This page of the Virtual St Paul’s Cathedral Project provides links to two different Virtual Reality installations which will enable the user to download each installation to a computer and explore it on that computer. One of the two installations is visual only. The other installation includes both the Easter Day and Advent services, with all the spoken word, organ, and choral music sections included in the other sections of this website.
The Virtual Reality installation is chiefly the work of two students at the College of Design at NC State University, Grey Isley and Jackson Bostian.
The basic programming and the visual VR program were done by Dr Grey Isley during his time as a PhD student in Design at NC State University. Grey also worked on the Virtual Cathedral Project several years ago when he was a student in the Masters in Architecture Program at NC State. Much of the work on the Visual Model of the Cathedral is also his handiwork.
Jackson Bostian joined the Cathedral Project after earning the degree of Master of Art + Design from the Art + Design Department in NC State’s College of Design. Jackson revised and completed the larger VR program, effectively integrating the visual display with all the acoustic material and setting up a user-friendly interface for the program.
St Paul’s Cathedral, the Choir from the Altar. From the Virtual Reality model, realized by Grey Isley and Jackson Bostian.
USING THE FULL VISUAL/ACOUSTIC MODEL
The full visual/acoustic version of the VR Cathedral for computer use is located here:
https://vpcathedral.chass.ncsu.edu/wp-content/uploads/Cathedral.zip
Or here:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1VkxwZ_XV0ZXC6EfJwQCE8BUcpa3uu8ID/view?usp=sharing
This link is to a zipped folder. To use this program, download and unzip the software completely. Once the software is installed, click on the file named INTERIOR_427 to activate the program. Then look for the MENU page for instructions on using the program, including guidance in moving about the program and choosing which parts of the program to experience. Tap the space bar if you have trouble finding the MENU page.
Controls for Movement in the Choir
There is no headset version of the combined visual/audio program because the high resolution of the visual images and the huge amount of audio in the project would require use of a computer with processing power far beyond the limits of laptops or the vast majority of desktop computers.
USING THE VISUAL ONLY MODEL
Version for Use with VR Headsets
Follow this link to download the VR version of the Virtual St Paul’s Cathedral Project, for use with Oculus or Vive viewers:
https://vpcathedral.chass.ncsu.edu/wp-content/uploads/VPCP_VR.zip
Or here:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1FAOcDAHWD2RVjfxN0B2EOyEUNiB_AR9Z/view?usp=sharing
Folks wishing to use this program will need either an Oculus or Vive headset and a computer with at least the minimum specifications to use the headset. Instructions about using the program for either the Oculus or Vive headset as well as the controls for each VR setup are included in the file. To use this program, download and unzip the software completely. Once the software is installed, click on the file named VPCP_VR.exe to activate the program.
Version for Use with a Computer and Mouse
Follow this link to download the VR version of the Virtual St Paul’s Cathedral Project, for use on personal computers:
https://vpcathedral.chass.ncsu.edu/wp-content/uploads/VPCP_Desktop.zip
Or here:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/12PHfataYatswLNmwOJ3RvJP9LuTnUIz8/view?usp=sharing
This is also a zipped file. Folks wishing to use this program will need to have current 3D graphics cards in their computers. The software will need to be downloaded and unzipped completely. Once the software is installed, click on the file named VPCP_Desktop.exe to activate the program. Movement around the model is possible using the direction arrows on one’s computer or one’s mouse (press and hold down the right button on the mouse, then scroll with the mouse wheel)..
A less extensive but nonetheless engaging way to explore the Choir of St Paul’s is through using a 360 degree panoramic view of the Choir of the Cathedral, from the VR model.
Here is the 360 degree image seen directly:
To see the above image through a viewer, so it looks the way we would expect it to, click on the link below:
https://kuula.co/share/N4Njp?fs=1&vr=0&zoom=1&thumbs=1&info=1&logo=1
The still images below were taken from the VR installation. Comparing the style of rendering used by Grey Isley in the VR installation with the style adopted by Austin Corriher in his renderings of the Choir is a useful exercise in imagining the long-lost reality we seek to experience through this Project.
