Take a VR trip into the Palace of Versailles with this new app

Want to visit the Palace of Versailles but can't afford to purchase a plane ticket? Don't worry. Google's got you covered, if you're willing to invest in a VR headset. By using VersaillesVR, an app for HTC Vive and Oculus Rift, you can virtually explore Louis XIV's royal residence and take a close look at hundreds of artworks in high definition.

According to Engadget, "it's the largest photogrammetry project ever done at the castle, with 21 rooms and 387,500 square feet of internal surfaces captured." For those who are not familiar with photogrammetry, it's a technology that reconstructs 3D models of objects and landmarks from two-dimensional photos.

With VersaillesVR, users can visit the Royal Grand Apartments, the Chapel, and the Opera, as well as explore 3D models of things like Marie Antoinette's jewelry cabinet or the King's Bed online. The app is available in English, French, and Chinese.

Comments

Poshichi's Digital Take on Nihonga

Using digital tools, Poshichi makes nihonga-style pictures of everyday life. These images can be anywhere from funny to calm, thoughtful, imaginative, or even a bit wild. It's a wonderful harmony: the past rendered perfectly in the present. Nihonga is basically Japanese painting that gets its look from using mineral pigments (and sometimes ink) on surfaces like silk or paper. The term was created back in the Meiji period (1868–1912) just so people could tell it apart from Yōga, which is what they called Western-style painting. Art was everywhere in Poshichi's childhood: the grandfather ran a framing shop, and the grandma was an art teacher. Poshichi loved to draw, and was destined for an art career. But, you know how it goes—life had other plans. Thankfully, a friend encouraged the Japanese artist not to quit drawing, even if just as a hobby. Though Poshichi initially created dark, gloomy pieces due to depression, adopting a cat two years ago changed everything. “I felt the nee...

Hand-Painted Movie Posters by Tony Stella

In the 70s and 80s movie theaters in Manila were usually standalone buildings with nice seats and red curtains. To sell tickets, cinemas needed to advertise their offerings. But they did not have the original posters, or the means to print alternatives. So they made their own, commissioning local artists to hand-paint them. I really miss those hand-painted posters and billboards, which conveyed an artistry that was a form of visual hyperbole. But hand-made objects always have a way of returning. In this digital age, people will always look for things made by hand. I recently stumbled across the work of Tony Stella, whose genuinely cool movie posters have caught the eye of film enthusiasts and art lovers worldwide. He likes to work in watercolor and ink wash but sometimes he will make an oil painting, depending on the film. Tony's very active on social media, and his Tumblr blog contains a massive collection of illustrated movie posters that are often better than the original. ...

Meet Mr. Head, a cleaning robot that makes abstract paintings

Painting might be the last thing you'd expect robots to excel at, but some of them produce top quality results. Take Mr. Head , for example. This machine creates paintings in the style of the American abstract expressionism movement. He used to be a vacuum cleaner, but a Japanese engineer, who goes by the name HYdeJII, turned him into an artist. The build is quite simple. HYdeJII attached four containers filled with acrylic paints into the robot and connected them with tubes. He then programmed the machine to move around a 1,000mm x 1,000mm canvas and squirt different paints. I bet he really likes Pollock and Riopelle. Check out a video of Mr. Head dripping paint down a canvas after the break. [h/t: Japan Trends ]

finding cain

Search This Blog