ON THE WEB
AT THE ZOO
OF THE PROJECT
PUBLICATIONS
INFORMATION
VIRTUAL GORILLA PROJECT
"GORILLAS IN THE BITS"
"GORILLAS IN THE BITS"
PRESS RELEASE...cont'd
"Our Zoo Atlanta team of scientists and educators first began to plan a 'virtual zoo' three years ago," said Dr. Terry L. Maple, director of the zoo and one of the world's foremost authorities on gorilla behavior. "We instantly thought of Georgia Tech as our design partner, and we are extremely impressed with the scholarly approach taken by Dr. (Larry F.) Hodges and Dr. (Jean) Wineman, who have worked closely with our behavior experts."Today, we introduce the 'virtual gorilla' experience," he added. "With the help of Georgia Tech, we hope to work together to expand this project so that the 'virtual zoo' will one day be a reality."
To make the project an effective teaching tool, researchers worked hard To make the project an effective teaching tool, researchers worked hard to make both the virtual environment and the virtual apes as realistic as possible, said Hodges, an associate professor in Georgia Tech's College of Computing and an associate director of the school's Graphics, Visualization and Usability Center.
To properly recreate the gorilla's environment, the researchers -- led by Hodges and Wineman, associate professor and director of the doctoral program in the College of Architecture -- used photographs, videos, contour maps, architectural blueprints and design layouts.
"This is the most accurate and detailed model of a real outdoor area that has ever been created for a virtual environment," Hodges said. "Brian Wills (a research scientist in the College of Architecture) has spent over 700 hours creating the computer model of the habitat."
Georgia Tech Campus ... Fox ... Portman ... Public Spaces ... Chicken ... Billboards ... Varsity ... Atlanta Essay ... Gorillas ... Stone ... Dreams & Crossroads ... Symphony ... Links ... Neat Stuff
