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INTRODUCTION – AIMS
AND OBJECTIVES OF THE PROJECT
At present most archaeological and architectural
projects which aim to reconstruct buildings and sites using digital
media place an overwhelming emphasis on the final presentation
of their models. As a result the developmental stages are rarely
made available to the public and fellow researchers.
For these reconstructions to work as efficient
mechanisms for true knowledge transfer any decisions which have
been made during the design and construction stages of the project
have to be made explicit.
The objective of this project is to house the
process of creation within the VLE (Virtual Learning Environment)
to allow users to develop a fuller understanding of its creation
and development over time.
In order to effectively provide the reasoning
that leads from the ruins to a set of ground plans and elevations
to the final reconstructed VR model, many types of rich media
will be employed. These include the original CAD files, drawings,
photographs, texts, images, streaming video, QT panoramas and
3D models at various stages of significant evolution.
The user will have the opportunity to trace the
earlier scholarly work, the building phase represented in the
model, the debates surrounding the reconstruction and the reasons
why they were resolved in the way shown in the model.
THE ADVANTAGES OF USING VR TO DISSEMINATE HERITAGE
DATA
The areas of Humanities research which can benefit
from the implementation of virtual reality are those that require
greater interactivity in the learning process. A well designed
virtual environment should allow the users to regularly ask their
own questions while analysing the associations between pieces
of information, rather than just isolated facts. Therefore the
issues of what information should be presented and in what way
are essential.
Arguably any application of this technology can
only be justified if the user is able to interact with the object
in ways which would not previously have been possible either on
site or via traditional print media. This alternative form of
interaction should significantly alter the user’s relationship
with the object.
The main advantage of using virtual reality as
a medium for disseminating the information contained within the
learning package is that it allows a wide range of users with
differing levels of computer ability, multiple forms of access.
In order to realise the potential of Virtual Reality
it is necessary to appreciate the power it provides over other
visualisation tools:
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The virtual environment promotes opportunities
for the exploration, alteration and manipulation of complex
data sets.
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Virtual reality allows the user to compare
and contrast objects from a variety of disparate sources
within a unified environment.
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Virtual reality can create a representation
of the original context for objects and structures which
have been removed from their context.
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The virtual model implies an association
of information with space. VR can recreate and reanimate
culturally determined points of view which are essential
for a more complete understanding of any structure’s
meaning.
- Virtual reality can provide a multiple point of view of
the same object at different times or at different levels
of conceptual analysis.
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The virtual reconstruction can also provide
answers to questions of the relevancy of data and highlight
discrepancies or inconsistencies in existing data.
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