Recreating Past and Present: An Exceptional Student-Created Virtual Heritage Experience

Abstract

We present an outstanding undergraduate student project in the form of a virtual heritage experience, created by a multidisciplinary group of six 4th semester undergraduate students from a range of computer graphics related programmes of study, ranging from 3D art and design to graphics software development. The "Exercise Smash" application allows participants to take part in a 1944 military exercise that was held in preparation of the D-Day landings in Normandy, during which several amphibious tanks sank, and then to dive down to the tank wrecks on the modern-day seafloor. The virtual heritage experience was presented during a public event at a military history museum and has also been demonstrated at an archaeology conference, being well-received in both cases.