A digital support system for gardening design

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1 A digital support system for gardening design Junko KAI*, Chihiro MOTOYAMA**, Atsushi OSA***, Hidetoshi MIIKE**** * Graduate School of Science and Engineering, Yamaguchi University, Tokiwadai2-16-1, Ube-shi, Yamaguchi , JAPAN, z018fh@yamaguchi-u.ac.jp ** Faculty of Engineering, Yamaguchi University Tokiwadai2-16-1, Ube-shi, Yamaguchi , JAPAN, a047fh@yamaguchi-u.ac.jp *** Faculty of Engineering, Yamaguchi University Tokiwadai2-16-1, Ube-shi, Yamaguchi , JAPAN, osaa@yamaguchi-u.ac.jp **** Faculty of Engineering, Yamaguchi University Tokiwadai2-16-1, Ube-shi, Yamaguchi , JAPAN, miike@kde.yamaguchi-u.ac.jp Abstract: Nowadays, gardening becomes popular hobby in Japan. However, a plenty of knowledge and several techniques are required to design, to construct, and to maintain gardens. Thus gardening is not easy for ordinary people. In this study, we developed application software to support people who want to do gardening. Many numbers of application software related to gardening are proposed and sold, however, the main topic of these applications is a kind of simulation of growing plants or a game. We try to develop practical software to design our garden. The concepts of the developed software are as follows: 1) easy to use for gardening beginners, 2) does not require any special knowledge and techniques of Computer Aided Design (CAD) software operation, 3) easy to design a garden using a painting application software like drawing a sketch, 4) easy to confirm the designed garden using a three-dimensional(3-d) computer graphic tool (Virtual Reality Making Language: VRML). The user can walk through the virtual 3-D space, 5) easy to learn knowledge of gardening by the software. We carried out an evaluation experiment of the developed digital gardening system (DGS). A comparison experiment was made between our DGS and software developed by the other company. Subjects are one student and 16 1st class registered architects. The experimental results showed several advantages of the prepared software. Key words: Gardening, Software, Digital System, Walk Through, 3-D Virtual Space 1. Introduction Recently, many gardening-related application software have been proposed with the development of information technology. For example, they are 1) A software for the Windows OS which simulates group planting of a container garden and a hanging basket et cetera [1], 2) A software which can enjoy gardening as wallpaper of a desktop [2], 3) A software which can perform a gardening simulation with feeling of the game [3], and 4) A software which can enjoy the quiz on gardening [4]. However, such software is hard to support design, work and management required for gardening. Thus, we try to develop a digital gardening system to support people who want to enjoy gardening. In order to make a garden with

2 a unified beauty, three minimum items are required as follows: 1) A plane view of the planning garden, 2) Knowledge about plants and vegetables for gardening, and 3) A 3-D sketch helping to imagine the real garden. Although garden designers and planners make a plane plan utilizing accurate and quantitative description when carrying out a design, it is difficult for gardening beginners to make a satisfying plan view. Moreover, the beginners have to gather up special knowledge of flowers, vegetables and plants from a book, the Internet, and etc.. In addition, garden designers and planners try to realize a concrete image by drawing a sketch after a plane view is completed. For the beginners, however, it is difficult to imagine the concrete image of the designed garden. In this paper, we propose a digital gardening system (hereafter abbreviated as DGS) to support the beginners. Our DGS has the following three characteristics. 1) A plane view of the garden can be designed easily. 2) A 3-D sketch of the garden is created automatically from the plane view. Users are able to overlook and walkthrough the generated 3-Dimensional space freely. They can expand their image of the garden. 3) Knowledge of the plants is available in the database of the software. Users easily draw their plan on the plane view like a painting. We provide 3-D modeling data of flowers and garden furniture with DGS for the 3-D sketch. The 3-D modeling data can be added on demand. The 3-D sketch is generated with the plane view by DGS automatically. Therefore, users don t need any knowledge of CAD (Computer Aided Design) or 3-Dimensional computer graphics. Users can design gardens at lower costs. 2. Specification of DGS 2.1 The outline of DGS The proposed DGS is an application software for Microsoft Windows OS. It supports gardening beginners to design of gardens. Figure 1 shows an outline of the DGS. The DGS were constructed from three elements, a task for plane planning, a task for 3-Dimensional virtual space of Fig. 1 The outline of DGS garden (3-D sketch), and a database for gardening. Users use these functions of the plane plan for the garden design. The 3-D sketch and the database help users to design by two different ways. The following sections represent about the details of each element. 2.2 Plane plan The DGS support to design the garden easily with paint feeling. Users select the size of the garden to be built. At this stage, two screens are prepared. One is "an arrangement Fig. 2 Windows for plane plan

3 information screen (Arrangement plane: A-plane)" which represents the information for arranging a plant, stone-finishing, a terrace, etc., the other is "a geographical feature information screen (Topographical plan: T-plane)" which sets up ups and downs of geographical features (Fig.2). Note that the design is carried out not by the usual 3rd page figure but by the 2-dimensional picture of two screens. By introducing simplification of the plane design, Fig. 3 A-plane and list window we can expect good effects to exclude the troublesomeness treating and drafting. Moreover, a user can master the system without any special knowledge of the Computer Aided Design (CAD) by supporting the training environment and the cultivation method as a database. The A-plane is drawn for arranging plants, stones, garden furniture as a full-color picture (Fig. 3). Users select an object for drawing from a list (see the list window in Fig. 3). Any objects are assigned their own colors. Users draw their plan on Fig. 4 T-plane and slide bar the A-plane using a pen tool or a line tool or a box-fill tool or a circler tool like any popular painting application software. Since the list also shows information of plants selected from the database (section 2.4), users can select and draw plants by double clicking the list. Since colors on the A-plane are matched to colors of flowers, users can consider a balance of color of plants using the A-plane. T-plane is drawn for arranging a topographical map as a monochrome picture (Fig. 4). The gray level from white to black of T-plan represents the height of the ground, and corresponds to a ground level from (m) to -0.5 (m). The negative height means holes or pools or rivers. Users select a gray level from a slide bar (see Fig. 4), and they draw their plan on the T-plane using the selected gray level in the same way as the A-plane. Since it is Fig. 5 Example of 3-D sketch possible to superimpose the A-plane on the T-plane, users can arrange the T-plane according to the plan of A-plane D sketch For beginners, it is hard to imagine 3-Dimensional (3-D) virtual space of garden by themselves. We think it is a reason why gardening is difficult for beginners. So, the DGS provides a comprehensive tool to design garden by utilizing the A-plane and the T-plane to make up a 3-D virtual space. We call the 3-D virtual space as 3-D sketch tentatively. After finishing the plane design, 3-D sketch is created automatically. User can walk through freely in the space (Figs. 5, 6). Fig. 6 Close up a location

4 Thus they can swell the image of the garden. When it differs from their image, they can return to the plane design of two screens, and the 3-D sketch can be changed. Virtual Reality Modeling Language (VRML), which is freeware, is used for the creation of 3-D virtual space. 2.4 Database The DGS has a database of plants and garden furniture. As described at section 2.2, users are supported by the database for designing garden (Fig. 7), and able to look over the 3-D sketch using data for the 3-D modeling in the database. Table 1 shows Fig. 7 Information of a plant items of database for plants. The database of garden furniture has only data for the 3-D modeling. Three kinds of Data of 3-D modeling are used for LOD (the Table 1 Items of database for plants level of details) that is a technique for real time Plant name Blooming period rendering of 3-D computer graphics. Cultivation method Training environment 3 Experiments and evaluation Code for flowers Data of 3-D modeling (high resolution) 3.1 Comparison of the performance and the Data of 3-D modeling (middle resolution) concept Data of 3-D modeling (low resolution) As described in section 1, many gardening-related applications software have been proposed recently. There is a remarkable software Virtual gardening (Incorporated company JFP, Japan), having similar concept of the system to our DGS. We compared these differences of purpose, concept, and function in Tables 2, 3. A student (female, 21 years old) tried to use these applications software. First, we explained how to use each software. Second, we directed to make a garden designed already by the subject by use of both software. Third, we asked her to point out the impression of the software by the good points and the bad points. Table 4 summarizes the results.

5 Table 2 Differences of purpose and concept DGS (Digital Gardening System) Purpose Supporting to design garden for beginners, who try to do gardening actually. A presentation of garden design. Enjoying virtual environments. Virtual gardening Designing gardens as a hobby. A presentation of garden design. Enjoying virtual environments. Concept Easy operation Automatic generation of 3-Dimensional virtual space. Providing database of plants Data of 3-D modeling of plants (by modeling software, x-frog: GreenWorks [5] ) have three resolutions. Easy operation. Automatic generation of 3-Dimensional virtual space. Changing seasons and time. Simulation of growing up of trees. Variable sound effects Scalable database of plants and garden furniture Table 3 Difference of functions Plants plan Topography plan Creating 3-D virtual space and walk-through Other environments Database DGS Users paint territoryes of plants where they would like to plant these plants with some painting tool (A-plane). Densites of plants in the territoryes are calculated automatically. Users draw a monochlome picture with a painting tool (T-plane). It is possible to superimpose the A-plane to the T-plane for comparing both planes. Possible There is wind sound effect only. Time and season can not be change. Data of 3-D modeling have three resolutions for each plant. Plants and garden furniture are 100 kinds. Information for gardening is also provided. Users can add new databases of plants and garden funiture. Virtual gardening Users point out points where they would like to plant plants. One plant is planted at each pointed position. Users make topography map in a topographical setting window. The map is independent of the plant plan. Possible. There are the sound effects which are able to set time and season sounds. Time and season can be change. Data of 3-D modeling have one resolution. Plants and garden furniture are 313 kinds. Only data of 3-D modeling. User can not add any databases.

6 Table 4 Result of evaluation experiment DGS Good points The pen tool system is convenient. Data of 3-D modeling are beautiful. Since pen tool system is convenient, DGS has a flexibility for planning. There are three independent layers of flowers, trees, and texture for the plane design. Bad points Type and number of items are scanty. There is no seasonal change. Virtual gardening There are icons corresponding to flowers or furniture. The sounds are relevant to seasons or actions Type and number of plants and garden funiture are wealth. Time development can be designed. Only one layer is available to design the locations of flowers, trees, and furniture. Structure of data is rough and there is no reality. An arrangement picture and a topographical picture cannot be combined together. 3.2 Evaluation of DGS by professional users We had 16 volunteers of first-class architects trying to use DGS to create a virtual garden in their personal computer. And, fortunately, we got a comment for the proposed system from Prof. H. Mitsui (Tsukuba University). He is a specialist in the field of composition or construction of beauty. The purpose of the experiment is asking subjects to point out the problem and the matter which should be improved in DGS. The results should be feed back to improve the software for the professional use. The experiment was carried out spending about 3 hours. As for 2 hours of the beginning, we explained a tutorial, and the subjects designed the garden according to our instruction. Then, the subjects studied the purpose of the DGS, and the usage. In the final stage, the subjects asked to design their garden freely in 1 hour. Main opinions obtained from the subjects are as follows. 1) A seasonal change is desirable, 2) Expressing the growth of tree is desirable, 3) A design tool to express a gently-sloping hill is desirable, 4) During designing of a garden, a function to change the grand size is desirable, 5) There are several bugs to be fixed in the system. 3.3 Required refinements The results of the comparison experiment and the evaluation one clarified the characteristics of the DGS. First, the DGS was easy to use to design gardens. Second, the 3-D sketch of the DGS was more beautiful than the other application software. On the other hand, some problems were pointed out. From the results, we have to make refinements of the DGS to apply for practical use. The points are,

7 1) Improvement of user interface, 2) Estimating of the number and the price of seedlings, young plants, and blocks etc. that are required for making the garden designed by the DGS, 3) Providing information about flowers of season, characteristics of plants, and 4) Technical supports through WWW. 4 Conclusions In this study, we developed an application software to support people who want to do gardening. We call the software as Digital Gardening Support system (DGS). We compared DGS with the other software that had similar concepts to ours. One student and 16 volunteers of professional architects evaluated usability of the DGS. The results indicated that the DGS was useful to design gardens especially for gardening beginners. We made clear four refinements to apply the DGS for practice use. Now we plan to distribute the DGS on the Internet for a questionnaire survey. Acknowledgment We thank to Dt. H. Mitui for useful comments and suggestions. And we thank to Dr. S. Tsukamoto, Mr. K. Okada, Mr. N. Yamamoto, and Ms. N. Fuchigami for their technical assistances. References 1) WindFactory: A gardening planner, shareware, 2) Incorporated company ELF: Garden NEN, a ready-made article, 3) Kushoukoubou Nekome Company: Garden Party, freeware, 4) HATIBANA by the window: Garden Quiz, freeware, 5) Bernd Lintermann and Oliver Deussen: Interactive Modeling of Plants, IEEE Computer Graphics and Application, (1999). 6) Hideki Mitsui: Gardening no tanoshimi (Pleasure of gardening), Chukouronshinsya, Tokyo (1998). (in Japanese) 7) Hideki Mitsui: Bi no kouseigaku (Constructive Art of beauty), Chukouronshinsya, Tokyo (1996). (in Japanese) 8) Miki Toyoda: Garden design lesson (Garden design lesson), Koudansya, Tokyo (1999). (in Japanese) 9) Ikuyo Kazikazumasa: Hana no niwa wo tsukuttemiyou (Let s make the yard of a flower), Huzinseikatsusya, Tokyo (2000). (in Japanese) 10) Takashi Kamida: Natural Garden (Natural Garden), Shuhunotomosya, Tokyo (1999). (in Japanese)