ITcon Vol. 12, pg. 293-303, http://www.itcon.org/2007/20

Variable-speed object motion in 3D visualizations of discrete-event construction simulation models

submitted:April 2006
revised:March 2007
published:April 2007
editor(s):Eastman C
authors:Vineet R. Kamat, Assistant Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering
University of Michigan, USA
email: vkamat@umich.edu http://pathfinder.engin.umich.edu

Julio C. Martinez, Associate Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering
Purdue University, USA
email: julio@purdue.edu http://www.ezstrobe.com
summary:This paper presents research that addresses the problem of describing the accurate, variable-speed motion of simulation objects on realistically-shaped trajectories (i.e. paths) in animations of discrete-event construction simulation models. The research puts in place techniques that simulation modellers can use to instruct virtual simulation objects to follow any arbitrarily-shaped velocity profiles while adhering to fixed motion completion times while they traverse along any defined path trajectories. A computation scheme that allows simulation models to define the general shapes of relevant velocity profiles and then heuristically scales those profiles to accommodate communicated activity instance durations is presented. While allowing animated simulation objects to be moved with any arbitrarily shaped velocity profiles, this technique ensures that an object’s spatial and temporal control rests entirely with the underlying simulation models.
keywords:animation, construction operations, discrete-event simulation, verification, validation.
full text: (PDF file, 0.934 MB)
citation:Kamat V R and Martinez J C (2007). Variable-speed object motion in 3D visualizations of discrete-event construction simulation models, ITcon Vol. 12, pg. 293-303, https://www.itcon.org/2007/20