가상현실(VR)과 증강현실(AR)을 통한 불교문화재의 재구성

Abstract

VR (Virtual Reality) makes reality to experience in the virtual world and AR (Augmented Reality) makes imagery to experience in the real world. A lot of extant artifacts in Buddhist cultural properties as the statues in the Seokguram Temple are not to be watched directly or touched for the reason of preservation. Meanwhile, some Buddhist cultural properties are missing and just remains the site as Mireuksa Temple Site in Iksan city. VR enables us to experience touching the statues and walking them around inside the Seokguram Temple in the experience center or theater equipped with the special devices as HMD and so on. Also, AR aims to allow us to experience feeling more reality. For example, it can show virtual buildings and statues and towers in Mireuksa Temple Site to visitors taking the devices and standing at the site. The temples appear in front of them. The development of the digital cultural properties by the utilization of VR and AR can be useful to preserve and restore real cultural properties without damaging them. Further, the visitors’s experience can be improved with more understanding in appreciating the cultural properties. Not only UNESCO but also most countries are, currently, engaging in the projects of digitalizing cultural properties. This paper surveys some of represented examples of VR/AR projects for Buddhist cultural properties currently being exhibited in some countries of the world. Especially, some VR/AR projects in the special exhibitions of museums have been regarded as having high educational effects in visitors’ appreciating the works of art. This paper also surveys some VR/AR examples for Geungnak-Jeons designated as national treasures, a Buddha image on a cliff on the Kyeungju Namsan mountain and so on.