The Limits of Realism in Architectural Visualisation (original) (raw)
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2017
Virtual heritage is a modern technological application that aims to transfer the experience of historic buildings, urban spaces and cities into an engaging experience of real-life quality for the ordinary people. Computer-simulated environments can simulate physical presence in places in the real world offering digital display of lost heritage that conveys inherent values in the education process for students in both pre-university as well as graduate education. For architecture and archaeological students, in particular, it virtually transfers them to another world where they engage with architectonics and quality of architecture. For conservators, historians and archaeologists, it helps develop a rich library and digital archive of details, information and data necessary in restoring historical sites, as well as heritage preservation where the 3D virtual models contain accurate data and help for restoration. This paper reports on recently completed research project on the developm...
Visualising Architecture: The Experience of Creating Virtual Reconstructions
Virtual reality applications in archaeology are growing. Virtual reconstruction of architecture and artifacts is one such application. After a period of initial exploration and development, scholars know recognize the need for transparency of the processes by which virtual reconstructions are created. Several key factors of virtual reconstructions should be transparent. These include: contextual information, problem and resolution pairs, sources, instances of conjecture, levels of uncertainty, and alternative options for reconstruction. This project takes up the challenge of creating a system to document transparency information. A case study concerning the ancient Maya site of Xunantunich is utilised to apply the proposed ‘Paradata Documentation’ scheme. Above all, this project explores the experiential value of the process of creating virtual reconstructions and the added value transparency can impart to virtual archaeology as a growing sub-discipline.
Beyond Visualization: Spatial Presence and Virtual Heritage
2018
Beginning with the hypothesis that cultural heritage embodies both tangible and intangible values in its definition; this thesis proposes that if we are to truly experience heritage through virtual means, both sets of values must be incorporated into the experience. The project presented in this paper exists in the intersection of three fields of study: cultural heritage, virtual reality, and video games. Virtual reality technology has allowed us the opportunity to accurately visualize the physical characteristics of a space around us, with the emphasis residing primarily on the visual and sensory experience. Immersive video games place emphasis on a user's cognitive or emotional experience in virtual space by creating relationships and building value systems within the game worlds. Through the sensory stimuli of the former, and the cognitive and emotional stimuli of the latter, a combined methodology is proposed to create a fully immersive virtual environment that allows a user the opportunity to experience the intangible emotional and cognitive values of architectural heritage in addition to the already well-established tangible spatial experiences achieved by virtual reality. This thesis begins with establishing a definition of cultural heritage and a critical analysis of existing technologies and methodologies used in its representation through virtual heritage. It is then followed by a discussion of the video game industry, and how it addresses the elements lacking in the previous analysis, with emphasis on intangible cognitive experiences. Finally, a characteristic framework that merges the successes of both industry methodologies is proposed to demonstrate the possibilities of experiencing iii the intangible values of heritage, using the Carbide Willson Mill ruins site in Gatineau Park as a project example. I would like to thank my advisor, Dr. Stephen Fai, for his invaluable support and guidance, not only throughout this project but also through my educational career at Carleton University. I would also like to extend my thanks to the Carleton Immersive Media Studio Lab. v
2010
The title of this paper is an adaptation of Ian Hodder’s notion that interpretation starts ‘at the trowel’s edge’ (1997), as excavations should be active, reflexive and multivocal practices, during which interpretation takes place as an inextricable part of our research. The process of interpretation is a complicated issue. It has engrossed most practitioners, and is closely related to the conceptualisation of the past as reflecting contemporary social and cultural experiences through the scrutiny of cultural heritage remains. Archaeological remains are under appreciated, as they can be accessed only by specialised audiences, and any finds are presented by means of conventional illustrations and comprehensive list of artefacts. Even the most common recording method in archaeology, i.e. fieldnotes, and the subsequent site reports, have been criticised (Hodder 1989) for their distance and impersonality, as well as their attempt to demonstrate objectivity by establishing rigorous classifications and complex terminologies. For that reason, different forms of media have been used in the interpretive processes, not only in scientific research, but also for providing varied levels of engagement with the archaeological datasets by the public. The advent of computer applications in archaeology and cultural heritage over the last twenty years has transformed both the way we do archaeology and our understanding of fundamental words, such as artefact, heritage and interpretation (Cameron & Kenderdine 2007: 1-3). Although these technologies tried to overcome the issues discussed above, as they were rapidly evolving they created a trend, usually leading to the application of these tools for the sake of it, in order to demonstrate their powerful capabilities, and were not being driven by any scientific considerations (Gillings 2005, Goodrick & Earl 2004, Richards 1998: 341). Virtual constructions have been constantly used in various forms, such as virtual and augmented reality, for the interpretation of cultural heritage in museums and institutions, but they have also been employed to illustrate journals, and even externalise our reasoning in academic books. The high visual stimulus that virtual constructions usually provide is a useful way to attract visitors to museums, archaeological sites or other heritage institutions. They also allow archaeological knowledge to be communicated and interpreted more effectively. In addition, online platforms have been used to make archaeological knowledge approachable to the public, by incorporating multimedia, simplified versions of field notes and self-explanatory images. On the other hand, novices in the field of digital methodologies are not aware of the potential of virtual constructions in investigating and interpreting archaeological data. This means that digitally constructed versions of the past can be effectively employed as a means of formal spatial analysis in the reasoning process of archaeological scientific research. It can be used to investigate multifaceted issues, which cannot be approached by any conventional means used in archaeology, such as architectural drawings and photography. This paper examines how the interpretation of archaeological remains, and consequently cultural heritage, can be facilitated by the use of computer methodologies, and argues that these applications should be considered one of the most promising ways to approach incomplete, abstract and ambiguous archaeological evidence. They create unique perspectives and new theoretical visions, advancing the construction of disciplinary knowledge, while making the audience extract meaning from the information being visualised, and making difficult-to-understand or abstract concepts more comprehensible. In order to examine this potential we use as a case study a Minoan site in Greece.
2018
In 1986, a group of Spanish architects decided to physically recreate an icon of modernist architecture. Mies van der Rohe's German pavilion for the Barcelona World Expo of 1929 was at the cutting edge of spatial and structural innovation but its influence was limited to what we understand through drawings, photographs, limited film footage and historical interpretations. We can now physically visit the pavilion and experience it but what of all the other pavilions by famous (and less famous) architects that are no more? It would be costly and time consuming to physically rebuild all of them, however virtual reality (VR) technologies and human computer interaction (HCI) methods can bring them back to life. International expo pavilions are temporary structures designed to be at the cutting edge of structural and material technology but what makes them unique and inspirational is seldom preserved directly, their architectural insights, experiential richness and cultural significance are easily lost. This paper asks: How might immersive digital experiences of space help us to recapture 'authentic' experiences of history and place? What implications does this have for architectural history, heritage and conservation?
Archeologia e Calcolatori ; 12: 221-244.
In this paper, a general framework for using Virtual Reality techniques in the domain of Archaeological Visualisation is presented. It is argued that "visualising" is not the same as "seeing", but is an inferential process to understand reality. A definition of Enhanced Reality is also presented, and how visual models can be used in order to obtain additional information about the dynamic nature of historical processes and archaeological data.