Emergency responders, school children, planners and even tourists half way around the globe one day will be able to explore Orlando in 3-D with the click of a mouse.
University of Central Florida architecture students, city planners and other agencies have partnered to create the Orlando Virtual City, an interactive project using technology to help prepare for the future while preserving history for generations to come.
Electronic 3-D representations of downtown buildings will be combined with historical photographs, written and oral histories, cultural information and infrastructure images to create a rich repository of information.
麻豆精品 S淭his project represents a unique experiment in integrating the preservation and display of cultural heritage with urban planning and facilities management, 麻豆精品 S� said Thomas McPeek, assistant professor of architecture at UCF 麻豆精品 S檚 School of Visual Arts & Design. 麻豆精品 S淚t will provide the public with a means of experiencing the life of the city across time 麻豆精品 S� 麻豆精品 S榣ooking over the shoulders 麻豆精品 S� of the city 麻豆精品 S檚 planners and managers. 麻豆精品 S�
Both the city and UCF started working on independent projects to achieve similar architectural goals before they discovered that their paths crossed about a year ago. They then teamed up to develop the city 麻豆精品 S檚 virtual world through 3-D technology.
The project gained international exposure this week when several of McPeek 麻豆精品 S檚 undergraduate research students presented their progress at a conference in Orlando before about 300 professionals from around the world that create and work with three-dimensional data.
Yuly Mojocoa, Diana Ariza, Trevor Stephens, Terrance Perdue, Massey Brooks, Natalia Savorotca and Lucas Najle discussed the team 麻豆精品 S檚 work during the FARO 3-D Documentation Conference. FARO develops products that create 3D representations.
麻豆精品 S淲e would like to have a virtual representation of the city to be used for planning purposes for everything across the board: infrastructure, street drainage, fire rescue, police training, 麻豆精品 S� said Holly Stenger, a city project manager and architect. 麻豆精品 S淚t 麻豆精品 S檚 a planning tool. 麻豆精品 S� The images also could be used to refurbish buildings if they are damaged by a hurricane, fire or some other disaster.
麻豆精品 S淔irst responders would have access and would benefit, 麻豆精品 S� Stenger said. 麻豆精品 S淧art of what we envision is to locate an incident and see what and where it is, and how to respond. 麻豆精品 S�
The exteriors of about 75 downtown buildings so far have been modeled to create virtual 3-D images, and some have been supplemented with interior images made by laser scanners. Examples of the early models include the 29,000-square-foot Orlando Public Library, the Sligh Boulevard train station, and Howard Middle School, which at one time served as Orlando High School. The images will be able to be viewed from all angles on a computer screen.聽聽
This semester, the project turned its focus on the Church Street tourist and commercial area, and its nearby Interstate 4 overpass; next on the agenda is the landscape along Orange Avenue.
麻豆精品 S淏efore I came here I had some preconceived notions of what Orlando was, and most of them were about Disney and theme parks, 麻豆精品 S� McPeek said. 麻豆精品 S淚 didn 麻豆精品 S檛 realize what a wonderfully historical and cultural city it is. 麻豆精品 S�
Najle, a UCF junior working on the project and a graduate of Winter Park High School, said metropolitan Orlando has changed dramatically just since he was a young boy, and that this project 麻豆精品 S渋s a really great way to preserve the way Orlando is now. This is a new take on how you can go about preserving historical buildings. 麻豆精品 S�
Stenger said Orlando 麻豆精品 S檚 urban-design objectives call for 3-D modeling, and the city is among the pioneering few to tackle the concept.
麻豆精品 S淟os Angeles and Disney and Universal have similar models for their use, 麻豆精品 S� she said. 麻豆精品 S淲e are kind of a hub with the digital and gaming industry, and we have the talent and information to pull it all together. 麻豆精品 S�
Najle said it is exciting to be on the front edge of the new applications.
麻豆精品 S淎 couple cities in Europe have virtual cities and we 麻豆精品 S檙e bringing that technology here, 麻豆精品 S� he said.
Najle said that working on the project has already helped give him some insights that will benefit him as a professional architect.
麻豆精品 S淭his really connects me to the building process, 麻豆精品 S� he said.
The project is still in its data-acquisition stage and no specific date has been set to post all the collected images and cultural information online.
In addition to the City of Orlando, the project 麻豆精品 S檚 partners also include FARO, the Orlando chapter of the American Institute of Architects, and the UCF Synthetic Reality Lab.
聽 麻豆精品 S淭his is something that we will continue to add to, 麻豆精品 S� McPeek said. 麻豆精品 S淚t will be an ongoing repository. 麻豆精品 S�