ArcGIS CityEngine is a commercial
three-dimensional
Three-dimensional space (also: 3D space, 3-space or, rarely, tri-dimensional space) is a geometric setting in which three values (called ''parameters'') are required to determine the position of an element (i.e., point). This is the informal ...
(3D)
model
A model is an informative representation of an object, person or system. The term originally denoted the plans of a building in late 16th-century English, and derived via French and Italian ultimately from Latin ''modulus'', a measure.
Models c ...
ing program developed by
Esri
Esri (; Environmental Systems Research Institute) is an American multinational geographic information system (GIS) software company. It is best known for its ArcGIS products. With a 43% market share, Esri is the world's leading supplier of GIS ...
R&D Center Zurich (formerly Procedural Inc.) and specialises in the generation of 3D
urban environment
An urban area, built-up area or urban agglomeration is a human settlement with a high population density and infrastructure of built environment. Urban areas are created through urbanization and are categorized by urban morphology as cities, t ...
s. Using a
procedural modeling
Procedural modeling is an umbrella term for a number of techniques in computer graphics to create 3D models and textures from sets of rules. L-Systems, fractals, and generative modeling are procedural modeling techniques since they apply algorit ...
approach, it supports the creation of detailed large-scale 3D city models. CityEngine works with architectural object placement and arrangement in the same manner that software like
VUE
Vue or VUE may refer to:
Places
* Vue, Loire-Atlantique, a commune in France
* The Vue, a skyscraper in Charlotte, North Carolina
Arts, entertainment and media
* Vue (band), a rock and roll band from San Francisco, California
* Vue Cinemas, a c ...
manages terrain, ecosystems and atmosphere mapping. Unlike the traditional 3D modeling methodology which uses
Computer-Aided Design (CAD) tools and techniques, CityEngine takes a different approach to shape generation via a rule-based system. It can also use
Geographic Information System (GIS) datasets due to its integration with the wider Esri/ArcGIS platform. Due to this unique feature set, CityEngine has been used in academic research and built environment professions, e.g.,
urban planning
Urban planning, also known as town planning, city planning, regional planning, or rural planning, is a technical and political process that is focused on the development and design of land use and the built environment, including air, water, ...
,
architecture
Architecture is the art and technique of designing and building, as distinguished from the skills associated with construction. It is both the process and the product of sketching, conceiving, planning, designing, and constructing building ...
,
visualization
Visualization or visualisation may refer to:
*Visualization (graphics), the physical or imagining creation of images, diagrams, or animations to communicate a message
* Data visualization, the graphic representation of data
* Information visualiz ...
,
game development
Video game development (or gamedev) is the software development, process of developing a video game. The effort is undertaken by a video game developer, developer, ranging from a single person to an international team dispersed across the globe. ...
,
entertainment
Entertainment is a form of activity that holds the attention and interest of an audience or gives pleasure and delight. It can be an idea or a task, but is more likely to be one of the activities or events that have developed over thousa ...
,
archeology
Archaeology or archeology is the scientific study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of artifacts, architecture, biofacts or ecofacts, sites, and cultural landscap ...
,
military
A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. It is typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with its members identifiable by their distinct ...
and
cultural heritage
Cultural heritage is the heritage of tangible and intangible heritage assets of a group or society that is inherited from past generations. Not all heritages of past generations are "heritage"; rather, heritage is a product of selection by soci ...
. CityEngine can be used within
Building Information Model (BIM) workflows as well as visualizing the data of buildings in a larger urban context, enhancing its working scenario toward real construction projects.
History and releases
Developer
In 2007, Procedural Inc. was founded and separated from
ETH Zurich
(colloquially)
, former_name = eidgenössische polytechnische Schule
, image = ETHZ.JPG
, image_size =
, established =
, type = Public
, budget = CHF 1.896 billion (2021)
, rector = Günther Dissertori
, president = Joël Mesot
, ac ...
, the top-ranking technology university in Switzerland. In the summer of 2011, Procedural Inc. was acquired by
Esri Inc and became
Esri
Esri (; Environmental Systems Research Institute) is an American multinational geographic information system (GIS) software company. It is best known for its ArcGIS products. With a 43% market share, Esri is the world's leading supplier of GIS ...
R&D Center Zurich, continually studying in the fields of
computer graphics
Computer graphics deals with generating images with the aid of computers. Today, computer graphics is a core technology in digital photography, film, video games, cell phone and computer displays, and many specialized applications. A great de ...
,
computer vision
Computer vision is an interdisciplinary scientific field that deals with how computers can gain high-level understanding from digital images or videos. From the perspective of engineering, it seeks to understand and automate tasks that the hum ...
, software engineering, finance, marketing, and business.
Software
ArcGIS CityEngine (renamed from Esri CityEngine in June 2020) was developed at
ETH Zurich
(colloquially)
, former_name = eidgenössische polytechnische Schule
, image = ETHZ.JPG
, image_size =
, established =
, type = Public
, budget = CHF 1.896 billion (2021)
, rector = Günther Dissertori
, president = Joël Mesot
, ac ...
by the original author Pascal Mueller, co-founder and CEO of Procedural Inc. During his
PhD research at ETH Computer Vision Lab, Mueller invented a number of techniques for
procedural modeling
Procedural modeling is an umbrella term for a number of techniques in computer graphics to create 3D models and textures from sets of rules. L-Systems, fractals, and generative modeling are procedural modeling techniques since they apply algorit ...
of 3D architectural content which make up the foundation of CityEngine. Since CityEngine's public debut in the 2001
SIGGRAPH
SIGGRAPH (Special Interest Group on Computer Graphics and Interactive Techniques) is an annual conference on computer graphics (CG) organized by the ACM SIGGRAPH, starting in 1974. The main conference is held in North America; SIGGRAPH Asia ...
conference, additional research papers have contributed to featuring CityEngine. In 2008, the first commercial version of CityEngine was released by the Swiss company Procedural Inc and was used by professionals in
urban planning
Urban planning, also known as town planning, city planning, regional planning, or rural planning, is a technical and political process that is focused on the development and design of land use and the built environment, including air, water, ...
,
architecture
Architecture is the art and technique of designing and building, as distinguished from the skills associated with construction. It is both the process and the product of sketching, conceiving, planning, designing, and constructing building ...
,
visualization
Visualization or visualisation may refer to:
*Visualization (graphics), the physical or imagining creation of images, diagrams, or animations to communicate a message
* Data visualization, the graphic representation of data
* Information visualiz ...
,
game development
Video game development (or gamedev) is the software development, process of developing a video game. The effort is undertaken by a video game developer, developer, ranging from a single person to an international team dispersed across the globe. ...
,
entertainment
Entertainment is a form of activity that holds the attention and interest of an audience or gives pleasure and delight. It can be an idea or a task, but is more likely to be one of the activities or events that have developed over thousa ...
,
GIS
A geographic information system (GIS) is a type of database containing Geographic data and information, geographic data (that is, descriptions of phenomena for which location is relevant), combined with Geographic information system software, sof ...
,
archeology
Archaeology or archeology is the scientific study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of artifacts, architecture, biofacts or ecofacts, sites, and cultural landscap ...
, and
cultural heritage
Cultural heritage is the heritage of tangible and intangible heritage assets of a group or society that is inherited from past generations. Not all heritages of past generations are "heritage"; rather, heritage is a product of selection by soci ...
.
Releases
Licensing & Pricing
There is no longer two versions of ArcGIS CityEngine (Advanced and Basic). Pricing may vary by region and distributors.
Pricing in the USA is around $2,700 per year (USD) and can be found here https://www.esri.com/en-us/store/products/buy/arcgis-cityengine.
UK Prices can be found here https://www.esriuk.com/en-gb/store/products/buy/arcgis-cityengine . For Single Use annual it is currently £2,891 per year (excluding VAT).
Purchasing of CityEngine is via an Esri local distributor, depending on regio
esri.comcan redirect to the distributor based on your browser region. Once purchased you can download and obtain licence details from th
portal.
Features
Procedural Modeling Core (CGA Shape Grammar Language): CGA (
computer generated architecture
A computer is a machine that can be programmed to carry out sequences of arithmetic or logical operations (computation) automatically. Modern digital electronic computers can perform generic sets of operations known as programs. These program ...
) rules allow to control mass, geometry assets, proportions, or texturing of buildings or streets on a citywide scale. (''More details can be seen in the "Procedural Modeling" section.'')
Get Map Data: Users can create a 3D urban environment in few minutes via the download helper; Users can select a target location and import geo-referenced satellite imagery and 3D terrain of that place. If they are available in the
OpenStreetMap
OpenStreetMap (OSM) is a free, open geographic database updated and maintained by a community of volunteers via open collaboration. Contributors collect data from surveys, trace from aerial imagery and also import from other freely licensed g ...
(OSM), the data of street and building footprint can be easily retrieved to build 3D models via default CGA rules.
GIS/CAD Data Support: Support for industry-standard formats such as Esri Shapefile, File Geodatabase and
OpenStreetMap
OpenStreetMap (OSM) is a free, open geographic database updated and maintained by a community of volunteers via open collaboration. Contributors collect data from surveys, trace from aerial imagery and also import from other freely licensed g ...
which allow to import/export any geo-spatial/vector data.
Parametric Modeling Interface: An interface to interactively control specific street or building parameters, such as the height or age (defined by the CGA rules)
Dynamic City Layouts: Interactive design, editing and modification of urban layouts consisting of (curved) streets, blocks and parcels.
Map-Controlled City Modeling: Global control of buildings and street parameters through image maps (for example the building heights or the landuse-mix).
Street Networks Patterns: Street grow tools to design and construct urban layouts.
Support for Industry-Standard 3D Formats: CityEngine supports KMZ, Collada, Autodesk FBX, 3DS, Wavefront OBJ, RenderMan RIB, Alembic, e-on software's Vue, Universal Scene Description USD, Khronos Group GLTF and Unreal Datasmith.
Custom Report Generation: Users can script and generate rule-based reports to show social-economic figures (e.g.,
Gross Floor Area
In architecture, construction, and real estate, floor area, floor space, or floorspace is the area (measured as square feet or square metres) taken up by a building or part of it. The ways of defining "floor area" depend on what factors of the buil ...
(GFA),
Floor Area Ratio
Floor area ratio (FAR) is the ratio of a building's total floor area (gross floor area) to the size of the piece of land upon which it is built. It is often used as one of the regulations in city planning along with the building-to-land ratio. The ...
(FAR)) and to analyze their urban design proposals.
I3S (Scene Layer Package) Export: Models built in CityEngine can be directly exported and then used to create a
WebGL
WebGL (Short for Web Graphics Library) is a JavaScript API for rendering interactive 2D and 3D graphics within any compatible web browser without the use of plug-ins. WebGL is fully integrated with other web standards, allowing GPU-accelera ...
scene in a browser across via ArcGIS Online Scene viewer. I3S is an OGC compliant standard.
3D Web Scene Export: The model built in CityEngine can be directly exported and then used to create a
WebGL
WebGL (Short for Web Graphics Library) is a JavaScript API for rendering interactive 2D and 3D graphics within any compatible web browser without the use of plug-ins. WebGL is fully integrated with other web standards, allowing GPU-accelera ...
scene in a browser. The 3D environment in the web scene can be rotated, explored, compared and commented online by multiple users.
360 VR Experience: The scenarios of urban environments can be used to generate a series of panoramic photos for publishing them online. Users can look around by turning their heads in virtual reality (VR) headsets. (Currently, it only supports Samsung Oculus Gear)
Python Scripting Interface: CityEngine provides ce.py as a built-in library.
Facade Wizard: Rule creator and visual facade authoring tool.
3D Format Support for Game Engines (VR/AR): Now the model built in CityEngine can be directly exported to Unreal Engine, with the loading capacity of tens of millions of polygons and tens of thousands of objects, as well as non-limited material textures. Meanwhile, exporting to Unity3D still requires users to use Autodesk
Maya
Maya may refer to:
Civilizations
* Maya peoples, of southern Mexico and northern Central America
** Maya civilization, the historical civilization of the Maya peoples
** Maya language, the languages of the Maya peoples
* Maya (Ethiopia), a populat ...
as a transfer station.
Available for All Platforms: Available for Windows (64bit only), Mac OS X (64bit), and Linux (32/64bit).
Procedural Modeling
ArcGIS CityEngine uses a
procedural modeling
Procedural modeling is an umbrella term for a number of techniques in computer graphics to create 3D models and textures from sets of rules. L-Systems, fractals, and generative modeling are procedural modeling techniques since they apply algorit ...
approach to automatically generate models through a predefined rule set. The rules are defined through a CGA
shape grammar system enabling the creation of complex parametric models. Users can change or add the shape grammar as much as needed providing room for new designs.
Modeling an urban environment within CityEngine can start out with creating a street network either with the street drawing tool or with data imported from openstreetmap.org or from Esri data formats such as
Shapefiles or
File Geodatabase
File or filing may refer to:
Mechanical tools and processes
* File (tool), a tool used to ''remove'' fine amounts of material from a workpiece
**Filing (metalworking), a material removal process in manufacturing
** Nail file, a tool used to gent ...
. The next step is to subdivide all the lots as many times as specified resulting in a map of lots and streets. By selecting all or some of the lots CityEngine can be instructed to start generating the buildings. Due to the procedural modeling technology, all buildings can be made to vary from one another to achieve an urban aesthetic. At this point the city model can be re-designed and adjusted by changing parameters or the shape grammar itself.
CGA Shape Grammar system can read Esri-Oracle format datasets directly, and it operates as a top-bottom generation tree: it generates complex components from simple Shapefiles polygons/poly-lines/points whereas each branch and leaf of the generation tree cannot interact with others. It is different than mainstream shape grammars like
Grasshopper
Grasshoppers are a group of insects belonging to the suborder Caelifera. They are among what is possibly the most ancient living group of chewing herbivorous insects, dating back to the early Triassic around 250 million years ago.
Grasshopp ...
in
Rhinoceros 3D
Rhinoceros (typically abbreviated Rhino or Rhino3D) is a commercial 3D computer graphics and computer-aided design (CAD) application software that was developed by Robert McNeel & Associates, an American, privately held, and employee-owned com ...
and Dynamo in
Autodesk Revit
Autodesk Revit is a building information modelling software tool for architects, landscape architects, structural engineers, mechanical, electrical, and plumbing (MEP) engineers, designers and contractors. The original software was developed by ...
.
Relevant applications
Traditionally, building a 3D urban environment is very time-consuming resulted from numerous buildings and details of a city. Designers used CAD software to create shapes one by one, and researchers analyzed cities by computing 2D information in GIS (GIS only supports limited 3D shape generation like extrusion.) CityEngine's Procedural Modeling system makes it possible to generate complex 3D models via information massively, bringing a large number of relevant applications. It not only enhances the workflow of urban design/study/planning and merges to a new field of study called Geodesign (means using geospatial information to design a city), but also lowers the threshold of making city environments in game and movie industry.
Geodesign
Discussions on
geodesign Geodesign is a set of concepts and methods used to involve all stakeholders and various professions in collaboratively designing and realizing the optimal solution for spatial challenges in the built and natural environments, utilizing all availabl ...
often mention the use of ArcGIS CityEngine, although it is not an analytical tool like
GIS
A geographic information system (GIS) is a type of database containing Geographic data and information, geographic data (that is, descriptions of phenomena for which location is relevant), combined with Geographic information system software, sof ...
. As a crucial tool to enhance 3D shape generation in ArcGIS, ArcGIS CityEngine is the critical product to improve the applicability of GeoDesign, using geospatial information to design or analyze a city.
Urban design and planning
Garsdale Design were early pioneers of ArcGIS CityEngine in the creation of city master plans in Iraq pre-2013. using it to not just model existing historic areas but also model future plans. Larger companies like
Foster+Partners and
HOK Architects
HOK, formerly Hellmuth, Obata + Kassabaum and legally HOK Group, Inc., is an American design, architecture, engineering, and urban planning firm, founded in 1955.
As of 2018, HOK is the largest U.S.-based architecture-engineering f ...
have also used CityEngine in their sizable urban planning projects. Before using that, it took them numerous work hours on creating interactive visualizations of hundred thousands of buildings. With CityEngine, the designers and clients of projects can communicate via craft fluid, data-rich, and real-time rendered experiences.
Urban studies
Due to its dominant feature in building informative city models, urban researchers are using CityEngine to compare
land-use
Land use involves the management and modification of natural environment or wilderness into built environment such as Human settlement, settlements and semi-natural habitats such as Arable land, arable fields, pastures, and managed Woodland, woo ...
planning schemes, starting from the densest global cities such as Hong Kong and Seoul. When urban designers/planners enjoy the quantitive analyst, environmental scientists also like the instant 3D model generation in CityEngine, leading to more convenient informative research out of the time-consumption on creating a city from each building.
Game development
Triple-A Games require detailed 3D environments to assign interactive scripts, causing CityEngine's participation in the creation of game scene. Currently, game scenes become larger than that of old video games ten years ago. Large sandbox or open-world games such as GTA series or Assassin Creeds series need millions of distinguished 3D buildings in their virtual world. Designing these games with instantly testing and editing can reduce workloads and increase the rationality of a game scene in the gameplay.
Movie industry
''
Zootopia
''Zootopia'' (titled ''Zootropolis'' in various regions) is a 2016 American computer-animated buddy cop action comedy film produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios and released by Walt Disney Pictures. The 55th Disney animated feature film, ...
'', which won the 2016
Academy Award for Best Animated Feature Film, used CityEngine to establish an impressive metropolis where humans don't exist. From giraffes to shrews, animals own diverse scales in the system of transportation, houses, and amenities. To build up a multi-scaling city, the designers used CityEngine due to its rule-based system. Before Zootopia (also known as Zootroplis in countries outside the USA), CityEngine was also used to creat
the Japanese-style city€”San Fransokyo—in ''
Big Hero 6'' .
Military
ArcGIS CityEngine due to its integration with the Esri product suite and its ability to process geospatial data to create 3D scenes/maps is being used within military/defense organisations.
List of Movies and TV Shows CityEngine has been used in
Studios and companies rarely state what software they use in their pipelines, when CityEngine is mentioned as a tool in production it's often in a small reference in a larger article.
* these are movies that have rumoured to have CityEngine usage, but only via one source an Esri employee.
Ports
ArcGIS CityEngine is built on top o
Eclipse IDEand has therefore been built for use on Windows, Mac, and Linux operating systems.
Plugins and Extensions
ArcGIS CityEngine currently works with a number of 3rd Party 3D modelling, rendering and analytical software products via its SDK and API, these currently are:
* ArcGIS CityEngine fo
ArcGIS Urban ArcGIS Urban Suite
* Puma: ArcGIS CityEngine for
Rhino
A rhinoceros (; ; ), commonly abbreviated to rhino, is a member of any of the five extant species (or numerous extinct species) of odd-toed ungulates in the family Rhinocerotidae. (It can also refer to a member of any of the extinct species o ...
* Palladio: ArcGIS CityEngine for
Houdini
Harry Houdini (, born Erik Weisz; March 24, 1874 – October 31, 1926) was a Hungarian-American escape artist, magic man, and stunt performer, noted for his escape acts. His pseudonym is a reference to his spiritual master, French magician ...
* Serlio: ArcGIS CityEngine for
Maya
Maya may refer to:
Civilizations
* Maya peoples, of southern Mexico and northern Central America
** Maya civilization, the historical civilization of the Maya peoples
** Maya language, the languages of the Maya peoples
* Maya (Ethiopia), a populat ...
* PyPRT: ArcGIS CityEngine for
Python
Python may refer to:
Snakes
* Pythonidae, a family of nonvenomous snakes found in Africa, Asia, and Australia
** ''Python'' (genus), a genus of Pythonidae found in Africa and Asia
* Python (mythology), a mythical serpent
Computing
* Python (pro ...
Publications
* ACM Siggraph 2001
Procedural Modeling of Cities- Yoav Parish and Pascal Mueller
* ACM Siggraph 2006:
tp://oenone-v06.ee.ethz.ch/publications/proceedings/eth_biwi_00399.pdf Procedural Modeling of Buildings- Pascal Mueller, Peter Wonka, Simon Haegler, Andreas Ulmer and Luc Van Gool
* ACM Siggraph 2007
Image-based Procedural Modeling of Facades- Pascal Mueller, Gang Zeng, Peter Wonka and Luc Van Gool
* ACM Siggraph 2008
Interactive Procedural Street Modeling- Guoning Chen, Gregory Esch, Peter Wonka, Pascal Mueller and Eugene Zhang
* Eurographics 2009
Interactive Geometric Simulation of 4D Cities- Basil Weber, Pascal Mueller, Peter Wonka and Markus Gross
* Eurographics Symposium VAST 2006
Procedural 3D Reconstruction of Puuc Buildings in Xkipché- Pascal Mueller, Tijl Vereenooghe, Peter Wonka, Iken Paap and Luc Van Gool
* Eurographics Symposium VAST 2007: Populating Ancient Pompeii with Crowds of Virtual Romans - Jonathan Maïm, Simon Haegler, Barbara Yersin, Pascal Mueller, Daniel Thalmann and Luc Van Gool
See also
*
Geodesign Geodesign is a set of concepts and methods used to involve all stakeholders and various professions in collaboratively designing and realizing the optimal solution for spatial challenges in the built and natural environments, utilizing all availabl ...
*
Procedural modeling
Procedural modeling is an umbrella term for a number of techniques in computer graphics to create 3D models and textures from sets of rules. L-Systems, fractals, and generative modeling are procedural modeling techniques since they apply algorit ...
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cityengine
Computer graphics
Esri software
GIS software
Proprietary commercial software for Linux
Urban planning