From BIM to VR: defining a level of detail to guide virtual reality narratives

In 2012, the Carleton Immersive Media Studio (CIMS) started a research relationship with Public Services and Procurement Canada to develop a building information model (BIM) of the Parliament Hill National Historic Site of Canada. The model was created to facilitate a multi-year rehabilitation of the site and was developed using both historical records and highly detailed geo-referenced point cloud data. In the process of planning the model, CIMS developed a unique Level of Detail (LOD) specification for heritage buildings that, in addition to standard specifications, considered cultural heritage value as part of the LOD. As the rehabilitation project unfolded, the possibility of using the BIM for public engagement through the creation of virtual reality (VR) experiences was proposed. In this paper, we discuss the transferal of CIMS’ LOD from a BIM to a VR environment, arguing that the BIM LOD’s focus on cultural heritage value is consistent with virtual reality LOD in that it can be used to guide participants through a virtual reality narrative by inferring that areas of higher fidelity have greater value.