Apart from the obvious marketing benefits, the main commercial impetus for Paperspace related to helping sales outlets to avoid the expense of leasing large retail floor spaces. Many of the large European DIY outlets are unable to offer sales space for every wallpaper product offered.

An initial selection of computer-generated rooms, both domestic (eg. lounge, bedroom) and commercial (eg. reception, office) were modelled using proprietary packages. In order to improve the visual realism of these models, each was processed using a radiosity program designed to simulate lighting effects by rendering room surfaces according to a physical model of how artificial and ambient light is reflected and absorbed in that room.

When users first interact with the Paperspace system using a touchscreen display, integrated within Imperial’s Gallery class of merchandise display unit, they are presented with a visual “drop-down” menu that allows them to select the virtual room closest to that they wish to decorate in real life. They are then led carefully through a series of design steps, beginning with preferred wall style – plain, wall plus ceiling border, wall plus ceiling border plus dado rail, and so on. Once a wall style has been chosen, the user is prompted to select one of many virtual (CD-hosted) wallpaper “catalogues”. On selecting a catalogue, samples are displayed within the drop-down menu, as is a simple schematic showing the selected wall style.

The user is then free to experiment with applying a variety of wallpapers and borders. They are also given a facility to choose a floor finish close to that in their own real setting. At all stages of the design process, the user can “explore” their virtual room simply by moving the mouse cursor over one of the forward-backward / left-right movement icons available in the centre of the screen.