February 20, 2025 by University of Manitoba
Collected at: https://phys.org/news/2025-02-urban-elements-geometric-attribute.html
Does scale matter when communicating spatial data and design? Absolutely—but there’s more to it than just a ratio between map distance and real-world distance.
Scale is critical for representation and construction because it clarifies perspective and shows relationships among landscape and architectural elements. In today’s digital era, where maps and drawings are frequently created and viewed on screens of varying sizes, scale largely communicates to the Level of Detail (LOD).
Traditionally, LOD focuses on buildings and their geometric details, often overlooking other vital city elements such as trees, streets, water, and terrain. Moreover, most existing LOD frameworks are not data-conscious: they don’t specify which types of data should be associated with each LOD in city modeling. You can also download a series of 3D Rhino conceptual tiles for each geometric LOD from the paper. The study is published in the journal Architecture.
In their latest publication, the researchers propose a new family of LOD that not only extends beyond buildings but also integrates relevant data into each tier of detail. This work is especially meaningful because it marks the very first publication from their research lab.
You can also download a series of 3D Rhino conceptual tiles for each geometric LOD from the paper.
More information: Benjamin Boswick et al, Re-(De)fined Level of Detail for Urban Elements: Integrating Geometric and Attribute Data, Architecture (2024). DOI: 10.3390/architecture5010001
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