A True AR Authoring Tool for Interactive Virtual Museums
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In this work, a new and innovative way of cultural heritage preservation is dis-cussed. It is called "True Augmented Reality (AR)". True AR is defined as a modi-fication of the user's perception of their surroundings that cannot be detected by the user. This innovation could be adapted by the Virtual Museums of the future, in order to enhance the museum visitors' quality of experience. For instance, the fact that a visitor will not be able to tell, at a first glance, if the artefact that he/she is looking at is real or not, is an example of True AR adaptation in a museum and it is expected to draw the visitors' interest. True AR is not limited to artefacts only but could be extended even to buildings or life-sized character simulations of statues. Its purpose is to provide its results in the best visual quality possible so that the users will not be able to tell the real objects from the augmented ones, or to delay that for as long as possible. Such applications can be beneficial for future museums, as with True AR, 3D models of various exhibits, monuments, statues, characters and buildings can be reconstructed and presented to the visitors in a realistic and innovative way. We also propose our Virtual Reality Sample app application, a MR playground featuring basic components and tools for generating interactive Virtual Museum applications, alongside a 3D reconstructed character (the priest of Asinou church) facilitating as the storyteller of the experience.
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