Proposal

Project Proposal for an online virtual museum

 H.Dip in Creative Multimedia Programming

Background

There are various implementations of the idea of the virtual museum, from the very basic, consisting of thumbnails of artworks which can be enlarged for inspection, to the more elaborate, such as the 3D fashion museum of the designer Valentino. However, there does not appear to be a precedent for cultural organisations to embed a 3D tour of their premises into a website to be accessible online; the closest to this that I have found is the Smithsonian’s offering. This consists of a series of panoramic photographs through which the user can browse a certain area of the museum, or click on an arrow leading them to another area of the museum. This is limited both in the interactivity it offers the user and the sense of an actual 3D tour in which the user feels as if they can step into the museum.

I plan to create a 3D interactive museum showcasing artefacts from an Irish cultural heritage context. The idea is that the user can virtually enter the museum, walk around, and touch the objects, all within the context of the web.  I plan to use 3D Studio Max to create the objects and WebGL to make them viewable via the web. I have a background in history and art history, and the idea of digital access to cultural heritage has been of interest to me for a long time. I am also very interested in the use of 3D graphics for a wide variety of multimedia products, and I think it is interesting to apply this technology to an area in which it would not be traditionally used. This seems likes an innovative way to make aspects of our cultural heritage more accessible, for example to people who are planning their trip to Ireland and scheduling their itinerary.

Aims of the project

The aim at the end of the project is to have a functioning interactive online space that users can enter via their browser, walk around, and view and touch objects. The user will be able to view 3D replicas of cultural objects, and should be able to manipulate the objects and to find information on them; for example a double-click might open a text-box giving information about the specific object. The user will also be able to access information about objects that may not be easily accessible in the real world. The ultimate aim of the project is to create a useful resource that can be used by the cultural heritage provider as an add-on to their website, thus providing another way for them to make their heritage site more attractive to potential visitors.

Methodology

I aim to research into the use of WebGL in creating 3D animation for the web. There are several examples currently online which it will be useful to study in order to understand what makes for a successful implementation of this kind of application. I am not yet sure how all of these options are to be implemented, so I will have to experiment with that.

It is probable that, in the creation of the project, the 3D models will be created using 3D Studio Max. I will mostly likely have to export the models to Maya and then to Inka3D in order to use WebGL to get it onto the website. It will be necessary to learn to use three new software packages, and WebGL will rely heavily on JavaScript and JavaScript libraries. Inka3D was designed with Maya in mind and therefore has no 3D Studio Max functionality. It may be less time consuming to model in Maya, thus cutting out the need for 3D Studio Max; however, as all of the 3D modelling I have done so far has been in 3D Studio Max it may be a better option just to stick with that.

I will have to learn to use WebGL, which may involve a heavy amount of coding. If this proves too time-consuming other options may have to be considered, such as the use of the Cortona plugin for VRML format 3D files. It may  also be an option to create the models in 3ds Max and export them to a platform in which Javascript can be added to provide interactivity, resulting ultimately in a downloadable application which cannot be viewed in the browser but can be viewed on the user’s own hard drive. I hope this will not be necessary, however, and that creating the web application will not prove an insurmountable challenge.

I will have to get in touch with the heritage site in question to ensure their cooperation with the project. At the moment the plan is to use Lough Gur heritage centre, but as it may be closed at the moment this may not be viable. I have a list of several other heritage sites that may be considered as alternatives.

This project will require constant testing. As WebGL is a technology I have not yet used, I plan to test my ability to implement it successfully by first importing one of my already made 3ds Max designs. This should give me a perspective on the time it takes to do this and the problems that may stem from this approach, with the result that I will have knowledge of this when applying it to my finished product.

Expected outcomes and deliverables

I expect to have a fully working application of a modelled 3D space with several models of artefacts which can be manipulated by the user in order to see different angles of the objects, and to get information on the object and its background. It will have a supporting website from which to view the application so as to avoid the need to download the application to the hard drive.

I will also have a full report on the project, documenting all processes that I have tried, the outcomes, the successes and failures, and how I reached the finished product.