Parametric Model Manipulation in Virtual Reality

Algorithmic design (AD) uses algorithms to describe architectural designs, producing results that are visual by nature and greatly benefit from immersive visualization. Having this in mind, several approaches have been developed that allow architects to access and change their AD programs in virtual reality (VR). However, programming in VR introduces a new level of complexity that hinders creative exploration. Solutions based in visual programming offer limited parameter manipulation and do not scale well, particularly when used in a remote collaboration environment, while those based in textual programming struggle to find adequate interaction mechanisms to efficiently modify existing programs in VR. This research proposes to ease the programming task for architects who wish to develop and experiment with collaborative textual-based AD in VR, by bringing together the user-friendly features of visual programming and the flexibility and scalability of textual programming. We introduce an interface for the most common parametric changes that automatically generates the corresponding code in the AD program, and a hybrid programming solution that allows participants in an immersive collaborative design experience to combine textual programming with this new visual alternative for the parametric manipulation of the design. The proposed workflow aims to foster remote collaborative work in architecture studios, offering professionals of different backgrounds the opportunity to parametrically interact with textual-based AD projects while immersed in them.