Visibility analysis tools for planners
CityEngine 2017.1 introduces a new set of interactive Visibility Analysis tools. You can use these tools, for example, to assess the vista from an apartment in a new building site or determine whether a specific building blocks a protected view. You can perform visibility analysis of static and dynamic models, streets, and terrain.
The Viewshed tool identifies visible and nonvisible areas from multiple observer points.
The View Dome tool allows you to see the visibility from multiple observer points in 360-Degree views.
The View Corridor tool models protected views, such as to and from historic sites in your scene. The buildings in your scenarios that interfere with the view corridor are highlighted automatically. This allows you to design the silhouettes of your proposals to fit optimally into your city model.
All Visibility Analysis tools are scene objects that are saved in your scene. Using either the Inspector or the handles in the 3D viewport, you can adjust your visibility parameters and the visibility analysis recalculates on the fly. Additionally, the Inspector features an observer view that displays exactly what you can see from the observer position of the chosen Visibility Analysis tool.
Collaborative layer editing with the ArcGIS platform
You can now import polygon feature layers hosted on ArcGIS Online into CityEngine and modifications can be synchronized across the ArcGIS platform. The layer synchronization can solve edit conflicts and allows for collaborative editing on the same layer. This means the layer can be simultaneously edited by multiple planners using CityEngine, ArcGIS Pro, a web app based on ArcGIS API for JavaScript, or other ArcGIS apps.
High-end architectural visualization with Unreal Engine
Interactive experiences, whether on the screen or in VR, are the next big step in architectural visualization. The demand for faster turn-around times prompted a shift from expensive ray-tracing to interactive game-engine-based visualizations. Esri worked with the development team of Epic Games industry leading Unreal Engine to streamline the transfer of your CityEngine scenes into the Unreal development environment. This provides the foundation to build 3D experiences that allow you to walk through realistically rendered city models or even create a fully fledged 3D game (see demo video). Learn more about the new CityEngine-to-Unreal workflow at the recent Unreal Engine SIGGRAPH User Group Meeting.
"CityEngine allows us to model HOK’s massive urban planning projects. In the past, creating interactive high-end visualizations of several hundred thousand buildings was a challenge. Now, with the new CityEngine 2017.1, we can export directly to Unreal Engine. This enables us to craft fluid, data rich, real-time rendered experiences for our clients and stakeholders."
Christopher Zoog, Design Technology Specialist, HOK
… and many more enhancements and fixes
You can find more news and additional details in the 2017.1 release notes. Visit My Esri to upgrade to CityEngine 2017.1. New to CityEngine? Try it now with a fully functional free trial version.