Realidade virtual para a visualização e difusão do patrimônio arquitetônico: estudo de métodos e técnicas para a criação de ambientes virtuais interativos 3D

Abstract

This work presents a study on the use, applications and stages of creating three-dimensional Interactive Virtual Environments (3D IVE), related to Virtual Reality (VR), focusing on the process of generating geometric models for the visualization and dissemination of architectural heritage. Based on an extensive literature review and theoretical background, the definitions of the terminology virtual reality and virtual environments are discussed and established, and examples of 3D IVE in the field of built heritage are presented. Then, an overview of the stages of development of a 3D interactive virtual environment is presented, indicating possibilities of methods, techniques and tools for the execution of each stage. An extensive investigation into the generation phase of the geometric models for real-time processing is also described, including the mapping of workflows, theoretical foundation of geometric modelling, approaching different types of geometric models, their characteristics and methods of generating these geometries. Finally, a case study in the Historic Center of Laguna city, in Santa Catarina, is described and discussed for practical experimentation of the proposed 3D IVE development stages and the generation of photorealistic geometric models from a data acquisition with digital photogrammetry. The case study consisted of the partial development of an interactive virtual environment in Unreal Engine 4, testing of several techniques and tools to obtain models in different levels of detail. It is noteworthy that this work contributes to the elucidation of the development of VR applications, the definition of a base workflow for the generation of geometric models of historic buildings for use in 3D IVE and the presentation of possibilities for using and interacting with these models in a game engine.