Virtual Reconstruction of Cultural and Historical Monuments of the Middle Volga

Abstract

Abstract Today people use information technologies in every area of their lives; it makes lives more systematic, clear and definite. This phenomenon appears in humanities too, in such sciences like history and social knowledge. Virtual space is developing, which is, certainly, very helpful and it brings every area of life to a new level. Different virtual environments, simulators and educational resources are created. They let people participate, study and train in inaccessible or impossible areas. In this paper we present practical approach of Virtual reconstruction of cultural and historical monuments of the Middle Volga in which we first create landscape, develop key-systems (such as roads and sound filling editors), then create visual content and finish with optimization and implementing produced assets. This project was created to achieve a lot of aims. First of all, we want to contribute in developing of digital history, save and systematize existing culture-historical monuments and information about them, to help form an image of Tatar Republic. Secondly, we want to expand virtual reality use. We want it to be not only an entertainment, but part of education. Our project expects wide audience of people interested in it. It will be helpful for studying history, because men learn history latently, while they are active in the game. So, this is the benefit of virtual reconstructions: users become part of virtual reality and certain world created in it. They try different roles, do different actions they cannot do in reality. In our educational game “Bolgar XIV” user can try a role of a citizen of ancient city; see defunct architecture and typical activity of that time. This game will attract people, who just want to play a game, but at the same time they will enrich their knowledge and images of this particular historic place. This makes virtual environment more of current interest and multifunctional. Creating virtual environment of ancient city of Bolgar help to understand and create our own technique of creating such culture-historical reconstructions.