The Gate
The Millennium Gate is a 73 foot high Monumental Arch being built in Atlantic Station in Midtown Atlanta, the largest brownfield redevelopment site in the US. The gate opened in Summer 2008.
The Exhibit
The Philanthropy Gallery is a grand interactive experience in which patrons will discover the vital role philanthropy has played in shaping Atlanta over the years. Through this immersive exhibit, visitors will experience the extraordinary dedication and generosity that characterizes a philanthropist. They will get to know many of Atlanta’s prominent citizens, past and present, whose vision and commitment of time and money is evidenced throughout the city. Patrons will leave with a deeper understanding of Atlanta's arts, entertainment, cultural, leisure, healthcare and educational institutions, which would not have been possible without generous gifts from Atlanta’s people.
Developed by the Interactive Media Technology Center (IMTC) at Georgia Tech, in collaboration with Highland Historic Consulting and the National Monuments Foundation, the exhibit blends super-high-definition imagery with 3D graphics to allow visitors to explore how philanthropy has transformed Atlanta from a sleepy Southern city to the gateway to the world.
The interactive exhibit allows visitors to experience a room-sized immersive view of Atlanta, while interacting with the exhibit to learn about the history of the city and its rich philanthropic tradition. This installation provides visitors with an educational, entertaining, and novel media experience that can be enjoyed by people of all ages. The interaction is crafted such that the exhibit can be used effectively by a single person or a large school group, with up to three interacting with the program simultaneously.
Exhibit Details
As the visitor walks up the ramp in the Philanthropy Gallery, they will be awed by a 21 foot projection wall featuring photorealistic street-level and birds-eye views of several locations in present day Atlanta. Once within the space, the visitor to the gallery is drawn to the center of the room, where a touchscreen control panel provides an interactive map of the area and portraits of some of Atlanta’s most notable philanthropists. After a brief introduction to the program, the visitor is able to select from one of three the general areas around Atlanta (Downtown, Midtown, and Atlanta University Center). The presentation will highlight various buildings and areas in the virtual scene and explain their philanthropic history. While the program plays, multiple visitors may use one of three “magic spotlights” which reveal more information in the scene. In this way several people can enjoy the exhibit at once, with some of them controlling the location and orientation of the overall city view, while others play with the spotlights to explore the results of philanthropy on the shaping Atlanta. Of course, any number of visitors can simply watch the media presentation, enjoying the large immersive 3D views of the city. While adults may be more interested in the detailed information of the media presentation, children will be intrigued by the immersive display, the touchable map, and the magic spotlights which will engage them in the educational content of the exhibit.
The controllers
The idea behind the controller was to use Wii-mote innards, but be tethered to the center console for power and anti-theft. We did not want to use the real Wii-mote, as theft was a concern, and we only as needed a few functions. The D-pad and A-button remain intact, but a power rectifier chip has been added such that it is always on, and the LEDs were modded such that all light up during use. The cotroller shells are made from 1.5" diameter polycarbonate tube and several layers of 1/8" thick polycarbonate. The buttons are turned from 1" and 3/4" aluminum rod, and later surface milled. The number inserts are laser etched and glued into place after painting. Everything was then sprayed with several clear lacquer for durability.
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Clipping from The Atlanta Journal Constituion.
Final controller with machined aluminum buttons.
Final controller shells.
Detail of front end of controller, with ledges and ramps to support and guide the wii board into place
Detail of the number insert. These were painted, then laser-etched, then glued into place.
Detail of base end of controller. Layered 1/8" polycarbonate is used to guide the wii board into the cotroller, as well as provide material for a tighter radius to the top surface.
Multiple iterations for the shell.
Detail wth wii board inserted into the unpainted shell.
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