Tunnel Vision
We are Tunnel Vision! Our group of three worked on an AR project to enhance the experience of visiting the abandoned Rochester Subway. We worked to create an interactive AR experience to showcase the rich history of the Rochester subway from its creation in the 1840’s to a possible future if left to ruin. We did this in hope that it would draw more attention to the historical landmark to encourage people to convince law makers to protect this beautiful location for generations or maybe turn it into something new.
Katie Bogart (Documenter)
Reva Sathe (Integrator)
Jackson Heim (Researcher)
Our Project
Our goal for this project is to display the past and possible future eras of Rochester’s Abandoned Subway. There is so much history in the now abandoned tunnel, and we wanted to create a project to show people a glimpse of that history. To do this, we start with having the subway fill with water to show how it was once part of the Erie Canal. Then we have a train going across to illustrate what it was like when it was used as a subway. Lastly we have plants grow out of the subway tunnel to demonstrate a potential future of what it might become if it falls into disrepair.
We were able to capture the vision that we intended by using our models and sound affects to create an experience that would really make the user feel like they are right there seeing the tunnel fill with water and a subway car rolling by. The whole scene is overlaid with an image of the subway arch, so each model will appear behind it giving the illusion that you are really in the subway.
Though we wanted to, we were unable to make a 3d model for the subway arch. We came up with a great alternative by using a flat image to paste over the screen and have the 3d models appear behind. We also have had a few problems with the marker detection, but overall, we are pleased how it turned out! Check out the video of our project at the subway here!
Because our project is marker based so it can be viewed from anywhere as long as you can see the maker. This means people can view the project from anywhere, not just the subway! Check out that video here!
If you want to view this AR experience yourself, you can open the link provided below. Then, point your camera at the marker. Link here! You can download the marker jpg down below.
If you want to view it at the Rochester Abandoned Subway itself, follow the map below to that location and look for a marker there. It is a little finnicky at the location, but with enough trying, it should show the history of the subway at the actual subway!
Map:
