Georgia Southern University Interior Design Students Map Residence Halls in 3D

June 17, 2008

Thirty-three students in Georgia Southern University’s Interior Design program constructed three-dimensional floor plans for all of the University’s on-campus housing as part of their spring semester Advanced Computer Aided Drafting (CAD) course.

Working with University Housing, the CAD students created models of every residence hall floor plan including the new Centennial Place. Under Assistant Professor Amy Boyett’s instruction, the students first learned new CAD software program, then applied their skills in a hands-on, real-world work experience.

‘This was quite a big undertaking,” says Boyett, who organized the student effort. ‘The students were grouped in teams according to residence hall and each team was supervised by a team leader.”

University Housing, contacted Boyett about creating the three-dimensional renderings. ‘They (Housing) wanted to promote on-campus housing and stay competitive with other schools,” says Boyett. ‘Most people don’t know how to read floor plans. The three-dimensional models help clients future students and their parents  visualize the space.”

Once they learned the CAD program, Boyett’s students created three-dimensional skeletal renderings. Each residence hall layout was reconstructed in CAD right down to the fine details such as cabinet knobs and microwave buttons. The final step in the process involves applying ‘finishings” to the models like lighting, carpet and wood finish texture. The results are highly life-like three-dimensional images that capture the living spaces University Housing offers.

‘A lot of these students will be working for architecture and design firms [after they graduate],” says Boyett, ‘and nearly every firm uses CAD or Building Information Modeling (BIM).”

In a job setting, a project such as this would require a design or architectural firm and the use of highly skilled CAD technicians. Boyett’s Advanced CAD students get the benefit of hands-on job experience while still learning in the classroom.

– See more at: https://ww2.georgiasouthern.edu/news/pressrelease.php?id=1664#sthash.RJakBsnB.dpuf