Crowd Modeling and Simulation: Towards 3D Visualization

The paper introduces a Multi Agent Systems (MAS) approach to crowd modelling and simulation, based on the Situated Cellular Agents (SCA) model. This is a special class of Multilayered Multi Agent Situated System (MMASS), exploiting basic elements of Cellular Automata. In particular SCA model provides an explicit spatial representation and the definition of adjacency geometries, but also a concept of autonomous agent, provided with an internal architecture, an individual state and behaviour. The latter provides different means of space-mediated interaction among agents: synchronous, between adjacent agents, and asynchronous among at-a-distance entities. Heterogeneous entities may be modelled through the specification of different agent types, defining different behaviours and perceptive capabilities. After a brief description of the model, its application to simple crowd behaviours will be given, and an application providing the integration of a bidimensional simulator based on this model and a 3D modelling application (3D Studio) will also be described. The adoption of this kind of system allows the specification and simulation of an architectural design with reference to the behaviour of entities that will act in it. The system is also able to easily produce a realistic visualization of the simulation, in order to facilitate the evaluation of the design and the communication with involved decision-makers. In fact, while experts often require only abstract and analytical results deriving from a quantitative analysis of simulation results, other people involved in the decision-making process related to the design may be helped by qualitative aspects better represented by other forms of graphical visualization.