8 December 2006
A cutting-edge computing project could revolutionise the way we see history.
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| History on parade: One of Mr Chandler's computer-generated 3D animations of life in ancient Angkor. |
Led by Tom Chandler from Monash University's Faculty of Information Technology, in association with the Monash Asia Institute, the project has harnessed expertise in graphic arts, archaeology and information technology to recreate the ancient Cambodian city of Angkor with 3-D simulation and special effects software. Combining the latest in 3-D modelling and computer game technology, he has built a visual and interactive prototype that allows people to see where and how the ancient Khmers lived.
The project has implications for the way history is interpreted. It also is expected to have strong commercial appeal, particularly in the tourism, educational multimedia, broadcast and computer-gaming industries.
One 45-second animation, which took six months to complete, accurately depicts a reconstructed landscape with traditional stilt houses, rice paddies, vegetation and canals. It features a military procession, with hundreds of soldiers marching alongside lumbering elephants decorated for war. Another animation shows a battle scene recreated from stone carvings found in ancient bas-reliefs.
"The popular imagination of Angkor is dominated by images of timeless ruins and broken statues being swallowed up by the forest," Mr Chandler says. "But in animating battle scenes with colours and sound, we’re showing a completely different side of Angkor; one that is dynamic and full of action."
With many teenagers today experiencing history through role-playing and strategy computer games, such scenes are designed to resonate. Mr Chandler’s next aim is to animate scenes of the royal court and daily life.
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| Angkor dreaming: A typical Angkor house from eight centuries ago. |
Historians have established that Angkor was a thriving metropolis between the 9th and 14th centuries, before its mysterious collapse. All that remains are the stone ruins of hundreds of temples, including the World Heritage-listed Angkor Wat. Mr Chandler drew on art history and archaeological data, photography, historical maps, satellite imagery and advice from international experts, including Sydney University’s Angkor Project, to recreate the city as it was in 1000AD. Textile experts helped to visualise the colours of the ancient fabrics.
And he has recently returned from a four-week exchange to Cambodia’s Norton University to introduce 10 computer science and architecture students in specialised 3D modelling and animation techniques. "We are training the Cambodians to sculpt their own history, their own stories, their own heritage using 3D animation," he says.
The animation created by Tom's team is available for footage and imagery.
For interviews please contact Renee Barnes, Media and Communications on +61 3 9905 2085 or Tom Chandler on +61 3 9904 7109 or email Tom.Chandler@infotech.monash.e du.au.
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