| Abstrakt: |
With the rapid development of building industries around the world, understanding the processes needed to complete a series of construction operations in a timely and cost-efficient manner has become paramount to most fields in the business. Unlike traditional processes in building construction, a new method reliant on an interactive system can allow learners to envision construction operations involving more accurate use of equipment, materials, and laborers allocated to any particular activity. Advanced three-dimensional simulation tools have thus been created and step-by-step processes are introduced to facilitate this process. The authors used these tools to simulate the processes of ancient construction technologies, with the examples discussed being those employed in the erection of the most famous pagoda in China, the Dayanta or the Giant Wild Goose Pagoda. This pagoda, in Xi'an, the ancient capital of China, was originally built by Xuanzang in AD 652, the legendary monk who travelled to India to acquire Buddhist scriptures and translated and stored them in the Dayanta, and several renovations/versions have appeared, making it ideal for exploring multiple versions of the structure over the eons. For the sake of feasibility, this paper focuses on the final version of the pagoda that currently stands in the city of Xi'an. The software used to represent the 3D components includes 3DS Max and Visual Studio. The authors believe that the learning processes pertaining to these engineering processes can be enhanced by the introduction of this software to the classroom environment. Most ancient buildings were constructed manually with primitive resources, and in many cases, the information about these building processes has been lost to time. Yet some monuments remain magnificent even as they stand now, and the Dayanta is arguably one of these. By using the present as a guide to the past, this paper will describe how the ancient Chinese likely implemented the construction processes employed to erect such an extraordinary structure. The objective of this research is to introduce an interactive system that allows users to learn how this ancient pagoda was built almost 1,400 years ago, aided by three-dimensional images of building components of the substructure (foundation) and superstructure (pagoda) of the Dayanta. Students will be guided through the correct construction sequence and operations with the assistance of animation and ample descriptions of the use of materials, equipment, and technology. To verify the effectiveness of this interactive system, the authors plan to conduct a survey assessing the usefulness and ease of use of the system and the realism of the construction sequence and operations of the Dayanta as well as both immediate and delayed assessments of content retention. It is felt that the best use of interactive systems would be to complement traditional instruction rather than replace it. The interactive system can be embedded in a course as either pre-work or homework. This paper introduces an interactive system to model the construction of the Dayanta and provides an example of a possible assignment related to it. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
