Virtual Williamsburg
Virtual Williamsburg is a new interactive 3D computer model of Virginia’s capital in 1776. Currently in development, Virtual Williamsburg will show the landscape of this important city on the eve of the American Revolution. Reconstructing Williamsburg virtually involves modeling a range of buildings, from standing 18th-century structures to archaeological sites with no above-ground remains. The digital reconstructions will be situated within a virtual terrain reflecting the ravine-filled topography that has become smoother over time.
The Virtual Williamsburg project began in 2006 with a one-year planning study in which the first building, the Douglass Theatre, was modeled. This playhouse, which stood near the capitol during the third quarter of the eighteenth century, has not been reconstructed so the model is providing the first glimpse of this building in more than 200 years.
In 2008, we began modeling our first neighborhood, “The Revolutionary City,” under a National Leadership Grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services. Encompassing the east end of Duke of Gloucester Street, the Revolutionary City is anchored by one of Williamsburg’s most iconic buildings—the Capitol—and was the heart of the city’s political, social, and business life. This neighborhood will feature five key sites that each tell a different story about the revolutionary people who lived and worked in them. The key buildings, which are being modeled inside and out, are the Second Capitol, the Raleigh Tavern, the Douglass Theater, the Dixon Store (reconstructed today as R. Charlton’s Coffeehouse), and the Public Records Office. In addition, more than twenty-five other buildings in the neighborhood are having their exteriors modeled to complete the backdrop for these revolutionary events. The gallery below, which consists of rendered images of some of the models, shows the current progress. The fully-interactive model will be launched by the end of 2012 and work has already begun on modeling the next site, the Public Armoury, as we continue virtually reconstructing Williamsburg.
Acknowledgments
We are extremely grateful for all of the funding we have received to support the development of Virtual Williamsburg and our 3D modeling efforts:
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