A fully immersive virtual model to explore archaeological sites

In this work we present the methodological approach applied to develop a fully immersive and interactive virtual environment that simulates an archaeological site located in Sao Paulo (Brazil). To create a realistic 3D space, which would be relevant for research through a cyber-archeology exploration, laser scanners and photometry were used for collecting 3D point clouds data from the physical. In consequence, the digital data acquired from these apparatus generated a huge density of point clouds, requiring a many gigabytes computer storage and a research work on design to compact all the information in an user friendly interactive virtual model, but realistic to archaeologists. Also to provide an immersive feeling when exploring the virtual reality we decided to allow the user to navigate through the scene using control devices (keyboard, mouse and joysticks) and a head-mounted display (Oculus Rift) to visualize the aesthetical and spatial elements of the archaeological site as if she/he was really in that place (forms, scales, proportions, perspective, textures, illumination, shadows). In resume, through a sophisticated digital simulation environment, which regards the playful of an electronic game in first-person field of vision, we created a telepresence sense to the user, as well providing archeologists a landscape (and objects) exploration through a non-destructive way.