University of Cincinnati Digital Campus
Virtual Grounds partnered with the University of Cincinnati Planning + Design + Construction (P+D+C) department to create a high-fidelity and accurate digital twin of the Downtown Campus. The collaboration spanned many years and builds upon the university's entry for Google's View Your Campus in 3D competition in 2007, spearheaded by VGI's Managing Partner Jose Kozan.
The set of 3D digital twins of the campus structures also proved to be a valuable tool for the university's space management and planning. The collection of 76 digital models of the Uptown West and Medical Campus became part of a web-based digital visualization and planning tool. The interactive planning interface was developed for P+D+C to support decision-making on assessment and planning of the UC Uptown Campus, both West and Medical. The interactive experience was built upon a game engine and capable of deployment across desktop, mobile, and portable VR devices.
Services: 3D digital twin modeling, game-engine-based interactive planning tools, desktop, mobile, and VR deployment, and virtual campus tour development.
University of Cincinnati Virtual Campus Tours
VGI designed, implemented, and updated 2D and 3D virtual map tours of the Uptown and Medical Campus for desktop visitors, highlighting selected buildings, artwork, and landscape that populate the university's grounds. The 2D map tour was also adapted as a downloadable app for smartphones.
Highlighting the Campus
VGI recreated the selected buildings following the low-polygon approach and photo-realistic textures commonly employed in game design. The technique resulted in a lightweight set of 3D models that produced a realistic representation of the buildings without heavy processing and rendering, suitable for household computers.
Playable Tour Paths
The desktop architecture tour let online guests virtually visit the signature and LEED buildings through four automatic tours that followed the main streetfronts of the Downtown Campus: Martin Luther King Boulevard, Clifton Avenue/Historic Ridge, Corry Street, and the Campus Mainstreet.
The Mobile Experience
The information was redesigned to showcase the content of the 2D tour of the Uptown and Medical Campus adapted for the mobile experience. Visitors can choose among three available tour paths: art installations, beautifully landscaped areas, and notable buildings around the campus.
The 3D Campus
Virtual desktop and mobile tours to guide visitors through this amazing campus.
University of Cincinnati P+D+C Planning Tool
Our collaboration with UC's Office of Planning + Design + Construction started in 2007, with the university's entry in Google's virtual campus competition, where teams from educational institutions around the US modeled replicas of their campus for Google's 3D visualization platform, Google Earth. The competition brought to light the potential for 3D models in supporting campus planning.
Digital Twin for Campus Stewardship
VGI expanded the digital twin of the university's Downtown Campus and developed a visualization platform to assist P+D+C's planning of the university grounds. The digital twin of the West and Medical Campuses has over 76 virtual buildings, including temporary housing for a couple of sites while new construction was being planned and executed.
A Tool to Support Decision-Making
The interactive planning tool allowed users to tour the campus in aerial view or from the point of view of visitors walking around the area. The Planning Tool helped the office assess and evaluate future construction by allowing users to turn off structures individually and substitute an existing virtual model with a new design.
The Planning Tool
Virtually build and demolish buildings. Testing solutions before construction begins. Realistic 3D assets to visualize and plan the campus evolution.
Supporting Visualization and Wayfinding
The digital twin of the West and Medical Campuses includes over 76 virtual buildings, as well as temporary housing for a couple of sites while new construction was being planned and executed.
The virtual assets were adapted into a comprehensive desktop tour and a downloadable mobile app.
Uptown + Medical Campus Tours
The University of Cincinnati Downtown Campus includes work from world-renowned architects, landscape architects, artists, and sculptors. To better highlight these features, the desktop tours were subdivided into Art, Architecture, and Landscape paths. The Architecture Tour explored a selected set of buildings, in particular those with LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification by the U.S. Green Building Council. The Art and Landscape tour paths featured six green areas and 14 pieces of sculpture in the walking tour, including art, sculptures, and artistic landscapes distributed throughout the university.
The Downloadable App
The virtual tours, originally tailored for visualization on mobile screens, were accessible for free download on the App Store and Google Play. The map-based walking tour included approximately 46 stops and is GPS-capable, serving as a wayfinding tool for visitors to get directions in real time. The Downtown Campus Map Tour App includes the Uptown and Medical Campus. Visitors were able to select between the Art, Architecture, and Landscape tour paths, allowing students, faculty, staff, and visitors to navigate around the campus and appreciate the unique features of both places through text, images, and videos.