Hi all,

I thought I'd pass on this interesting news item about one of our members. Apologies for the delay... it has been sitting on my to do list for a couple of days, but it has been one of those weeks.

-dan

For Release: Jan. 9, 2007

Contact: Clayton Berry Phone: (314) 977-7117 E-mail: berrycl@slu.edu

Theologians Use Video Game Technology to Create Virtual Tour of 13th Century Basilica Users can fly around structure and see famed frescoes up close

ST. LOUIS -- Using technology typically associated with video games, two Saint Louis University theologians have created an interactive, three-dimensional tour of one of Europe's most important churches.

Theology professors Jay Hammond, Ph.D., and James Ginther, Ph.D., spent more than a year building the virtual version of Italy's landmark Basilica of Saint Francis of Assisi. Located two hours northeast of Rome in Assisi, the basilica is the third-largest pilgrimage site in the world, drawing more than 5 million visitors annually.

Their three-dimensional model permits virtual tour-goers to walk nearly everywhere in the upper basilica, and even fly up close to the church's famed frescoes and beautiful stained glass windows.

That's in stark contrast to most other virtual tours of historic buildings, which rely on 360-degree panoramas and offer limited interactivity. While some other projects have been equally advanced, the SLU professors' tour is one of the first to run on your home computer.

"That's why we chose a game engine to build our model," Ginther said. "We wanted to ensure that the virtual basilica would run on the average PC, not just expensive computers that only universities can afford. Preservation has no meaning unless there is access."

The virtual basilica uses controls and functions similar to the popular video games, such as "Quake" and "Doom," sans the fighting of course.

"We're both educators, and we wanted this project to connect with young people," Hammond said.

Based on laser-accurate measurements of the basilica, the virtual tour was built with approximately 4,000 photographs, all taken prior to a 1997 earthquake that blew out two sides of the basilica. Because the basilica's leaders do not replace artwork that has been destroyed, the disc offers a version of the church that cannot be seen today, including frescoes that are forever lost.

The virtual tour is available on the newly released CD-ROM, "The Virtual Basilica of Saint Francis of Assisi," through the Institute of Digital Theology, a non-profit foundation affiliated with Saint Louis University. Proceeds will fund research, similar digital projects and student scholarships.

The CD-ROM also features maps of the basilica as well as guides for the frescoes, which were painted by some of the leading artists of the day. Users can click on any fresco to read about its historical and religious significance. All told, the tour features 175 links for additional information and a 35,000-word text. There also is an animated friar for scale.

The CD-ROM is designed for Windows 2000/NT/XP. It is available for purchase on the institute's Web site, www.digitaltheology.org and Amazon.

With the upper level of the basilica complete, the SLU professors will create similar virtual tours of the lower church, crypt and exterior gardens. In June, the duo will break ground on another major project: a virtual tour of York Minster in York, England, the largest Gothic church in northern Europe.

The Institute of Digital Theology is a registered non-profit foundation, affiliated with Saint Louis University. Its mission is to support research and teaching in theological studies and related humanities disciplines through the creation of multimedia projects, Web-based databases and other electronic resources. Housed in the University's department of theological studies, the institute focuses primarily on the preservation of historical artifacts and texts that have significant religious or theological meaning.

Saint Louis University is a Jesuit, Catholic university ranked among the top research institutions in the nation. The University fosters the intellectual and character development of more than 12,000 students on campuses in St. Louis and Madrid, Spain. Founded in 1818, it is the oldest university west of the Mississippi and the second oldest Jesuit university in the United States. Through teaching, research, health care and community service, Saint Louis University is the place where knowledge touches lives. Learn more about SLU at www.slu.edu.