Humanist Discussion Group, Vol. 15, No. 281.
Centre for Computing in the Humanities, King's College London
<http://www.princeton.edu/~mccarty/humanist/>
<http://www.kcl.ac.uk/humanities/cch/humanist/>
Date: Wed, 03 Oct 2001 09:12:47 +0100
From: "Bonnett, John" <John.Bonnett@nrc.ca>
Subject: Bacon, data and imagination
I am grateful to Franois Lachance for his repeated references to my work,
which uses 3D Modelling Software as an instrument to teach the discipline of
history. Using fire insurance maps and photographs, the 3D Virtual
Buildings Project <http://cfml.iit.nrc.ca/3DVirtualBuildings> strives to
expose students to the problems of evidence commonly faced by historians.
As students translate the information contained in their source material
into information they can use to construct a 3D model, they learn that
evidence often has an imprecise meaning, is subject to misinterpretation,
and contains gaps. The purpose of our exercises is to visually demonstrate
problems common to all forms of historical representation, be it a
monograph, be it an article, or be it a 3D model. In so doing, the purpose
is also to demonstrate to our students the need to approach all historical
forms of representation critically. For subscribers interested in the aims
and history of the project, I would invite them to consult our web site's
project description at:
http://cfml.iit.nrc.ca/3DVirtualBuildings/ProjDesc/Title.html
In his posting Francois raised the question of the project's "exhibition
potential", namely the possibility of creating a web-site devoted to an
inter-institutional display of student work. He and others may be
interested to know that this is one of the goals of the 3D Virtual Buildings
Project. The project began in 1998, and is a joint initiative of the
National Research Council of Canada <http://www.nrc.ca/>, Canada's Digital
Collections <http://collections.ic.gc.ca/>, Canada's SchoolNet
<http://www.schoolnet.ca/>, and the Institute of Canadian Studies
<http://www.uottawa.ca/academic/arts/cdn/> at the University of Ottawa. We
have established a web site containing an array of tutorials designed to
facilitate 3D Model construction and student historical research in
archives. With the assistance of the National Archives of Canada
<http://www.archives.ca/>, we have created a on-line version of its tutorial
Using Archives
<http://cfml.iit.nrc.ca/3DVirtualBuildings/UsingArchives/Title/Title.html>,
which provides an introduction to the basics of conducting archival
research. The materials at present are suitable for upper-level
undergraduate university courses, although in future we will endeavour to
generate materials suitable for high school and entry-level college and
university courses.
We have also provided space on our site for participants to display historic
re-constructions of whatever city they choose to represent. We have
provided a means to demonstrate both highly detailed CAD models, and more
rudimentary representations in VRML. While our materials are on-line, we
will not officially inaugurate the site for another two months until we have
completed our site prototype of a historic urban environment, the business
district of Ottawa, Sparks Street as it existed in 1878. We are also
working on improving the navigability of the site. Individuals looking for
more information are encouraged to contact me at john.bonnett@nrc.ca, or by
phone at 1 (613) 998-3576.
Below are links to the various sections of the site. Comments are welcome.
Individuals wishing to examine the site's 3D models will need to use a
Netscape 4.x browser, and the Cosmo Player VRML plug-in. Viewers will also
need QuickTime VR. (Links to obtain the required software can be accessed
in the Optimal Viewing
<http://cfml.iit.nrc.ca/3DVirtualBuildings/OptView.html> section of our web
site.) Unfortunately, it was not possible to create a site that worked for
all combinations of browsers and plug-ins.
To see the project's various tutorials, including the 3D Modelling Tutorial,
please see:
http://cfml.iit.nrc.ca/3DVirtualBuildings/Tutorial.html
The research tutorial, Using Archives, can be accessed at:
http://cfml.iit.nrc.ca/3DVirtualBuildings/Research/Title.html
To see the site's 3D models, users will need a DSL connection or higher to
the Internet. Users with 56 K modems or lower are encouraged to view
graphic and QuickTime VR representations of the site's models at the URL
below. Unfortunately, we do not yet have written material associated with
the site's models, though material will be provided by the time the site is
launched. Our interface has been constructed, however, to enable the
posting of written work and digitised primary sources in conjunction with
the models via the interface's "Building History" link. Graphic
representations of the site's models can be seen at:
http://cfml.iit.nrc.ca/3DVirtualBuildings/Frame_Historic.html
The site's 3D models can can be accessed at the URL below. On the first
page, select "1878", then select the shaded region of the Ottawa city map.
Users will then see their screen divided into three sections, with a search
engine on the left, a map in the middle, and the site's 3D models on the
right. The search engine enables users to locate the various types of shops
that were located on the street, everything from tobacconists, to tin smith
shops, to barristers. Select a shop, and press the "Go" button. Once the
search engine generates a list, select one of the hits, and the site will
highlight its locale on the 2D map, and the 3D representation on the right.
It will also generate an applet with potential links to essays, historic
documents, source photographs, and Quick Time VR representations of the
structure.
http://cfml.iit.nrc.ca/3DVirtualBuildings/Repository.cfm?ANSWER=Yes
Once again, many thanks to Francois Lachance for his interest and commentary
on the project.
With best wishes,
John Bonnett
PhD Candidate
Department of History, University of Ottawa
Visiting Worker
National Research Council of Canada
Institute for Information Technology
Building M-50, Montreal Rd.
Ottawa, ON K1A-0R6
(613) 998-3576
fax: (613) 952-7151
e-mail: john.bonnett@nrc.ca
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