To keep up with the latest in design and technology, MIAUAD has established a computer aided design office. All work is Macintosh based. "We are constantly adding new hardware and new software programs, to keep up with technology," said Ishi Mitsuiki, Architect.

Many people confuse drafting with designing. In the field of architecture, designing is three dimensional, and drafting is the production of two dimensional drawings that document the design. Computer aided design allows the prospective customer infinite choices about the design of a new home or office building. Flexibility in computer aided design also lets the customer study a variety of solutions at the design stage. It allows the customer to see many choices available, communicated through a computer program.

Software programs currently available at the MIAUAD office are Form*Z, and Electric Image. Form*Z is a form synthesizer program that combines numerous functions to produce a single complex 3D model. According to Ishi, many architects believe it is the best modeler now available.

Electric Image is used for rendering and creating animations. Rendering is the application of materials, colors and other surface attributes to the model, and the assignment of lighting conditions. For example, one could see how a building would look made of wood and then how it would look made out of stone. Buildings can be changed dramatically by altering light and color.

(See our portfolio for examples on 3D modeling and rendering on the computer)

Animating models gives the viewer a feeling of moving through a site. It can also be used to create an aerial effect that makes the viewer feel they are flying over a site. The camera position is moved along a path, and views are rendered at points along the path. The sequence of views is then recorded on a videotape and played back at a rate which gives the viewer the impression of real time animation.

Often we use a combination of software to create our projects. For example, we may create a model using Form*Z, render it and then merge it onto a scanned photograph using an imaging software such as Photoshop. We might do this to illustrate a design better in context. One can show different aspects of a project at the fraction of cost, time, and effort required to build actual miniature models.