The analyses available within Depthmap include the original visibility analysis, generation and analysis of axial maps as well as segment analysis. Graph using, for the most part, conventional graph theoretical measures. Of space each analysis starts with a representation of the spatial components, then makes a graph of these components, and finally analyses this Space syntax analyses examine the relationships between components In addition, the most recent version of Depthmap now supplies a range ofĬonfigurational analyses which come under the umbrella term of `space syntax'. Plan of the system, and is able to construct a map of `visually integrated' Depthmap is primarily a computer program to perform visibilityĪnalysis of architectural and urban systems. This document gives an overview of the features available in Depthmap To illustrate how such analysis can be used, I outline methods of partitioning space, covering it with a small number of relatively independent isovists, and perceiving space by recording properties of the isovist fields associated with paths through that space. Although such morphologies can often be understood in terms of basic geometrical elements such as corridors, streets, rooms, and squares, isovist analysis suggests that visual fields have their own form which results from the interaction of geometry and movement. To this end, I present two hypothetical examples based on simple geometries and three real examples based on London's Tate Gallery, Regent Street, and the centre of the English town of Wolverhampton.
I argue that the classification of fields based on these measures must be a prerequisite to the proper analysis of architectural and urban morphologies. I suggest a feasible computational scheme for measuring such fields, and illustrate how we can visualize their spatial and statistical properties by using maps and frequency distributions. I begin with a formal representation of isovists and their fields, introducing simple geometric measures based on distance, area, perimeter, compactness, and convexity. I suggest that our perceptions of moving within such fields might be related to these geometric properties. The space that can be seen from any vantage point is called an isovist and the set of such spaces forms a visual field whose extent defines different isovist fields based on different geometric properties.