Virtual Reality in Lomonosov Moscow State University Interdisciplinary Research Illustrated by Moscow Bely Gorod Area Historical Reconstruction Example

Abstract

This article is devoted to numerical optimization of three-dimensional user interface for virtual reconstruction of 16–18th centuries historical Moscow Centre landscape. Archaeological data was used to develop and visualize multiperiod reconstruction. We integrated the virtual reality solution based on the head mounted display and the motion tracking system. Interface elements should be placed near interactive objects (historic buildings). We need to optimize interface’s three-dimensional design to be operable by different sized and shaped users. Uncommon and unpredictable shapes of historic buildings used as restrictions for interface elements placement add more complexity to the optimization task. We chose the sum of user’s hand transition time from one interface element to another as an optimization functional. User’s hands sizes, interactive object’s position deviations, restrictions for interface elements’ placement was used as perturbations. The expected result of our project is the complex dynamic historical information platform, aimed to visualize a historical landscape in various time sections.