My Master of Architecture thesis from 2015 investigated the application of virtual reality for architectural design. Presented as a four-part video series, it covers the History of VR, its potential Future, and the key Design Considerations for architects using the new medium to ensure user comfort.
The thesis proposed The Empathic Model, a method for simulating visual impairments. Using Unreal Engine, custom post-process volumes and look-up tables (LUTs) were used to create a demonstration that allowed a user to experience an architectural space as if they had conditions like cataracts or color-blindness. The goal was to give architects an empathic, first-person understanding of how their designs are perceived by people with different visual abilities.
A modified version of the thesis was presented at Toronto VR in March 2015. The full project was originally archived on the vrch.ca website.
