Ultimately designers aim is to achieve an integrated environment where - during the design process, including the early stages – the designer can generate a three-dimensional geometrical design, set up inter-related analysis and optimisation routines and receive meaningful feedback in realtime.
The movie below by ARUP is slightly 'dry' but it is worth a look as the concept is actually quite innovative:
3D Urbanism: multidisciplinary Realtime quantitative simulation from alvise on Vimeo.
3D Urbanism is a research project from ARUP aiming at bringing discreet quantitative analytical solutions (urban design, moving vehicles, moving people, acoustics, lighting and climate) into a unified Realtime interactive environment to demonstrate performance based design to designer, client and city planner....