The using of the bge to explore

lost worlds

blender and virtual archaeology

Daniel Tejerina Antón

Javier Esclapés Jover

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The “Cova del Barranc del Migdia” is an important prehistoric archaeological site in Southeast Spain, where archaeologists have found several multiple burials with their own grave goods, and an important set of rock paintings.

This site has been declared World Heritage Site by Unesco.

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Northern access

Southern access

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accesibility

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The cave is among the rocks of the mountains and the cave is only reachable by climbing.

The interior of the cave is formed by very narrow galleries

Very few people can visit the site

understanding the site

Prehistoric archaeological sites show more complexity c o m p a r e d t o o t h e r archaeological sites (greek, roman...)

Very few people understand this archaeological site

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Phase I

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Phase II Phase III Phase IV

Virtualization process

3d model generation from

photos using digital photogrammetry

design of a virtual walkthrough with

the bge

executable creation, game testing and web

publishing

photographic documentation

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1.A workstation equipped with digital photogrammetry software (cloud based or not)

2.A High resolution digital camera (previously calibrated)

3.Good quality photos of the object to document

4.Good exposure values (camera in manual mode and tripod to avoid trepidation)

5.Good overlap between each pair of photos

6.Topographic support

Photogrammetry for scientific purposes. What we need

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Photographic documentation3500 photos of the whole archaeological site

This is the most time-consuming phase

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High resolution resulting mesh

axonometric projection

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elevation

plant

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1.Geometry 1.1. obj import 1.2. mesh decimation 1.3. texture and normal baking2. Physics 2.1. Collision bounds3. Movement4. Illumination5.Game Logic6.Menu and help screens7.Music

Blender

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original mesh copy (decimated) mesh

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=

mesh ready to be used in the bge

texture map normal map

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illumination testing

examples of different light sources and parameters

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illumination testing

a spot light parented to the camera was used to illuminate the cave.energy: 1.000; spot shape blend value: 1.000

select your language

valencià castellano english

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Fragment ceràmic / fragmento cerámico / pottery fragment

Fragment de cos de d’un vas ceràmic. Ambdues superfícies allisades.

Decoració pintada en superfície exterior. Atès que ens trobem en un jaciment

amb una funcionalitat religiosa, les restes ceràmiques trobades estan

relacionats amb les ofrenes funeràries que acompanyarien al difunt durant el

seu últim viatge, encara que és possible que també tinguessin un ús

determinat durant el ritual d'inhumació.

Fragmento de cuerpo de un vaso cerámico. Ambas superficies

alisadas. Decoración pintada en superficie exterior. Dado que nos

encontramos en un yacimiento con una funcionalidad religiosa, los restos

cerámicos hallados están relacionados con las ofrendas funerarias que

acompañarían al difunto durante su último viaje, aunque es posible que

también tuvieran un uso determinado durante el ritual de inhumación.

Fragment of a ceramic object. Both surfaces smoothed. Painted

decoration on exterior surface. Since we are in a place with a religious

function, the ceramic remains found are related to funerary offerings to

accompany the deceased during his last trip, although it may also have a

particular use for the burial ritual.

por favor, escoge una opción

la Cova del Barranc del Migdia

paseo virtual

exploración de objetos en 3D

créditos

salir

a few examples of different screens used in the game

select your language

valencià castellano english

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music and sounds were downloaded from freesound (www.freesound.org)

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the splash screen logic

The game logic

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conclusions

Game engines are quickly becoming basic tools for visualization of cultural heritage. It allows users to explore objects and archaeological

sites in a much more interactive way

The particularity of the blender game engine, appart from offering the possibility of performing all phases from modeling or lighting to

animation, is that it allows any amateur user to develop a visualization tool without programming a single line, using only logic bricks.

Students of archeology at the University of Alicante are learning to use this powerful tool to create, quickly and easily, an interactive database

that includes all previously scanned objects and sites.