INTERACTIVE VIRTUAL OBJECTS (IVOs) FOR NEXT GENERATION OF VIRTUAL MUSEUMS: FROM STATIC TEXTURED PHOTOGRAMMETRIC AND HBIM MODELS TO XR OBJECTS FOR VR-AR ENABLED GAMING EXPERIENCES

Abstract. Virtual museums should not live on the internet through traditional applications sharing collections through simple panoramas or static images and descriptions but reach novel innovative and interactive forms of Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR), providing a more creative, intimate, personal learning experience. For this reason, the authors propose a method based on advanced Information Technologies (IT) to fully return the tangible and intangible values of different type of works of art. The primary purpose of this study is to create a system of virtual environments through which the digital user, mainly the visitor of an unconventional museum, will be able to physically interact, through visual and tactile methods, with 3D digital models of sculptures, information, and art objects. Thanks to the integration of the latest 3D modelling and digital survey techniques with the Visual Programming Language (VPL) and eXteded Reality (XR) development platforms, authors propose new levels of interactivity between users and Interactive Virtual Objects (IVOs) capable of coming to life, sharing new forms of real-time human-computer interaction for VR-AR enabled gaming experiences and virtual museums, using multiple devices such VR headset, web-based AR platforms, mobile phones, tablets, and PC workstation.