- It's 122 years since the
world's fare in Chicago.
We got a full tank of gas,
and we're wearing sunglasses.
Hit it.
(dramatic music)
One of the many cool
applications of virtual reality
is that it lets us visit places and times
that we would never get to see otherwise.
Since we first started thinking
about VR a few decades ago,
this has been a dream.
Over at UCLA there's a group called
The Urban Simulation Team,
which is part of the institute
for digital research and education.
For nearly two decades,
designer Lisa Snyder
has worked within that
department to create
a virtual model of the 1893
World's Columbian Exposition.
She got to show off her
most recent virtual model
in early November, 2015,
in a sold out exhibition
at Chicago's museum
of science and industry.
It was a fitting site for the exhibition.
The museum is the only surviving building
that was created for
the 1893 world's fare.
Snyder's virtual model
allowed visitors to explore the 633 acres
built specifically for the exposition,
including exhibition
halls, grand pavilions,
massive gardens and landscaped waterways.
You can even take a virtual stroll
down rows of shops,
many of which are accurate representations
of what was there 122 years ago.
To build the model, Snyder
and her team have to conduct
a huge amount of research.
They study photographs,
historical records,
and read up on the biographies
of the various architects,
builders, landscapers and civic planners
involved in putting the
world's fare together.
Snyder herself estimates that every hour
spent creating computer models
represents five hours of research.
Snyder's work demonstrates
how VR can give us a new appreciation
for sites that we otherwise
wouldn't be able to see for ourselves.
It's one thing to read about
the layout of the fare,
and another thing to see it for yourself.
Perhaps the history
classrooms of the future
will not be complete
without a few VR headsets.
Snyder's work isn't finished.
She continues to add details
to her virtual simulation
to make it as accurate
to history as possible.
She says that there will
likely be enough information
to keep her busy for the rest of her life,
as she attempts to fill in
those bits of information.
Snyder is also working on
making a generalized interface
for other academics who
want to use 3D modelling
in their work.
Her extensive experience
will help bring other worlds to life.
From historical simulations
to three dimensional representations
of abstract concepts.
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