The “3D furniture search” mobile application enables search and retrieval of furniture using a smart phone running android operation system. The user can enter multiple types of queries such as text, images, sketches, location information, colour, price, etc. The search and retrieval tasks involve the discovery of furniture items, based on the similarity and/or relevance of the articles, with respect to the shape, the colour and the texture. The application runs on phones with Android version 2.2 or greater. Internet connectivity is required. The available content contains:
particular article of the furniture industry (e.g. a chair, desk, container, cupboards, wardrobes, bed and what else is imaginable);
special interior or features of an article (e.g. rolls, handles, stackable, adjustment equipment);
special kind of design (e.g. color, upholstery, materials, inlay)
The following modalities can be used as queries:
A textual description; this refers to free keywords, such as words, phrases, letters, numeric values etc., expressing the furniture that the user wants to discover.
2D images; they refer to photos captured from cameras, images or renderings of 3D models, etc., which bear similarities or relevance to the furniture items that the user wants to discover.
Hand-drawn sketches; these refer to sketches that the user can draw in order to express specific parts of the furniture that he/she wants to discover.
Real world information; this refers to geographical and temporal features, such as the location of the user, the time that the furniture was built, etc.
User preferences; this is supplementary information representing exact user preferences with respect to the (abstract) colour/mood (i.e. light, dark, pastel, etc.), the furniture style (i.e. art deco, modern, classic, etc.), the furniture material (i.e. leather, velvet, plastic, etc.), the cost of the furniture, the furniture classification (i.e. chair, desk, lamp, etc.) or the intended usage (i.e. conferences, archive, reception, etc.)