Demo paper: Virtual and immersive experience presentation of Cultural Heritage Sites

The rapid pace of development of digital photography, 3D, and mobile technology and the wide exposure to the public experience has made it possible and desirable to begin to capture and present Cultural Heritage Sites and Artifacts in Virtual and Immersive contexts. We present several projects where we are developing the relevant technology and its application for significant and immediate use in this domain. We are developing techniques in computational photography, laser scanning, virtual and augmented reality and applying them to cultural heritage from the Middle East, Native American sites, and US National Parks. We are presenting these resources in conventional Virtual Reality environments such as CAVEs and Powerwalls as well as more portable immersive domes and cylinders designed to be suggestive of culturally relevant structures such as the Arab (Khayma) and Mongolian Tents (Ger or Yurt).