The Virtual Plasencia team’s goal is to create a useful learning experience that is different from traditional learning methods, using three-dimensional rendering to bring history to life. Using digital and physical media, we created representations of three important stories in the life of Diego Garcia de Carvajal.
Diego Garcia de Carvajal represents one of the phenomena that were happening in Plasencia in the 14th and 15th centuries: individuals and families deliberately changing their lives through their actions. Something we take for granted now, this sense of individualism and power over one’s destiny was a new idea. Virtual Plasencia chose this individual and these three transformative moments in his life to illustrate an idea that was happening in Spain at this time.
The team drew out the scenes on paper initially, identified the figures and background elements they would need for both a virtual and a physical three-dimensional model. They purchased and downloaded a variety of premade figures as STL files and used Sketch Up Pro to build custom elements. The elements were then printed using an Elegoo Saturn 3D printer and water washable photopolymer resin. Once printed, the figures needed a water bath and to cure under an ultraviolet light. Lastly the figures were sanded and painted with a spray primer before being glued down to foam board to build the physical diorama.
