Aachen Cathedral Demo

Designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site and known as a historical point of interest over centuries the Aachen Cathedral is of considerable interest for scientific exploration and study. In a collaboration of Computer Science i8 (scanning and model creation), LuFG i12 / IT Center (VR application), and the Institute for Hearing Technology and Acoustics (spatial audio, room acoustics), we developed an immersive demonstration that allows you to navigate the cathedral in a unique and new way.

The experience is made possible by a creation born from a master thesis supervised by i8, as the student behind it was granted access to the cathedral itself. Equipped with a laser scanner positioned at over 100 different locations, the student captured both distance and color information from over 72 million points. This scanning process formed a detailed point cloud, which, through multiple different algorithms, was transformed into a singular, comprehensive model.

In the LuFG i12 / IT Center, we brought this project to life by creating the application demo itself. This includes the integration of virtual monks, initially designed for a different project ("San Juan"). These virtual monks not only contribute to the visual richness of the experience but also serve as dynamic sound sources, elevating the auditory dimension within the cathedral. Users even have the ability to interact with these virtual monks, freely placing them within the scene.