The Guns of Motutapu
[9.10.2006 | New Zealand]
Chris Keenan
The Growing Virtual Heritage projects of New Zealand Virtual heritage is on the move in New Zealand. There have been three large projects initiated over the last 24 months. They include the animated Fort Takapuna project by 4D Canvas, The New Zealand Department of Conservation (DOC) film on historic North Head and "The Guns of Motutapu" film currently under production for the Motutapu Restoration Trust in cooperation with DOC.
The North Head film project was based on a pilot project created by the Auckland based visualization experts, 4D Canvas. DOC became interested in the 3D technology after Chris Keenan, the founder of 4D Canvas, funded a six month project to research and build a 3D model of Fort Takapuna, circa 1895. "Having been very involved in virtual heritage projects for the State of California I developed the Fort Takapuna animation to create interest from the New Zealand Government. This had the desired effect and we have gone on to develop both the North Head film and the current "Guns of Motutapu" project."
DOC historian Sarah Macready and DOC archeologist Dave Veart co-wrote the script and were key to the North Head films success. Sarah is a believer in virtual heritage. "The department was keen to improve the quality of its interpretation, most of which consists of static interpretation panels, and having seen an example of Chris's work (Fort Takapuna and the disappearing guns) recognized the potential of this kind of 3D animated reconstruction in bringing the past to life for visitors. We think the film has been very successful in bringing colour, movement, interest and a far better understanding of what the fort looked like in the 19th century to our interpretation of North Head."
Virtual heritage created an effective "restoration" of these 1890 era forts without disturbing any of the fabric from other periods. This history, includes early Maori settlements as well as WWI, WWII and post war military history. 3D animation was the only viable way to give context to the existing site as it had operated in the 1890's with its unusual configuration of rare disappearing guns. Dave Veart, the DOC archaeologist who also narrated the North Head film, has watched the reactions of hundreds of visitors as they view the film. "The project has been very successful. People varying in age from 8 to 80 have viewed the 16 minute film and the responses have been universally positive. The animated sequences allow us to explain a very difficult cultural landscape more easily and as a result our visitors' experience of the site has been enhanced. Restoration of the forts in the virtual world has also had the effect of allowing us to understand these sites more completely, helping us to manage them more effectively."
The largest current virtual heritage project underway in New Zealand is the short 3D film "The Guns of Motutapu". It is a story about Motutapu Island and New Zealand's most important WWII gun battery at the time of an anticipated Japanese attack. 4D Canvas is making the film for the Motutapu Restoration Trust in cooperation with DOC. It is one of the largest 3D modeling heritage projects of its type in the world and features an intensely detailed simulation of a six inch MK21 Counter Bombardment Battery. One unique aspect of the project is that the Derek Thorburn, one of the actual commanders of the guns during WWII, is acting as a technical advisor to the project. It is allowing the 3D artists to achieve a level of historical accuracy that will not be possible in the future. 4D Canvas has created these projects with interactivity in mind. As the funding becomes available the large task of creating 3D models of large forts can be re-purposed to create multi-user educational games where students hunt for lost artifacts as they move forwards and backwards in time to explore the sites history, geology and ecology. New Zealand may be in a far corner of the globe but it is determined to help raise the visual quality standard of virtual heritage. In fact, with the country's exceptional 3D capability, it expects to attract heritage projects from overseas. The future of virtual heritage projects in New Zealand looks very bright indeed.
Further information: Chris Keenan 4D Canvas tel: 64 9 445 1480 / mob: 64 21 39 3900 email: chris@4dcanvas.com 4D Canvas P.O. Box 32 290, Devonport, Auckland 1309 New Zealand
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