Research & resources

About the Chaperon tour

I created the interactive 3D tour of the Green River steamboat Chaperon between 2016 and 2018 using the open-source 3D modelling software Blender. It is my first Blender project. The progress of my learning can be seen in my Tumblr blog Western River Steamboats.

The steamboat tour is on display at the Verkehrsmuseum Dresden. I would like to thank the museum for their interest and support. I would also like to thank steamboat expert John Fryant, who took notice of my work and has given me invaluable advice on the reconstruction of this boat.

— Jens Mittelbach

Step aboard

• Drag the image to look around. Scroll or use the zoom buttons for a closer look.
• Choose a scene from the list, or follow the arrow hotspots to move between decks.
• Information and photo hotspots reveal historical details and source images.
• Select 3D glasses for the anaglyph view. You will need red/cyan glasses.
• Select VR goggles for a standalone headset or phone goggles. In a compatible headset browser, choose Enter headset VR. For phone goggles, choose Open split screen, turn the phone sideways, and enable Head tracking if available. Motion access may require permission.
• In VR, look away from a sign first, then look at it for two seconds to follow it. A controller trigger or a tap selects immediately. The Previous, Next, and Exit VR signs let you navigate without removing the goggles. VR includes the 19 panoramas. The flat exterior views stay in the regular tour; entering VR from an exterior starts on the main deck. These are fixed viewpoints, so you cannot walk through the model. Information and camera icons open historical explanations and photographs inside VR. Use the page controls to read the full text, Source to visit a photograph’s source, and Close to return to exploring.
• Phone mode provides a basic split-screen view; it does not calibrate the image to a particular pair of lenses. If the fit is uncomfortable, exit VR and use the regular tour.
• Use Auto-rotate to start or stop rotation in the panoramic scenes.
• Switch between English and German using the language selector. Use Fullscreen to fill your screen.

Renderings & model-building views

Perspectival renderings are 4K TIFF images; orthographic views are high-resolution TIFFs for model builders. Renderings by Jens Mittelbach are available under CC BY 4.0.

Bibliography

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