What is the ViViBox? (Virtual Vianden Box)
The ViViBox is an innovative digital exhibition platform. Here you will experience the famous medieval castle Vianden in Grand Duchy of Luxembourg and especially its intensively researched building history in a completely new way!
Visit Vianden Castle in the computer-generated "Augmented Reality" (AR) but also in a completely immersive spectacular virtual world (VR - Virtual Reality).
Augmented Reality - Display Vianden Castle on your own smartphone ("bring your own device")
The so-called Augmented Reality is used in the ViViBox to overlay existing objects (3D prints and relief graphics) in your own smartphone or tablet in the exhibition with computer-generated additional information.
The camera of the mobile phone is used to show or hide additional information in addition to the objects actually visible there. So please be sure to bring your own smartphone to the exhibition! Download the ViViBox-APP now or in the exhibition and experience how Augmented Reality can convey the building history of Vianden Castle to you in a lively and new way.
You can also use this AR technique at home and try it out by printing the graphics (image targets) contained in our APP, then start the APP and point the camera of your mobile phone at the printouts to display the corresponding 3D information.
Virtual Reality (VR) - Tours - automatically guided and interactive through Vianden Castle
In two further stations in the ViViBox you can experience the castle Vianden in virtual reality (VR - Virtual Reality)! VR is the representation of the castle in an interactive virtual environment generated in real time.
So first put on one of the two high-quality VR headsets and, if necessary, familiarize yourself with the interactive control options.
You will be guided through Vianden Castle in two different tours.
The first VR tour shows you some important and interesting stops, as well as outstanding highlights in the castle! The second VR tour allows you to take a virtual journey through time. Experience the spectacular centuries-long building history and development of Vianden Castle since its beginnings in late Roman antiquity around 400 AD!
The Initiators
What you can see in the ViViBox shows the results of many years of research and work of a large number of different specialists.
The main initiators and clients of this work are the Service des sites et monuments nationaux (SSMN) and the castle friends Vianden (Les Amis du Château de Vianden) of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. The ViViBox is a important contribution of Luxembourg to the European Cultural Heritage Year 2018.
The data basis
The visualisation of the construction phase is based on decades of building research by the Service des sites et monuments nationaux of Luxembourg. Since the acquisition of the castle by the Luxembourg government in 1977, John Zimmer und Jean-Jacques List have been responsible for and documented the extensive archaeological investigations, building research and the most authentic reconstruction of the castle possible.
The building research results published by John Zimmer in several monographs and castle guides have been implemented in the ViViBox by the German monument preservation specialists of ArcTron 3D GmbH from Regensburg in corresponding, scientifically based 3D models of the various construction phases.
Most modern surveying technologies
The 3D monument preservation specialists at ArcTron 3D have been working for more than 10 years on the 3D digitization of Vianden Castle using state-of-the-art surveying technologies.
In addition to airborne laser scanning from helicopters and microlight aircraft, state-of-the-art flying camera drones were also used. On the ground, 3D laser scanners and high-resolution photogrammetry were used for the detailed 3D image of all walls, facades and interiors of Vianden Castle. Vianden Castle is thus one of the most elaborately documented castles in the world, both digitally and in 3D.
This work can now be studied in the ViViBox with AR and VR technologies.
ViViBox for the European Cultural Heritage Year 2018
On the basis of this comprehensive preparatory work, ArcTron 3D developed the concept for the implementation of the 3D data for ViViBox on behalf of Service des sites et monuments nationaux.
We hope that you enjoyed our APP and the visit of ViViBox and look forward to your feedback.