Creating 3D models from sketch plans for spatial landscape evaluation

2D sketch plans are hard to interpret for non-professionals and do not contain enough information for plan evaluation. Simple extrusion of 2D sketch plans into 3D will not suffice. This problem is faced by stakeholders in the early stages of the plan design process. Landscape types play an important role in bridging the gap between abstract 2D plans and 3D physical models. A landscape type consists of pictures from an existing landscape, a 3D model and additional attributes providing quantitative data. Through a matching algorithm, 2D landscape components in the sketch plan are replaced by 3D objects. Multiple 3D plans can be created from a specific area with different landscape types. These 3D plans are visualized with a high level of realism and they can be evaluated using the additional data. In this paper examples are shown for an apartment district and a villa district under different energy scenarios. The visual consequences of strategic energy decisions become apparent in the 3D model.