Objective

The owner of Parlormade Scone House wanted a way to share the rich history of the 15th-century York Shambles building in which it resided. He was seeking a solution that would engage patrons while sitting in the cafe but also potential clients who came across their website and wanted to learn more. A 3D model of the building, inside and out, would provide a virtual tour of the building and give further context as to its history, such as infamous ladies of tea, like Queen Victoria, whose portrait hangs above the second-floor staircase.

It was decided that a photogrammetry 3D model of the interior and exterior would be created over a more conventional 360 tour as this would provide a more immersive and well-rounded experience of the structure virtually. With a 3D model, users could move around inside and see the building from different perspectives, and would not be limited to a path predetermined by the 360 images taken. It was also a way to fully get a sense of the building as it stands apart from the surrounding buildings and understand it as a whole unto itself.

Method

To produce a full model of a building like Parlormade, photogrammetry models of each of the 3 floors were created by taking hundreds of pictures thoroughly capturing each space. Similarly, the exterior needed to be fully captured. For this, drone (or Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV)) Structure from Motion (SfM) 3D modeling was used to reach the high angles required.

Because of the small and narrow space as well as the different photography methods, these images needed to be processed into 5 different models that were then cleaned and merged into the final model. Also, because of the difficulties in photographic capture, some areas needed to be repaired and textures repainted. It was then reduced to a size that would be easily uploaded onto Sketchfab.

Once the model was completed and uploaded, historic informational points were added around the space to create a virtual tour and help people understand the historical significance of the building and of tea and scones in Britain. These points were added using the built-in annotation system through the Sketchfab platform.

Results

This project combined a lot of photography and planning with quite a bit of post-processing to pull together an engaging and immersive model. The final result acts as a virtual tour that users can view while enjoying a scone in the cafe or while sitting at home deciding where they’d like to visit. Through the Sketchfab platform, users can also utilise the VR viewing option for a fully immersive experience.

Innovation

Typically, when seeking a virtual tour experience, companies might offer two different solutions. The first is the kind of virtual tour that is often seen in real estate. This is where a tour is created using a series of 360 images that the user can jump between and get a surrounding view from that perspective. This option is often quite limiting because the user is not free to explore the space and view it from other perspectives.

The second option is one using hardware and software provided by companies like Matterport. These do provide 3D solutions but they keep you locked into using the hardware and software they were created on and therefore take away the ability to have freer ownership and use of the product.

By using photogrammetry for Parlormade, the end result, with photo-realistic quality, gives users the ability to move around the space virtually and view each room from any angle. It also gave the owners the option to do whatever they liked with the model once it was completed, including placing it on a free-to-use site like Sketchfab.