Access to complex reality-based 3d models using virtual reality solutions

Cultural Heritage is a precious resource that witnesses our past and that should be transmitted to future generations. The creation of digital 3D representation of monuments and sites have been demonstrated to be a reliable method for preservation and historical purposes. In order to preserve a high level of detail, the reconstructed point cloud will typically contain millions of points, which could result in several GB of data when stored on disk. For these reasons, a challenge for the scientific community is to find new ways to visualize and disclose 3D digital contents, obtaining a better access and communication of the Cultural Heritage information. In this paper, Virtual Reality (VR) devices are employed to provide not only a simple visualization but also an immersive experience for digitally reconstructed heritage scenarios. Oculus Rift (VR visualization headset) and Kinect (depth sensor for user interaction) are integrated in order to interact and navigate in a complex 3D or 4D (temporal) archaeological scene as well as to have access to digital media contents of several MB of size. In this way, archaeological sites or fragile environments with forbidden access due the preservation policies can also be virtually visited and inspected.