As computational capabilities in real-time Computer Graphics have continued their relentless advance in recent years and as prices for 3D data capture and modeling have been greatly reduced, many new tools for interactive visualization have become available. This round table will explore the latest applications of interactive and real-time 3D graphics technology across the spectrum of cultural heritage applications, including modeling of intricate objects such as sculpture, conversion of 3D environmental models to virtual worlds, serious gaming, remote and web rendering, and augmented reality simulations.
We will highlight the work of IDIA Lab (John Fillwalk, Ball State, USA), the Virtual World Heritage Laboratory (Bernie Frischer, University of Virginia, USA), the Center for Digital Initiatives (Alyson Gill and Kim Dylla, Arkansas State University, USA), the Experiential Technologies Center (Chris Johanson, UCLA, USA), and Gunnar Liestøl (University of Oslo, Norway). Frischer and Fillwalk will discuss their collaboration on creating a virtual world of Hadrian's Villa, the World Heritage Site near Tivoli, Italy. The project is based on a scientific 3D model of the villa authored in 3D Studio Max and converted to Unity 3D, a virtual world platform. The purpose of the virtual world is to test recent scholarly theories about the utilitas of the villa proposed in two recent monographs by Chiappetta and Ytterberg. Frischer will also discuss his work using Autodesk's freeware Photo Scene Editor for 3D data capture of sculpture. Gill and Dylla will illustrate the use of non-playing characters in Unity 3D in the virtual heritage site, the Lakeport Plantation, as well as a few other American Heritage visualization projects in virtual environments such as Second Life, including a reconstruction of the boyhood home of Johnny Cash. Liestøl will discuss his work involving iPhone applications for augmented reality solutions for on-site observation of Viking archaeology sites, and Johanson will discuss recent work in the "Humanities Virtual Worlds Consortium." The roundtable will also include other colleagues from across North America and Europe whose work involves real-time walkthroughs of archaeological sites, or remote rendering online simulations.
The aim of this roundtable is to provide a forum in which to both showcase existing uses of this technology in the realms of archaeology and cultural heritage, as well as to brainstorm about possible collaborations and advancements in the way that interactive visualizations further the exploration of and access to projects of this nature.
