Paper short abstract:

An outline of a PhD project currently being run at Kingston University. This project is a technical evaluation of the software available to allow visitors at Fishbourne Palace Museum to interactively explore a virtual representation of the historic buildings. This software is broadly divided into three areas; GIS, 3D Graphics, and Game Engines.

Paper long abstract:

3D visualisation of archaeological artefacts, buildings, and monuments, using varied tools such as GIS and graphics software such as 3DSMax, has been used successfully over recent years to both inform and entertain the public. In addition to this, the possibility of using gaming software to do a similar job has generated significant interest in the field. This project will explore these various technologies' abilities to enhance the museum visitor experience, specifically that of Fishbourne Palace Museum.

This project mainly comprises of a technical evaluation of the software available which will allow visitors to interactively explore a virtual representation of the historic buildings as well as their internal and external areas. This software is broadly divided into three areas; GIS, 3D Graphics, and Game Engines.

The outcome will be a package of interactive and non-interactive displays for use at Fishbourne Museum. While it's impossible to say at this stage exactly what this package will contain, it is hoped that these displays will effectively communicate the history of Fishbourne at a variety of scales (Fishbourne's place in the Roman Empire, Roman Britain, local landscape and finally, the buildings themselves). It is also hoped that these displays will also show Fishbourne's development through the passage of time, particularly that of the buildings themselves, showing how rooms have been altered over time.