3D experiences to enhance engagement with cultural heritage collections

This presentation will discuss the opportunities created by the availability of 3D game technologies and research towards enhancing the engagement of diverse audiences with cultural heritage collections. This type of application offers the ability to engage user with content which, while being visually interesting, also contributes to develop the user’s awareness for other cultures either at the same or different place and/or time periods. Thus, it can lead to a more impactful role for the gaming experience within the group of users who it reaches.
The paper will cover the area of 3D technologies which involve technologies such as 3D digitisation, visual analysis, Virtual Reality (VR) and 3D printing of heritage artefacts. These have become popular due to reasons which are mostly related to the technology becoming more accurate, cheaper and easier to use. Following this trend, the CH sector has been an important field to test technologies for a variety of purposes with respect to managing cultural heritage assets (e.g. conservation, exhibition planning and visitor interpretation support).
The presentation will present recent developments in this area by using an interdisciplinary approach in collaboration between heritage organisations, communities, artists and technical experts. The presentation will demonstrate that 3D technologies which are traditionally used by the gaming also have an important role for heritage institutions to involve wider audiences in the interpretation of the artefacts and their contexts.