Once the processes of perception within a landscape are understood to some degree, practical tools and techniques can be developed to represent effectively what is perceived. This article is the starting point of a practical investigation designed to do exactly that - represent landscape perceptually.
To emphasise the elements of time, change and motion in an archive of a group of artefacts, a medium must be used that retains and if possible enhances this aspect of their character. A wide range of suitable and available media are discussed in a separate section, comparing traditional techniques like mapping, illustration and photography with the most relevant of the new digital technologies such as Immersive Virtual Reality, VRML, and Desktop VR. On balance it seems likely that Desktop VR fulfills the needs of the majority of those (archaeologists, art historians, geographers) wanting to examine a landscape remotely with a high degree of independent interactivity, but on a limited budget. For a number of practical reasons related to available equipment, software and expertise, Apple's QuickTime Virtual Reality system is being used.
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URL: http://intarch.ac.uk/journal/issue8/larkman/5.html
Last updated: Mon Sep 25 2000