Application of Computer Technic in the Reconstruct of Chinese Ancient Buildings 
Deren Li?, Yixuan Zhu?, Jie Yang? , Fuling Bian? 
a National Laboratory for Information, Engineering in Surveying, Mapping and Remote Sensing, Wuhan University 
Luoyu Road 129,Wuhan 430079,P.R.China 
mailto:dli@wtusm.edu.cn 
Commission V, Working Group V/5 
KEYWORDS: 3D model, computer simulation, dynamically virtual display 
ABSTRACT: 
This paper offers an introduction of computer assemble and simulation of ancient building. A pioneer research work was carried out 
by investigators of surveying and mapping describing ancient Chinese timber buildings by 3D frame graphs with computer. But users 
can know the structural layers and the assembly process of these buildings if the frame graphs are processed further with computer. 
This can be implemented by computer simulation technique. This technique display the raw data on the screen of a computer and 
interactively manage them by combining technologies from computer graphics and image processing, multi-media technology, 
artificial intelligence, highly parallel real-time computation technique and human behavior science. This paper presents the 
implement procedure of simulation for large-sized wooden buildings as well as 3D dynamic assembly of these buildings under the 
3DS MAX environment. The results of computer simulation are also shown in the paper. 
1 INTRODUCTION 
The art of ancient Chinese architecture is the essence of the 
Chinese cultural heritages. It has important significance for the 
studying and learning Chinese culture and civilization. It’s of 
great difficult, however, to learn the complicated structure of 
ancient Chinese architecture due to the lack of reference data 
because of the factors of time and natural or human-made 
disasters. In the project of reconstruction of Zhi-Lian Nnunnery, 
the Tang Dynasty Temple Reproduction, Hongkong, the 
architectural supervisor, Wuhan Technical University of 
Surveying and Mapping, reconstructs the sampled data of the 
building by using a 3D model with a computer, and use it for 
quality checking as well as used for the reference data for 
forever preservation of the building. This will provide accurate, 
objective and detailed line and frame data of the building for the 
studying, maintaining and reconstructing it in the future. It also 
provides a new method for protecting ancient cultural heritages. 
However, though the graphs of line and frame of a building are 
convenient for surveying and mapping, it is not for architects to 
study it profoundly. Computer simulation is a vivid research 
field developed in the 1980's. It combines of several key 
techniques from computer graphics, multi-media technology, 
artificial intelligence, highly parallel real-time computation and 
human behavior science. Computer simulation displays data 
flow on a computer screen, managing these data interactively by 
means of simulated graphs and images, so as to provide the end 
users a virtual realistic experience in order to provide 
convenient way for observing and studying macro- world and 
micro-world which are impossible for direct observation due to 
various of influences. If this technique is combined with virtual 
simulation technology, creating various layers and virtual 
models rich of details, then it is convenient to common users to 
see the structure layers and interior feature of the building. This 
is also useful to archaic culture experts, ancient architects and 
construction engineers to locally or globally observe, analyze 
and study the building upon a computer. For instance, the 
re-occurring of how the pillars, horizontal tablets, square wood 
that connects two pillars, DOU , GONG, FU, ANG, QI, LIANG 
(all in Chinese Pinyin), etc. are connected by mortises and 
tenons, and then mounted them to setup palaces, great halls, 
mansions, pavilions and pagodas will provide intuitive materials 
to study ancient buildings! !]. If the computer simulated 
re-occurring procedure is coordinated with dynamic simulation 
and commentary, music, then the explanation of the 
characteristics of ancient Chinese architecture will be not only 
visually but also in an entertainment environment. This paper 
studies wood texture simulation and dynamically virtual 
simulation and provides our primary results. 
After carefully learning the structure of ancient buildings, 
knowing the order and regulations for mounting a building, we 
employ AUTOCADI2.0, 3DS MAX and OpenGL as the basic 
tools for the simulation process. A series of small programs 
have been developed to implement this study. 
20THE MAKING PROCESS 
Collection of original data — Making of separate parts of the 
building — Combination of part structure drawings — 
Combination of the whole building. 
2.1 Collection of Original Data 
There are four methods of collection required by different 
practical conditions. 
2.1.1 On the practically measure. The original data of the 
example of Pagoda of Thousands of Buddha is obtained by 
measuring the actual parts of the building. 
2.1.2 Making of 3D drawings based on plane figure. Under the 
condition that no processed actual part has been made, the 2d 
data can be transformed into 3d data according to the design 
drawings. 
2.1.3 Obtaining 3D data of parts with complex surface by 
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