A List of Relevant Web Sites: ArchiCAD and Image File Formats - Assignment Example

Topic 1: ArchiCAD Archicad, a program developed by Graphisoft is a virtual modeling system used by architects to improve their architectural design. It is designed by architects to be used by other architects, to be able to increase the productivity and create good architecture. It is so flexible that it can allow the users to manage change, focus on design, evaluate different design alternatives, as well as to collaborate and coordinate well. Archicad can help architects in controlling the design they want while maintaining efficient and accurate documentation. Archicad was designed to integrate all the angles of architecture into one software package, to help architects from the designing part to the documentation process. Some of the companies that use Archicad are De Wilde Architecten in Holland, Mohamed Harasani Architechs in Saudi Arabia, Grassinger Architechs in Germany, and The Taylor architects in the USA. Although Archicad is designed for architects and planners, there are also others who can use this program. It’s for those students who wants to improve their work, as well as for beginners who wants to design something. The future of Archicad is definitely bright especially that a lot of companies use it. A new model of Archicad, called Archicad 10, was recently launched in the market. It boosts of fewer errors in architecture, speed in designing, and easier approach in making design changes. Relevant Websites: http://www.graphisoft.com/products/archicad/ http://www.graphisoft.com/community/why_switch/the_archicad_solution.html http://www.graphisoft.com/community/why_switch/ http://www.tenlinks.com/CAD/USERS/archicad.htm Topic 2: Image File Formats Image file formats give computer users standardized way of storing and organizing image data. Some of the most common image file formats are the JPEG, JP2, GIF, PNG, EPS, PDF, TIF, and BMP. JPG, GIF, or PNG images are the most commonly used image file formats when it comes to web pages. The browser can only show these pages. JPG is best used because it is has the smallest file for images while GIF is use for graphic images. TIF, on the other hand, is commonly used in professional or commercial printing because of its quality. JPEGs, is also very effective. It is best used for photographs where there is no abrupt change in value. But it should not be used for images that contain sharp and very large images. TIFFs are often used for different platforms, and it is also compatible to Macintosh or IBM, but it cannot handle object-oriented files. EPS are used when graphics that are being save are to be printed in a PostScript Printing Device. Other image file formats are PIXAR, which is used for 3D animations, TGA, which allows the users to put graphics on live videos and the LZW, which can substitute a shorter data in describing an image without the loss of quality. Relevant Websites: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image_file_formats http://www.scantips.com/basics09.html http://www.cs.brown.edu/stc/summer/workshop/summer_formats.html Topic 3: Virtual Reality Virtual reality is a kind of technology that allows computer users to interact with the computer environment. Most environments using virtual reality are mostly displayed on the computer screens and users interact with the use of stereoscopic displays, headphones, or speakers. Animation, on the other hand, is an optical illusion using motion by the use of displaying static elements. Animation adds color to what the viewers are watching because it ends monotony by creating movements. Some websites that use virtual reality and 3D animations are http://www.vrealities.com/main.html, http://www.cwonline.com/ and friendster.com. These sites are often visited because of the interaction that the audience could get when visiting the sites. Interaction is very important that is why more and more website developers use 3D and animation techniques. It allows them to easily access the products, or services they want, and therefore increasing the demand for virtual reality websites. Although web addresses are really advantageous compared to those that do not use 3DVR, it is very difficult to create high-fidelity virtual experience, mainly because of technical limitations on the processing power, resolution of the image, and the bandwidth of communication. However, these limitations are expected to be addressed when new modern innovations occur. Relevant websites: http://shop.rightthing.nl/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=2 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virtual_reality http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Animation http://www.cwonline.com Topic 4: Evocative Prose “My city is Anastatia. I thought the people live with digging onyx, chrysoprase etc. So I made many part of work place which can dig the rocks in the city. Also I felt the city is quite developed but also have countryside atmosphere. So I built monorails to connect work place to residential area.” Invisible Cities is a novel written by an Italian novelist and writer, Italo Calvino. It is a book that tells the exploration of Marco Polo, who, in the novel, was asked by Kublai Khan to describe the cities where he has been. The cities mentioned range from those full of life, to those who can be considered a dead city. The city I described in my assignment is the city of Anastatia. Most people doesn’t know of this city because it is located in a place not often visited. Anastatia is nothing but a wonderful city, full of different surprises that never fails to awe anyone who visit the place. I admire the city for having two sides – the developed part, where one can experience the modernity of time, and the countryside where one can be close to nature’s beauty. Relevant Websites: http://www.korculainfo.com/marco-polo-korcula-invisible-cities.htm http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Invisible%5FCities http://tal.forum2.org/invis http://www.sccs.swarthmore.edu/users/00/pwillen1/lit/cit Topic 5: Vegetation Modeling Virtual trees are plants that are a cross between a live and a dead plant or an artificial and natural plant. An example is what the Preserved Treescapes International (PTI) did. PTI buys parts of a living tree and chemically preserves them to create a lifelike decoration of plants. 3D plants, on the other hand, are plants being sold through the internet. They showcase different plants in the internet wherein buyers can actually see the exact model of the plant. These “real-looking plants” are mostly an advantage over artificial plats because it has larger rendering time compared to other kinds of plant. Most websites that offers 3D plants also offers downloadable pictures and images so the buyers can have a clear view of what they want to buy. The file size of 3D plants varies. Some offers 32-bit TGA files, while others offer bigger file size depending on the kind of plant. Some of the websites that sells these products are http://3dplants.0catch.com/index.html, http://www.3d-shop.net/Details.cfm?ProductID=469, and http://www.marlinstudios.com/products/vtf/vtf.htm. Related Websites: http://3dplants.0catch.com/index.html http://www.3d-shop.net/Details.cfm?ProductID=469 http://www.marlinstudios.com/products/vtf/vtf.htm Topic 6: Layout Aesthetica, UK’s fastest growing arts and literature magazine, features artists, writers, filmmakers and musicians. It can stir the imagination of the viewers using interesting articles and features, as well as because of its dynamic colors. The magazine is glossy and A4 in size, therefore a wide variety of readers buy this because it is easy to read. Just looking at the front page of the magazine, the reader can actually tell that the paper is devoted to the arts. Every front page of every issue features a painting that easily catches the attention of every reader. Pages inside have normal sized fonts that can help the readers to easily read it. Layout-wise, I can say that the magazine deviates from the normal layouts because of its bold designs. The complexity of the colors used are huge that it why it can easily grab hold of the reader’s interest. Icons range from the famous paintings to the art pictures of different artists. It can whip the reader’s thoughts by giving a vivid impression of the topics it features. It almost often has no white spaces and it makes use of every space in the magazine. Pages are filled with color, images and text but not to the point that it can be an eye burden. It mixes all the elements of layout well. Related Websites: http://www.aestheticamagazine.com http://www.world-newspapers.com/arts.html Read More