🚀 go-pugleaf

>I know this sounds stupid, but what about DOOM! You can use a level editor to 
>model the plans and it does it in real time, you can also use the textures... 
>I used Doom2 To make a model of my house and my dads new Pharmacy.
>

Doom uses a Ray Casting engine to maximize speed for the gaming platform.
Something you are not realizing is the fact that in any type of REAL
architectual work, in displaying the plans to a client, in the PROPER
dimensions, requires something with a lot more punch. (Atleast it would
if you wish to do it correctly.) Something like Doom is used in reference
to FAST MATH, if you were to take a look at games such as DOOM, Rise of
the Triad, Heretic etc, you will find that the objects in the "2 and a 1/2"
view is based on algorithms for sliver rendering.(Pixel rendering.. means
it renders slivers of the picture as you need them, vertically). You
may notice I do not call it true 3d, as it is just a hack to make the
elements of 3d look cool on a 2d plane. (Ask me about this via VR one day
<g> ). Their concepts and theories are EXCELLENT.. but its a game. As an
example.. MOST ray casting engines like doom use an array( some techno
babble meaning storage of numbers in a certain manner) that kinda resembles
a map. Via that, they can render the slivers of the screen as needed. Here 
is the problem..if you are to render, lets say a CURVED island in a kitchen, 
that has a nook off to the right, in a semicircluar patio... you couldn't really
explore the floor plan..as everthing has to be SQUARED.(Imagine taking some
graph paper, and filling in each square where ya want a wall or table.
LOOK.. no CURVES.) This may not be very appealing to the client in which you
are trying to develop this for.

I can't give you an example of a TRUE walk true, but I have seen something
with proper dimensions done in Autocad, and presented with some 3ds to make
a very appealing presentation. But alas... to find the people to do this is
a task beyond the scope of my message. Good luck.

PC'ing you,
Dana M. Epp
eppdm@uniserve.com

     "How can one work with the technology of today, 
      using yesterdays software and methods, and still
      expect to be on the leading edge tomorrow. Why
      settle for less..... I won't!!!"