Visual spatial learning of complex object morphologies through interaction with virtual and real-world data
This research addresses the problem of optimizing visual-spatial learning for design professionals, though it appears incremental as it compares existing modalities without introducing new methods.
The study investigated how different representation modalities (2D image, digital 3D model, real object) affect the ability of design experts and non-experts to reproduce structural properties of a complex tensegrity simplex by drawing, finding that digital 3D model exploration provided a considerable performance advantage over real-world manipulation for experts.
Conceptual design relies on extensive manipulation of morphological properties of real or virtual objects.This study investigates the nature of the perceptual information that could be retrieved from different representation modalities to reproduce structural properties of a complex object by drawing . The abstract and complex object (tensegrity simplex) was presented to two study populations (design experts/architects and non-experts) in three different representation modalities (2D image view explored visually only, digital 3D model explored visually using a computer mouse, the real object explored visually and manually. After viewing and exploring, observers had to draw the most critical parts of the structure by hand into a 2D reference frame. The results reveal a considerable performance advantage of digital 3D model exploration compared with real-world 3D object manipulation in the expert population.The results are discussed in terms of the specific nature of morphological cues made available through the different representation modalities.