônico funcional nos novos projetos habitacionais. / The possibility of living in environments that have been sized on the basis of anthropometric studies and post-occupancy evaluations (POEs) of the functionality of buildings is the consequence of architectural design processes yet to be consolidated. This technology has enabled greater control over all stages in the construction of buildings, the pre-design stage being decisive for the success of an enterprise. The objective of the present study is to develop guidelines for designing a computer program for architectural designing and drafting (CAADD-Computer Aided Architectural Design and Drafting) that will serve as an aid to architects in terms of geometrical analyses of the functional dimensions of low-income housing during the pre-design stage, considering the specific aspects of the variables involved in each design. By choosing alternatives for programming the software, the system is set up to enable designers to generate digital models based on standards defined in the program itself. The digitally extracted volumes are treated generically in the system as volumetric objects (furniture, appliances, plumbing fixtures, door and window frames, structures, waterproofing and others). The open standard for distributing tridimensional contents, known as X3D, was chosen as the technology for digital graphic representation. The guidelines take into account concepts for graphic computing and computational geometry and apply criteria for the physical arrangement of living environments, relationships among environments, distribution of the apartments and analyses of the location of the buildings in their urban context. Dimensional references are used to establish these guidelines, including the results of POEs (classifying the data that changes most often over time as \"dynamic\"). Other factors that must be taken into consideration are the local laws, norms and regulations (classified as \"stable\" data, which change less often over time). The objective is to develop spatial improvements and continuous feedback of the approach of the design and functional architectural drafting in new housing designs.

The focus of this thesis is on the implementation, the evaluation and the useful application of the third dimension in software visualization. Software engineering is characterized by a complex interplay of different stakeholders that produce and use several artifacts. Software visualization is used as one mean to address this increasing complexity. It provides role- and task-specific views of artifacts that contain information about structure, behavior, and evolution of a software system in its entirety. The main potential of the third dimension is the possibility to provide multiple views in one software visualization for all three aspects. However, empirical findings concerning the role of the third dimension in software visualization are rare. Furthermore, there are only few 3D software visualizations that provide multiple views of a software system including all three aspects. Finally, the current tool support lacks of generating easy integrateable, scalable, and platform independent 2D, 2.5D, and 3D software visualizations automatically. Hence, the objective is to develop a software visualization that represents all important structural entities and relations of a software system, that can display behavioral and evolutionary aspects of a software system as well, and that can be generated automatically. In order to achieve this objective the following research methods are applied. A literature study is conducted, a software visualization generator is conceptualized and prototypically implemented, a structured approach to plan and design controlled experiments in software visualization is developed, and a controlled experiment is designed and performed to investigate the role of the third dimension in software visualization. The main contributions are an overview of the state-of-the-art in 3D software visualization, a structured approach including a theoretical model to control influence factors during controlled experiments in software visualization, an Eclipse-based generator for producing automatically role- and task-specific 2D, 2.5D, and 3D software visualizations, the controlled experiment investigating the role of the third dimension in software visualization, and the recursive disk metaphor combining the findings with focus on the structure of software including useful applications of the third dimension regarding behavior and evolution.

The focus of this thesis is on the implementation, the evaluation and the useful application of the third dimension in software visualization. Software engineering is characterized by a complex interplay of different stakeholders that produce and use several artifacts. Software visualization is used as one mean to address this increasing complexity. It provides role- and task-specific views of artifacts that contain information about structure, behavior, and evolution of a software system in its entirety. The main potential of the third dimension is the possibility to provide multiple views in one software visualization for all three aspects. However, empirical findings concerning the role of the third dimension in software visualization are rare. Furthermore, there are only few 3D software visualizations that provide multiple views of a software system including all three aspects. Finally, the current tool support lacks of generating easy integrateable, scalable, and platform independent 2D, 2.5D, and 3D software visualizations automatically. Hence, the objective is to develop a software visualization that represents all important structural entities and relations of a software system, that can display behavioral and evolutionary aspects of a software system as well, and that can be generated automatically. In order to achieve this objective the following research methods are applied. A literature study is conducted, a software visualization generator is conceptualized and prototypically implemented, a structured approach to plan and design controlled experiments in software visualization is developed, and a controlled experiment is designed and performed to investigate the role of the third dimension in software visualization. The main contributions are an overview of the state-of-the-art in 3D software visualization, a structured approach including a theoretical model to control influence factors during controlled experiments in software visualization, an Eclipse-based generator for producing automatically role- and task-specific 2D, 2.5D, and 3D software visualizations, the controlled experiment investigating the role of the third dimension in software visualization, and the recursive disk metaphor combining the findings with focus on the structure of software including useful applications of the third dimension regarding behavior and evolution.

Η παρούσα διπλωματική εργασία πραγματεύεται την ανάπτυξη μιας εφαρμογής επεξεργασίας και δημιουργίας 3D ανθρωποειδών για χρήση σε Δικτυακά Εικονικά Περιβάλλοντα. Η εφαρμογή επιτρέπει την μοντελοποιηση και σύνθεση ενός 3D ανθρωποειδούς χρησιμοποιώντας έναν αριθμό απο έτοιμα αντικείμενα. Η ανάπτυξη της εφαρμογής έγινε με γλώσσα Java στην πλατφόρμα Eclipse, ενώ οι 3D τεχνολογίες που υποστηρίζει είναι οι VRML / X3D και H-Anim. / The main objective of this work is the development of a Java-based application for the creation and editing of 3d Humanoid Avatars intended to be used specifically for Networked Virtual Environments. The application supports the modelling and synthesis of a 3D avatar using already existing primitives. The tool was developed using the Eclipse platform, and the supported 3D technologies are VRML / X3D and the H-Anim standard.

Softwareentwicklungsprojekte bringen viele verschiedene Artefakte hervor. Artefakte stellen unterschiedliche Aspekte wie Struktur (statische Informationen), Verhalten (dynamische Informationen) oder Evolution (historisierte Informationen) von Softwaresystemen dar. Die Softwarevisualisierung ist darauf ausgelegt, solche Artefakte in eine visuelle Form zu überführen. Externe Umfragen und eine intensive Literaturrecherche zeigen jedoch Defizite dieses Gebietes auf. So sind viele Werkzeuge zur Visualisierung vom Entwicklungsprozess entkoppelt, bieten unzureichenden Im- und Export von Visualisierungen und besitzen teilweise einen geringen Automatisierungsgrad des Visualisierungsprozesses, insbesondere bei Werkzeugen zur dreidimensionalen Visualisierung. In dieser Arbeit wurde durch Adaption und Kombination bestehender Theorien und Werkzeuge der generativen und der modellgetriebenen Softwareentwicklung in Verbindung mit Techniken aus der Softwarevisualisierung ein Konzept entwickelt, das beschreibt, wie dreidimensionale Visualisierungen von Softwaresystemen vollautomatisch generiert werden können. Im Mittelpunkt steht ein Generator, der ausgehend von einer Anforderungsspezifikation vollautomatisiert 3D-Modelle erzeugt. Zur Validierung des entwickelten Konzeptes wurde ein Prototyp implementiert, der auf die Visualisierung der Struktur von Softwaresystemen abzielt. Dieser lässt sich als Plugin in die Entwicklungsumgebung Eclipse integrieren und erzeugt aus Ecore-basierten Modellen nach Benutzeranforderungen mittels Modelltransformationen ein 3D-Modell im freien und standardisierten X3D-Format. Die Transformationen sind dabei mit dem Werkzeug openArchitectureWare realisiert. Schließlich wurde der Prototyp selbst einer Evaluation gemäß etablierten Kriterien aus der Softwarevisualisierung unterzogen.