A case study of the development of a 3D virtual object handler and digital interactives for museums by Canalside Studios (University of Huddersfield).

Presented with the problem of how to design and develop digital interactive content for museum displays that would satisfy the expectations of younger audiences (the Xbox generation), academic staff from the Serious Games Research Group and the Arms and Armour Research Groups at the University of Huddersfield worked with staff from the Royal Armouries in Leeds to develop a series of prototype digital interactives for display at the museum.
The Interactive media projects included a 3D virtual object handler, armour fighting game and a variation of the Top Trumps game. This poster presents a case study of this work, reflecting on both the development of the digital interactives and what Canalside Studios learnt about the differences in ways of working between the commercial and third sector clients. It highlights the multidisciplinary nature of heritage visualisation and the complexities of designing software for the Xbox generation within the constraints of a museum environment. We reflect on how our experience of working with the Royal Armouries developed our understanding of the role of universities in Knowledge Exchange and Translational Research.