Integrating 3D Game Engines in Enhancing Urban Perception: A Case Study of Students' Visualization of Urban Space

Abstract

In urban design, consideration of urban participation, perception, and experience is very important for achievement of successful, easy-to-implement, and user-friendly spatial design. Participatory urban visualization is a method that allows residents to be involved in formulating the future of their locality. This paper reports a case study of participation of 15 volunteer students in visualization of the future of their locality via three methods: physical models, pre-rendered animated walkthrough, and an interactive real-time demo. The study examines the impact of using the three-dimension (3D) Unity game engine on urban space imageability and understanding. Accordingly, this paper presents a comparative study of the three visualization techniques by analyzing the results of a series of experiments, a questionnaire, and observations. The outcomes support that the used 3D game engine provides an efficient tool that can help users to experience, perceive, and understand urban solutions interactively and effectively. Furthermore, this study confirms the role of technology in enhancing the user’s learning experience. Additionally, the study results indicate that integrating interactive game technology in urban space visualization has positive effect on space perception of people.