Spreading of the cultural heritage by means of multi-configurable, low cost virtual reality techniques

Abstract

In the last few years, computer graphics techniques have been applied to preserve and promote the cultural heritage. In this first steps the bottleneck of these applications developed was the price of the hardware that limited the use of these tools to museums or exhibition rooms. Nevertheless, the fast increase of graphic capacity of the computers allows the development of high -quality complex applications which can be visualized in personal computers. This is completed by multidisciplinary research groups that focus their efforts on the most relevant aspect of the learning and presence sense in virtual environments. In this paper, an application of V.R. techniques to the promotion of heritage patrimony bases, in a PC platform, is presented. Focus has been put into high screen quality, multiple screen, multi-user, stereoscopic image, 3D sound and multisensorial environments as well as the high transportability, scalability and low price aiming at a quite widespread use of this hardware. The virtual reality application developed shows the old part of Santiago de Compostela, European City of Culture for the year 2000. The model of t he city is complex enough to prove that it is possible to use PC´s as visualization engine, over high quality and complex models.