Introduction

The pity of missing out on seasonal sights due to schedule mismatches when visiting a site cannot simply be cured by browsing photos and videos online. This application can be an advanced solution and brings a unique experience. 

The prototyped can be found at https://kuroko.itch.io/kit724-assignment3. A video with key features of it is also attached.

Description of the Application

This application provides an opportunity for users to experience seasonal limited scenery at the site they are visiting. For this prototype, the site is only set to be the Palace Museum. By scanning the selected target images with this application, tourists can see the distinct scenery of the Palace Museum in all seasons constructed by 3D models. Special weathers such as rain and snow are on offer as well. New Year’s Eve fireworks and New Year Temple Fair scenes are included. Meanwhile, visitors can spin the sundial on the screen to see how the current scene changes at different times of the day. By combining the experience in the actual real location with the virtual scenes provided by this application, the visitor experience can certainly be enhanced.

People live fast-paced life nowadays. There are not many chances and time for sightseeing. In this case, visitors can easily miss the special view of the site at other times due to their schedules. To not hold any regrets, the described function of this application is of considerable significance in the context of the chosen scenario.

The Palace Museum is not just a sightseeing place. As its name tells, it is also a museum of historical assets and architecture. Visitors here will want to know more about the sites they visit. Unlike traditionally obtaining such information at the nearby tourist information center, this application will display the historical changes in these buildings with models. 3D animations will be used to recreate the historical use of these exhibits and buildings. This approach is recommended in Kumar and Akram’s article (2017) as well.

In addition to the above features, this application also has credit scenes for fun. Since all the architecture in the Palace Museum is made of wood, it is more vulnerable to rats. Stray cats are welcome to live here. People love to call them the royal cat and bring them food when visiting. Spotting cats is also a fun activity for frequent visitors. Thus, the models of cats were placed in each scene in this application.

The significance of Augmented Reality (AR) in the context of the application is this technology is a perfect combination of data and the environment it is located (Akram & Kumar 2017). Compared to virtual reality, this combination is more encouraging for visitors in discovering new scenery (Akram & Kumar 2017). More importantly, the immersion that AR brings is more appealing to visitors than traditional human-guided or free user tours, as shown in the study by Khan, et. al (2021).

Interaction Design

The designed interactions are based on the tourists’ needs and the characteristics of the Palace Museum: catching up on missed views, enjoying a panoramic view of tall buildings and adjusting the view at will to complement the view in sight. 

Storyboard

Technical Development

The submitted software application was developed in Unity 3D with Vuforia Engine to demonstrate the design concept. The targeted platform is Android mobile phones.

The application is designed to identify target images to present simple scenes. To engage with the available interactions, the user can scan one of the target images with the prototype. A simple modelled scene will appear on screen after the scan. A virtual button and two sliders are provided with the models together. The virtual button was designed to control the visibility of the UI. Unfortunately, the function of the virtual button was not successfully implemented before the due date.

Another available interaction provided in the prototype is rotating the scene with two sliders. Users can rotate the scene for different views with them. In addition to the purpose of getting more comprehensive views of the scene, this feature can be used to explore the credit scenes – find out where the royal cats are. These two sliders serve to rotate in different directions separately. Instructions will be displayed on the screen, too.   

Descriptions of 3D Models 

This is a model of a cat. The cat’s texture takes reference from one of the cats that often appear in the Palace Museum. This model is completely handmade.

	This is a model of one of the buildings in the Palace Museum with snow on it. It is one of the gates. This model is completely handmade.
	This is a model of a cat. The cat’s texture takes reference from one of the cats that often appear in the Palace Museum. This model is completely handmade.

Reference

Akram, W & Kumar, R 2017, 'STUDY ON ROLE AND APPLICATIONS OF AUGMENTED REALITY IN TOURISM: ITS CHALLENGES AND FUTURE PROSPECTS', International Journal of Advanced Research in Computer Science, vol. 8, no. 8.

Khan, MA, Israr, S, S Almogren, A, Din, IU, Almogren, A & Rodrigues, JJPC 2021, 'Using augmented reality and deep learning to enhance Taxila Museum experience', Journal of Real-Time Image Processing, vol. 18, no. 2, pp. 321-332.

Texture: 

https://www.textures.com/download/PBR0101/133136 

https://www.textures.com/download/3DScans1051/143141 

Photo by chenwei wang on Unsplash 

https://www.textures.com/download/3DAtlas0382/136910 

https://www.pinterest.com.au/pin/429108670753077238/?nic_v3=1a4wmaeLE 

Image Targets: 

https://www.duitang.com/blog/?id=1336366569 

https://www.duitang.com/blog/?id=1059265161 

https://www.duitang.com/blog/?id=1393678388 

Sky box: 

https://assetstore.unity.com/packages/2d/textures-materials/sky/customizable-sky... 

Script:  https://www.google.com/search?q=add+slider+in+ar+unity&sxsrf=ALiCzsYYWHXbxyTVwvF...