Responsive Procedural Morphologies Adapting to Environmental Factors in XR

Abstract

This study presents an XR-based framework for generating responsive procedural morphologies that dynamically adapt to environmental factors such as wind and light. While environmental responsiveness has been extensively explored in computational design, its integration within immersive XR environments remains underdeveloped. This research addresses this gap by developing a system that combines procedural content generation (PCG) techniques with real-time environmental simulations. The framework utilizes Perlin noise-based deformations and marching cubes algorithms for mesh generation, implementing wind and light interaction systems that enable immediate environmental feedback. Through a qualitative study involving five participants in structured design scenarios, we investigated how designers engage with environmental responsive design in XR. The analysis, based on semi-structured interviews, observational notes, and think-aloud protocols, revealed three key themes: environmental response understanding, creative process evolution, and interaction experience. Findings demonstrate that participants developed natural gestural patterns for environmental control and exhibited an evolving comprehension of environmental influences on morphology. The study contributes to both theoretical understanding of environmental responsive design in XR and practical implementation of immersive design tools, suggesting that real-time environmental feedback in XR can significantly enhance architectural design processes.