My role:
As the sole software developer for this project, I—

  • Designed the user interface.
  • Developed the software using XNA, C#, and the Microsoft .NET Framework.

This project was developed while I was employed at Smart Surface.

A fully functional prototype for a 3-dimensional architectural walkthrough system. This software was made up of two components:

  • The 3D architecture, running on a 3D display
  • The 2D mapping interface/control unit, running on a multi-touch surface

The control unit displayed maps (such as the map of a city, a shopping complex, or multiple maps at once) for users to explore. As the user navigates through the 2D maps, the 3D rendering reacts accordingly.

Since the maps on the 2D surface were not fixed and could be moved around, it was challenging to write an algorithm that would accurately translate the user’s 2D position in 3D. Three versions in total were developed, with the third one being a complete rewrite.

The project was exhibited at CeBIT 2011 in Hannover, Germany, and at the Intel Developer Forum 2011 in San Francisco, USA as part of the Intel Embedded booth.

Here’s a video of “3D Archie” (as we then called it) in San Francisco:


Screenshot of Architectural Walkthrough's 3D view
Screenshot of Architectural Walkthrough's 2D view