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Virtual Dunhuang Art Cave: A Cave within a CAVE
Author(s) -
Lutz B.,
Weintke M.
Publication year - 1999
Publication title -
computer graphics forum
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.578
H-Index - 120
eISSN - 1467-8659
pISSN - 0167-7055
DOI - 10.1111/1467-8659.00346
Subject(s) - cave , geology , archaeology , computer science , cave painting , computer graphics (images) , geography
Virtual Reality can present historical places in a three‐dimensional and interactive way, giving visitors a photorealistic impression of objects. Not only existing scenarios can be shown, but VR can also be used to rebuild scenarios that were damaged or destroyed a long time ago, giving new life to the cultural heritage. We used Virtual Reality to present the Mogao Grottos in Dunhuang. This cave site is one of the most important cultural and religious places by the ancient Silk Road. The presentation is to give visitors the impression of visiting the cave site and provide information about the caves, paintings and statues in an interesting way. To achieve this, we developed a new, intuitive interaction paradigm, which enables the user to explore the caves. To give observers a photorealistic impression of the caves and to create a feeling of immersion, innovative rendering techniques were integrated. The resulting presentation combines Virtual Reality and archaeology to give tourists a realistic experience of this cave site and to support scientists in their research work.