In this article we propose a method whereby data about a particular object (be it a date of creation, contemporary description, photograph, drawing, academic citation, object bibliography, etc.) is linked directly to the representation of that object in a 3D virtual-reality world using hyperlinks. If the time dimension is added, it becomes a 4D database.įig.

By equipping a 3D virtual-reality representation of the Erechtheion reconstruction with hyperlinks to the evidence for that reconstruction, we were able to create such an interface and have called it an 'interactive 3D database'. We wanted to create something much more interactive that would allow users to interrogate the evidence for a particular reconstruction and view it for themselves using an easy and intuitive interface. From this model, we produced an animation of the building's phases through time recorded as a movie however, we found that, while interesting and eye-catching, the movie was a rather limited and unidirectional method of interacting with the output of the research. The model of the Erechtheion we created for the first article in this series ( 'Using AutoCAD to Construct a 4D Block-by-Block Model of the Erechtheion on the Akropolis at Athens, I: Modeling the Erechtheion in Four Dimensions,' CSA Newsletter, XX.2 Fall, 2007) relied on detailed information from paintings, drawings and descriptions by early travellers collected as part of Dr. (See email contacts page for the author's email address.) Using AutoCAD ® to Construct a 4D Block-by-Block Model of the Erechtheion on the Akropolis at Athens, III: An interactive virtual-reality database

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