Title:
CAVE Visualization and Modelling of the Royal Abbey Church of St. Denis
Background:
The History of Architecture Cybercore Project (1997 - 1999) was developed as a supplement to the "Survey of the History of Architecture" course in the College of Architecture and Urban Studies at Virginia Tech. One part of this project was the visual recreation of certain significant works of religious architecture - Cluny Cathedral (destroyed), St. Gall Monastery (theoretical), and St. Denis. So far, only of those models, Cluny, has been viewed in the CAVE.
The Royal Abbey Church of St. Denis is located in St. Denis, France. Designed by Abbot Suger, it's construction began in 1137 A.D. It was designed to be a new type of church, breaking the ornate and massive style of French religious architecture at the period. It featured pointed arches, ribbed vaults, and flying buttresses, designed to create a "lighter", more elegant architectural structure, and is widely recognized as the first Gothic-style structure.
St. Denis is also significant in the history of French monarchy. It was the shrine to the Apostle of France, the consecration site of Charlemagne, and burial site to kings and other royalty. The layout the cathedral, and it's crypts, have been highly surveyed by Dr. Sumner Crosby, of Yale University.
Objectives:
The main objectives of the class project are:
- Using previous Cybercore research, create a new model of St. Denis
- Optimize model for CAVE display
- Develop a multimedia / web and CAVE presentation of St. Denis
Web information will consist of renderings of the model, comparisons of some renderings with images of the existing cathedral, and a video walkthrough of the cathedral.
Tools:
3DStudioViz 3.0, Microstation, CAVE, Quicktime (video walkthrough), Photoshop, Homesite.