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Research on Chinese Museum Design based on Virtual Reality

LIU Xia1

QIAO Jiangang2

(1. School of Material Engineering, Taiyuan Institute of Technology, Taiyuan 030008, China

2. School of Civil Engineering, Hebei University of Technology, Tianjin 300131, China;(Email : Liuxiaress@163.com)

Abstract

 In order to display nature and culture heritages to

human being, this paper based on the architectonics,

the principle of environment and space art, light

environment and color design and ecological

architecture, induces Virtual Reality into the display

design in museum. Through analyzing the definitionand the current situation of Virtual Reality applied in

the design of museum, produces to use separately

 HTML text language, QuickTime Virtual Reality

technology, Virtual Reality Modeling Language and

three-dimension softwares to build up information

interface platform, total virtual space environment of

item on display and each model of item on display and

the discussion and studying system platform.

 Eventually concludes the advantages of using virtual

reality in the display design of the museum and points

out a new method to develop modern interior design by

using the technology of Virtual Reality.

1. 

Introduction

As a window to display the civilization of human

 being, Museum takes a very important situation in our

daily life and social life. At the same time, with the

increasing of the demand of culture life and culture

architecture, the Chinese modern museums will

welcome their gold age  [1]. The interior design of the

traditional Museums usually only be considered and

researched from the aspects of architecture, the

 principle of environment and space art, light

environment and color design and ecological

architecture. But with the high technology

development, Virtual Reality will be utilized in thefield of interior design and points out a new view and

direction for the development of the modern museum.

Presently, the great mass of virtual museums

usually use HTML super text language to put all kinds

of materials such as pictures and text into website

which can help the users to inquire relative information

and browse website, such as the Louvre Museum in

France and the Imperial Palace in Taiwan, both of

them realize the display of their work pieces and the

issuance of information by web construction. [2] Second

usual technology of Virtual Reality is QuickTime

Virtual Reality which uses the real photographs to

create a panorama like as Art Museum in American.

But the newest virtual art museum in Berlin uses the

Virtual Reality Modeling Language, through the

collection of the files of 3D geometry, static pictures,

and animate films to realize the effect of reality and

interface.  [3] All of them have a good effect, but untiltoday, in our country, these kinds of technologies still

not be used widely in the museum design, so there still

exist a lot of problems to research .

2.  Virtual Reality

Virtual Reality, at the beginning of 90’s was paid

attention by the researchers of all fields and used and

developed in commercial field. The character of this

kind of technology is that computer produces a sort of

virtual environment which can formed three-dimension

digital model through computer photograph and

 produces a virtual environment by the computer. All ofthem create a real feeling to make users immerse into

this kind of environment which be called as

Immersion. Virtual Reality usually is different with the

model created by CAD system and traditional three-

dimension animation. It is not a static world, is an open

and interface environment which can be monitored and

controlled by users, this kind of character also be

called as Interaction.

In addition, Virtual Reality is not only a

demonstration media, but also a kind of design tool. It

reflects the thought of designer by the form of vision.

Virtual Reality can transform the concept of designer

into a virtual object and environment which usually berealized by traditional sand design model. This third

character of virtual reality-Imagination increases

dramatically the quality and effect of design to provide

a perfect scene by the digital means. [4] 

Just due to above three characters of Virtual Reality,

it also be used in a lot of different fields to improve the

quality and decrease the cost and disadvantages, by the

meanwhile, provides a totally different experience to

users and a huge economic benefit.

2008 International Workshop on Modelling, Simulation and Optimization

978-0-7695-3484-8/08 $25.00 © 2008 IEEE

DOI 10.1109/WMSO.2008.31

372

2008 International Workshop on Modelling, Simulation and Optimization

978-0-7695-3484-8/08 $25.00 © 2008 IEEE

DOI 10.1109/WMSO.2008.31

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3.  The design of virtual museum

The virtual display design of museum is a

translation between concrete space and virtual space in

the process of design and helps each other. Due to the

concrete space in the museum possess unsustainablecharacter, so it stands on a special situation in the

 process of culture transmission and satisfying the

culture demand of the mass. Therefore, the virtual

display design in the museum will base on the

existence of the concrete space, use the virtual reality

technology to simulate the real thing in ancient time,

 but it is not absolutely copy, and it creates a new kind

of museum with abundant imagination and based on

intercross of culture, tradition, history, geology,

anthropology and computer science . Through using

the different technologies of Virtual Reality such as

HTML text language, QuickTime Virtual Reality and

Virtual Reality Modeling Language in different

situation, combining other files to create reality and

interface effect. At the same time, such as picture 1,

 provide audiences perfect routine from the beginning

to obtain information issuance, booking ticket from the

website to experience the virtual space in real museum

space in order to build an interaction museum space.

3.1The construction of virtual display space in

the museum design

We must firstly research the whole view and admire

routine of visitors in order to realize the perfect

construction of virtual display space in the museum

design. Based on the research to visitors from the

information issuance, booking tickets, visiting the

museum and items on the museum and finally

communication between different viewers, the

construction of virtual display space must depend on

three virtual technologies, namely HTML, QuickTime

Virtual Reality and Virtual Reality Modeling

Language, through using the different technologies in

different situations, the visitors can appreciate and

experience the happy provided by Virtual Reality.

3.2The construction of information interaction

platform

The construction of information interaction platform

is easy to be realized comparing with other virtual

reality technology. Using present HTML and the

relative software such as Dreamweaver to build up

static or ASP dynamic information platform based on

interaction web. Through the inserting of pictures,

media and animation and super links, visitors can

inquire quickly the information about the interested

museum and book the tickets.

3.3The construction of virtual space

environment in summarization area of the

items on display

People like to participate and feel the beauty of

display space through the vision, hearing, and feeling

in the river of time. So as most important node, the

summarization area of the items on display takes the

action of transition from one space to another. Virtual

Reality and media technology such as computer image,

robotized control technology, big screen projection,

super thin TV screen and touching screen are used in

the display design to provide a method which can let

 people to experience the real situation. For example,

we can not imagine the age of dinosaur, but through

the searches to literatures and archaeology materials,

we can use three-dimension software such as 3DMAX,

MAYA to simulate the environment characters of the

dinosaur age.  [5]  Or insert some relative pictures and

movies to enrich the space environment. Another

interesting way, through the rebuilding of organism

model and using the immersion system of Virtual

Reality, visitors can use the assistant establishments

like headpiece display to close the vision and hearing

in order to create a kind of illusion living in that age.

The users especially the children can enjoy the

experience that never has been met before to inspiretheir interest to science.

3.4The construction and display of the model

of item on display

Entering into the area of item on display, we can use

three dimension forms such as all kinds of sound, light

Picture1 frame photograph of design

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and electricity to display the characters and visage of

items on display. Because the concrete items

sometimes can not be watched clear, we can use the

media to project them on the wall which avoids the real

items can not be watched from the different angles and

directions.  [6]  At the same time, with necessary

interaction operation and vary media measure like

sound, animation and text etc to performance the

function of items on display and operation. This kind

of way helps the ancient museum to display the items

through the combination of real and virtual digital

museums in the front of the visitors. Virtual display

design is a four dimension compliment to real museum

space which breaks the situation where people only can

look but can not touch it. Touchable vision can provide

a new method to display design of museum, and have a

 better expression which helps visitors have a more

convenience and interesting routine and content.

3.5The construction of communication

platform

After the visitors finish the visiting in the museum,

they will have a lot of thinking and feeling. So they

need a place and platform to communicate. The display

of Britain Telecom Company creates two different

areas “trip” and “talking” in order to satisfy visitors’

communication demand. “Talking “area is a couple of

 buildings with white and transparent surface, both of

them look like two persons talking each other. The

visitors can pass through the two building along the

two-double passageway in where can provide us a

 perfect space to communicate with different corners of

the world. At the end of the trip, the visitors can writethe information such as email, web, and feeling and so

on in the light wall along the buildings to communicate

with other visitors. [7] The key of this kind of display is

its diversity and denseness. Through the visualization,

video and static pictures or the text written on the wall

or exhibition broad, the visitors can realize the

communication.

4.  Conclusion

The technology of Virtual Reality is induced in the

display space of museum extend largely the capability

of information, and the visitors can obtain more

information through the connection between inner and

outside technology of virtual reality to share all kindsof resources and save the space. The capacity of

information in museum not is constrained by the size

of museum and the runoff is increased according to

geometric series. At the same time, the virtual space

has larger freedom from the space environment; the

angle of view of the visitor, path and content, therefore

the virtual reality provides a real psychology

experience to people which can not be finished before.

The utilization of Virtual reality in the museum design

changes the bald, crude and passive situation in real

display and provides a humanization display space.

With the application of the technology of virtual reality

in interior design, it not only enriches the existence

space of human being, but also makes the living more

and more digital and colorful.

References[1]Guo jing, “The Developmental Research of the Chinese

Museum Interior Design”, Jiangnan university, Wuxi, 2006,

 pp. 23-30[2] Liuxiang, “architecture design based on the technology ofvirtual reality”, mechanic industry press,Beijing, 2004,pp.35-46

[3]Wang niancan, Shen wanru, “ enter into virtual art

museum ” ,Taiwan National art university, Taiwan,

2007,pp.106-108

[4] Ruo guoshi,“

the research of display design aboutvirtual bronze culture museum” , art school of Huangshi

science and technology institute,2007,pp.45-50[5] Hu xiaoqiang, “the technology of virtual reality”, Beijing

University of post press, 2005， pp.234-240

[6]Xiong jianxin, Zhilin,“modern interior design”,Wuhan

university of science and technology press,2005, pp.78-82

[7] L I Long, XIAN G Ming2shang , L IU Xian2mei , WAN

G Hui，“ Construction of virtual campus environment and

implement of roam system”， Computer Science and

Engineering College ,Daqing Pet roleum 2003 ,27( 2) :56～

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