This page of the Virtual St Paul’s Cathedral Project provides links to a Virtual Reality installation which will enable the user to download the installation to a computer and explore it on that computer or, for an immersive experience, use a VR headset to surround oneself with the visual images. The user will be able to wander freely around the Choir of the Cathedral to explore the setting for worship services in St Paul’s Cathedral.
The Virtual Reality installation is the work of 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. After finishing his M. Arch degree, Grey took a few years off, then joined the Project again when he returned to the College of Design for his PhD. Since then, he has chiefly been working on developing this VR installation of the Visual 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://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://drive.google.com/file/d/12PHfataYatswLNmwOJ3RvJP9LuTnUIz8/view?usp=sharing
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.
