Virtual Reality for Cultural Heritage Applications

Many heritage and cultural sites all over the world
are being destroyed or lost to urbanization,
pollution, neglect, and even tourism and the
recognition for the issues of preservation,
restoration, and interpretation of cultural heritage
sites has increased tremendously over the recent
years. Virtual Reality (VR) technology provides for
an important educational tool by offering immersive
and interactive qualities where the user can
virtually enter and explore the digital
reconstructions in real-time while providing a learning-by-doing scenario through innovative
interaction techniques. This book presents a cultural
heritage application utilizing VR technology to
recreate a fully immersive 3D environment of a
complex heritage structure
specific to Singapore. A Chinese calligraphy brush is
introduced as the interface to the VR environment for
navigating and executing commands. A Virtual Tour
Guide also guides the visitors around the heritage
site. By presenting a real-time framework for
creating digital heritage applications, this book
should be especially useful for VR professionals as
well as historians and heritage experts interested in
heritage preservation and restoration.

Autorentext

Meehae Song obtained her Master of Engineering degree fromNanyang Technological University while working as a Researcher atthe Centre for Advanced Media Technology. She is currently aPhD student at the School of Interactive Arts & Technology,Simon Fraser University. For more information on her research,please visit http://www.meehaesong.com.

Klappentext

Many heritage and cultural sites all over the worldare being destroyed or lost to urbanization,pollution, neglect, and even tourism and therecognition for the issues of preservation,restoration, and interpretation of cultural heritagesites has increased tremendously over the recentyears. Virtual Reality (VR) technology provides foran important educational tool by offering immersiveand interactive qualities where the user canvirtually enter and explore the digitalreconstructions in real-time while providing a"learning-by-doing" scenario through innovativeinteraction techniques. This book presents a culturalheritage application utilizing VR technology torecreate a fully immersive 3D environment of acomplex heritage structurespecific to Singapore. A Chinese calligraphy brush isintroduced as the interface to the VR environment fornavigating and executing commands. A Virtual TourGuide also guides the visitors around the heritagesite. By presenting a real-time framework forcreating digital heritage applications, this bookshould be especially useful for VR professionals aswell as historians and heritage experts interested inheritage preservation and restoration.