The Vauquois Experience
Client:
ARIES
Year:
2023
Tools Used:
Blender
Overview
Between October 2023 and September 2024, I was a 3D Artist for the ARIES Lab at Virginia Tech, where I contributed to the creation of a detailed 3D model of the village of Vauquois. The French village of Vauquois was destroyed in World War I, and the only thing that remains today is a crater-filled hill with tunnels beneath it. My contribution to the ongoing project was to help create house models in Blender using, and help make a 3D printed diorama of the village.
Relevant Links:
Virginia Tech News Article:
Exhibits at Virginia Tech Libraries:
Project Context
The Vauquois Experience project centers on a World War I–era French village that was heavily altered by trench warfare. The only reference data of the actual village that we have today are a couple black and white photos and archeological data. The initial project was a VR experience centered around the tunnels that run underneath the hill. Recent work on the project has been focusing more on the village above ground, and reconstructing it to look more like other French villages that existed at the time. We hope that the future of the project will include an explorable 3D environment, and possibly a virtual tour as well.
The VR experience and physical diorama of the village is currently on display at the Newman Library at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, VA.
