RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT
posted on 29.11.2024
- behind the scenes -
RESEARCH
the castle of Silves - outside view
unearthed ruins of the Palace - Castle's inside view
multifoil arch replica on ruins' site
On site, this are the remains of a great civilization (from various web sources under cc licensing)
With much respect for history and heritage, the development of the project follows a thorough methodology of research and application of every media & technology available to sustain argumentative visuals. Therefore, we resorted to captures using Geographic Information System (GIS) for terrain, actual buildings, streets and water ways; 3D Scans captured by Drone; research based on cultures of the same era that preserved documentation of the century in focus; research on documented geographical modifications of the terrain and environment due to natural disasters/key historical events and finally: research on other documented sites around Silves ( incl. Portimão, Loulé, Aljezur, Seville, Granada and Cordoba) to fill in the gaps.
First steps of 3D modelling based on the published documents and collected data
There is just so much that documents can bring back and there is just enough to make the scientific path for discovery. The collection of documented archaeological sites was vast in artifacts but limited in descriptive visuals. The amount needed for visual representation and "True Feel" is NEVER enough (we are at least 825 years away), and the ones that survived, are subjected to constant re-evaluation due to new discoveries. So how to solve this?
In the absence of clear definition, historical documents or argumentative discoveries:
We use parallel objects of study, not imagination.
Disclaimer: The goal of this tour is to combine knowledge and entertainment, offering an engaging experience for all participants. We strive to present topics in a way that is accessible and enjoyable, avoiding overly complex or "tedious" ways of presenting knowledge. Just like a Game Designer curates play experiences, we aim to keep the tour balanced and fun. While we prioritize accuracy, we reserve the right to focus on well-supported, validated information and avoid unsubstantiated theories or viewpoints. This tour is not specifically aimed at academic audiences, and as such, the selection of topics is designed with the general public in mind. We maintain flexibility in our approach to ensure that the experience remains both informative and engaging.
DEVELOPMENT
idealistic visuals that illustrate the work behind the screen (AI gen)
The prototype development started in July 2024 with one month due date. The main focus was to reconstruct the most extensively covered archaeological sites: the Palace inside the castle and the Castle Walls (A1 of the map bellow). We mapped other areas of interest for future expansions and Hotspots and included an overlay map that can be toggled ON/OFF (A8) for references to the present.
In future development, we will be crafting interesting sites such as the main Mosque, the public baths, a ship wreck, the Medina & Suburbs, the Markets, the Port and the Shipyard. We are gathering also some famous tales like the "Legend of the Moorish Maiden", popular urban myths and beliefs. The whole city is suitable to virtual hypothetical representation.
With the interior of the palace done, we moved to the castle walls and soon became necessary to build the view from the castle, so we collected the GIS data from which was built the rest of the city and surrounding terrain for an epic view.
infographic map of our project - available satellite elevation data of Silves - satellite color capture of Silves
It was so fascinating to navigate in the palace's interior as it was to fly over the city and see all the surroundings of the castle. We decided to make a player experience that could resemble it by adding the necessary User Interface (UI) and Navigation. At this point it was strategically left aside the possibility for mobile development due to limited time and resources, lack of flexibility for future changes and intense need of testing. Portability will be only addressed when the project reaches destination.
mix of collected data throughout the 3D development of the city
When the terrain was finished, it was time to populate it with architecture, vegetation, rock, and detail. We overlaid a bunch of maps with all the past and actual discoveries of sites to get the clear map of where the streets were. We studied the importance and placement of the vegetation in the river banks, together with the evolution of them. Visually the river would have been way larger and steeper and in specific times even branched out in a thin water-body surrounding the city. All due to the advanced knowledge of this people on how to naturally maintain "their main road": the Arade river.
For the aesthetics and fundamentals of their architecture, there are only a few ruins of it. Some from the Palace, others from suburban areas. This leads to very different results as they were for different classes and purposes. We compiled information about other surrounding or connected cities, to get a variety of generic models in the spectrum, that can be repeated along the terrain.
3D examples of some generic Almohad houses of the 12th century
The detailing phase included some extra powers to blend the art with the technology. Compilation and final build proved to be light, good frame-rate, space for improvement in navigation systems and minor challenges that could easily be overcome with intensive testing. The main challenge was to control the high flux of ideas to include in the project. There is just too much beauty in History that it would take up to 3 years to add it all. We think of it as expansion packs.
captures of the prototype close to the presentation date
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