Georgia State University sits atop what was once the hub of Atlanta’s African American red-light district, a rich assemblage of blues and rag-time clubs, and the old city jail. Today, Student Innovation Fellows are working to recreate this lost piece of Atlanta’s history in an interactive, 3-D environment. The 3-D Atlanta project uses GSU’s rich collection of historic photographs and 3-D scans of surviving buildings, to recreate the old red-light district at scale in a virtual environment. The resulting experience is an interactive game, accessed via Oculus Rifts, which will eventually provide an immersive, full scale model of Atlanta’s history.
Combining historical recreation and archival research with video gaming and 3-D modelling, the 3-D Atlanta Project is a unique educational endeavor bringing together students in computer science, urban planning, and the humanities. Still in its early phases, the completed project will include historically based narratives and a full scale virtual reproduction of the old heart of the city.
Tutorial Videos: