Oct. 31, 1997 Contact Pauline Austin (541) 346-3129 EUGENE--A researcher who is making it possible for designers to manipulate architectural forms and images with the wave of a hand will speak at the University of Oregon Monday, Nov. 3. The technique allows designers to interact with the computer in a more natural way, says Dirk Donath, a pioneer in the use of virtual reality-aided design to support the early stages of architectural design. Donath will deliver a free public lecture entitled "Virtual Reality-Aided Design for the Architectural Design" at 7:30 p.m. in Room 177, Lawrence Hall, 1190 Franklin Blvd. Donath is head of the Computers in Architecture and Town Planning Department at the Bauhaus University in Weimar, Germany. His research group has developed a sketching and space definition program that can translate hand gestures into computer data. During the lecture, Donath will show videos of how virtual reality-aided design works and will explain how his research is making it possible for designers to work with the computer in a more natural way. The software will revolutionize the cumbersome software that designers now use to draw computer-aided images. Through hand movements, Donath's students can draw life-size forms in real three-dimensional space on a custom virtual reality platform. An interdisciplinary group from computer science, architecture, product design and psychology developed the software. Donath also works as a private consultant on housing design, town planning and computerization. His research includes an object-oriented approach to building surveying, a technique that is more direct and robust than currently used techniques. He has contributed to numerous international conferences on architectural virtual reality. For more information on the talk, call the UO Department of Architecture at (541) 346-3656. -30- #P-6022/Local