1. Context

Urban areas are complex ecosystems influenced by various factors, with vegetation, especially trees, playing a crucial role in shaping microclimates, reducing energy consumption, and enhancing overall livability (source).

heat street
Figure 1. Thermal image of a street depicting heat distribution source

This Vegetation project aims to integrate trees into 3D geometric models of urban environments to improve the accuracy and realism of thermal and energy simulations.

tree shade
Figure 2. Tree providing shade to a building source

By leveraging data from OpenStreetMap, a collaborative free geographic database, we will use CGAL, an open-source software library of computational geometry algorithms, and Gmsh , a 3D finite element mesh generator, to generate 3D tree models and integrate them into terrain meshes.

Our primary focus will be on Strasbourg, France. More specifically, we were provided with an .stl file containing a 3D model of the Strasbourg city center:

strasbourg mesh 2
Figure 3. Terrain mesh of Strasbourg city center

However, the final version of the software will be designed to be easily adaptable to any area. Here’s an example of a 3D model of Manhattan, NYC:

mesh manhattan 2
Figure 4. Terrain mesh of Manhattan, NYC source

Next: Main Objectives

References