medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture
We should also thank Danny Michaels who works at Ligouri Press outside of
Saint Louis, Missouri, who was involved in this project from the beginning.
I believe that only these two places are involved in this project, though I
hear other cathedrals/basilicas in Europe are interested in developing a
virtual tour for their sacred places. What a resource this will be for all
of us!
Steve
Steven J. McMichael, OFM Conv.
Theology Department
University of Saint Thomas
Saint Paul, MN USA
_____
From: George FERZOCO [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
Sent: Thu 2/1/2007 4:56 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: [M-R] Virtual Tour of 13th-Century Basilica
medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture
Thanks to Tom for sharing this information. I can't wait to use this
resource (and the one that will be out soon for York Minster), and I
wonder if other Cd-ROMs exist for other medieval sites -- anyone know?
We should all be grateful to Jay Hammond and Jim Ginther for such
exciting work.
George
--
George FERZOCO
[log in to unmask]
On 29 Jan 2007, at 15:07, Thomas Izbicki wrote:
> Theologians Use Video Game Technology to Create Virtual Tour of 13th
> Century Basilica
> Users can fly around structure and see famed frescoes up close
>
> ST. LOUIS -- Using technology typically associated with video games,
> two Saint Louis University theologians have created an interactive,
> three-dimensional tour of one of Europe's most important churches.
>
> Theology professors Jay Hammond, Ph.D., and James Ginther, Ph.D.,
> spent more than a year building the virtual version of Italy's
> landmark Basilica of Saint Francis of Assisi. Located two hours
> northeast of Rome in Assisi, the basilica is the third-largest
> pilgrimage site in the world, drawing more than 5 million visitors
> annually.
>
> Their three-dimensional model permits virtual tour-goers to walk
> nearly everywhere in the upper basilica, and even fly up close to the
> church's famed frescoes and beautiful stained glass windows.
>
> That's in stark contrast to most other virtual tours of historic
> buildings, which rely on 360-degree panoramas and offer limited
> interactivity. While some other projects have been equally advanced,
> the SLU professors' tour is one of the first to run on your home
> computer.
>
> "That's why we chose a game engine to build our model," Ginther said.
> "We wanted to ensure that the virtual basilica would run on the
> average PC, not just expensive computers that only universities can
> afford. Preservation has no meaning unless there is access."
>
> The virtual basilica uses controls and functions similar to the
> popular video games, such as "Quake" and "Doom," sans the fighting of
> course.
>
> "We're both educators, and we wanted this project to connect with
> young people," Hammond said.
>
> Based on laser-accurate measurements of the basilica, the virtual tour
> was built with approximately 4,000 photographs, all taken prior to a
> 1997 earthquake that blew out two sides of the basilica. Because the
> basilica's leaders do not replace artwork that has been destroyed, the
> disc offers a version of the church that cannot be seen today,
> including frescoes that are forever lost.
>
> The virtual tour is available on the newly released CD-ROM, "The
> Virtual Basilica of Saint Francis of Assisi," through the Institute of
> Digital Theology, a non-profit foundation affiliated with Saint Louis
> University. Proceeds will fund research, similar digital projects and
> student scholarships.
>
> The CD-ROM also features maps of the basilica as well as guides for
> the frescoes, which were painted by some of the leading artists of the
> day. Users can click on any fresco to read about its historical and
> religious significance. All told, the tour features 175 links for
> additional information and a 35,000-word text. There also is an
> animated friar for scale.
>
> The CD-ROM is designed for Windows 2000/NT/XP. It is available for
> purchase on the institute's Web site, www.digitaltheology.org and
> Amazon.
>
> With the upper level of the basilica complete, the SLU professors will
> create similar virtual tours of the lower church, crypt and exterior
> gardens. In June, the duo will break ground on another major project:
> a virtual tour of York Minster in York, England, the largest Gothic
> church in northern Europe.
>
> The Institute of Digital Theology is a registered non-profit
> foundation, affiliated with Saint Louis University. Its mission is to
> support research and teaching in theological studies and related
> humanities disciplines through the creation of multimedia projects,
> Web-based databases and other electronic resources. Housed in the
> University's department of theological studies, the institute focuses
> primarily on the preservation of historical artifacts and texts that
> have significant religious or theological meaning.
>
> Saint Louis University is a Jesuit, Catholic university ranked among
> the top research institutions in the nation. The University fosters
> the intellectual and character development of more than 12,000
> students on campuses in St. Louis and Madrid, Spain. Founded in 1818,
> it is the oldest university west of the Mississippi and the second
> oldest Jesuit university in the United States. Through teaching,
> research, health care and community service, Saint Louis University is
> the place where knowledge touches lives. Learn more about SLU at
> www.slu.edu.
>
> ###
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