3D Historical Simulations

1. 3D Historical Simulations Brian Farrimond Ella Pereira

2. What’s it about? • Creating interactive 3D simulations from textual descriptions of historical events

3. What’s it about? • Creating interactive 3D simulations from textual descriptions of historical events • Avoiding need for the creator of the simulations to be proficient in 3D tools

4. What’s it about? • Creating interactive 3D simulations from textual descriptions of historical events • Avoiding need for the creator of the simulations to be proficient in 3D tools • We are developing tools that create: • scenarios • models of the objects the scenarios describe.

5. Where might they be used? • Museum displays • Historical web sites • Education • primary • secondary • university

6. The story so far ... • A prototype 3D visualisation of a World War II sea battle

7. The story so far ... • A prototype 3D visualisation of a World War II sea battle

8. The story so far ... • A prototype 3D visualisation of a World War II sea battle

9. The story so far ... • A prototype 3D visualisation of a World War II sea battle • http://www.tempmod.com/tmap3d

10. The narrative • Extract from the narrative from which the simulation was generated : : : At 06:12 Graf Spee is 12 miles from Exeter on bearing 320. It is on heading 120 at speed 15 knots. [Note: Graf Spee accelerates to attack causing a cloud of dark smoke which is sighted to NW by the British ships.] At 06:14 Exeter turns to heading 340. At 06:16 Exeter turns to heading 270. At 06:17 Graf Spee engages Exeter. At 06:20 Graf Spee turns to heading 090. : :

11. Deductive modelling • The moment by moment movements of the ships are deduced from the narrative using information about the characteristics of the ships such as turning circles. • The gun firing movements of turrets, guns, explosions, smoke, shell splashes etc are deduced from • the phrase “engages” • the characteristics of the guns and turrets (rotation speeds etc) • the movements of the target ships

12. Creating a scenario • A prototype 3D visualisation of Cape Town Harbour in the 19th Century

13. Creating a scenario • A prototype 3D visualisation of Cape Town Harbour in the 19th Century

14. Creating a scenario • A prototype 3D visualisation of Cape Town Harbour in the 19th Century.

15. Creating a scenario • A prototype 3D visualisation of Cape Town Harbour in the 19th Century.

16. Creating a scenario • A prototype 3D visualisation of Cape Town Harbour in the 19th Century. • Scenario Builder demo Cape Town

17. Building the models • Building the objects in the Scenarios • Thing Builder

18. Building the models • Building the objects in the Scenarios • Thing Builder

19. Building the models • Building the objects in the Scenarios • Thing Builder

20. Building the models • Building the objects in the Scenarios • Thing Builder

21. Building the models • Building the objects in the Scenarios • Thing Builder demo

22. Edge Hill Project 1 • Create a viewer for the scenarios • the Builder tools creates viewer input files: • specifying the scene graph and how it changes as the scenario runs • model files (ships, landscape, buildings etc) written in VRML (Virtual Reality Modelling Language) • the viewer: • generates the scenegraph using Python and Panda 3D • changes the scenegraph as time progresses • enables the user to change viewpoints at will

23. Scene Graph Transform node position (tx, ty, tz) rotation (rotx, roty, rotz) scaling (scalex, scaley, scalez)

24. Scene Graph root Transform for location and heading of ship 1 Transform for location and heading of ship 2 Transform for location and heading of turret Transform for location and heading of turret Model of ship hull Model of ship hull Model of turret Model of turret

25. What you will learn? • The agony and ecstasy of developing a full application • useful demo for your job interviews • Using new technologies – any of ... • Panda3D • Python

27. Opportunities • Improve the realism of the visualisation • shadows • weather • sea state • smoke • explosions • bow waves • ship wakes

28. Improving the visualisation HMS Repulse

29. Contacts • Contact Ella Pereira if you are interested in working on this project.