Different paradigms for different spaces: showing the Montagnola Tomb inside & out.

The "Montagnola Tomb" is an Aetruscan burial mound in Sesto Fiorentino. Excavated in 1959, has never been properly opened to the public. Given the difficulty of having a full-time opening, the institutions wanted a "virtual" presentation of the hypogeum, to integrate the future visits. But which was the correct way to present such a monument? As most buildings, this tomb, too, spans across two different spaces: an outer space and an inner space. The mound is made to be seen from outside, as a monumental statement of power, and inside, as a private place of contact with the departed. Wanting to give to the visitor a complete perception of the monument, we had to work on both of these aspects, choosing for each side the correct presentation paradigm. For the outer space, the user should appreciate the shape, size and proportions of the structure, and understand the relationship between visible and invisible areas. Maquettes have been always used in museums, to present environments and reconstructions of ancient spaces. Their language is cross-cultural and accessible. By combining the language of maquettes with digital technologies, it was possible to setup an interactive presentation of the tomb structure using predefined views, cut-through sections, and transparency effects. Conversely, for the inner space, the user has to experience a sense of presence inside the mound. The paradigms of Virtual reality and immersive 3D are the perfect tools to let the viewer roam inside the tomb, and experience the inner space with an assisted navigation. We chose the web3D platform, as it ensured a wider audience, and the 3DHOP tool to implement the two viewers. We are now moving "outwards", extending the two presentation paradigms: using 3D printing to create physical maquettes, while, on the other side, porting the 3D virtual visit on immersive VR devices. Relevance for the conference: This work is focused on the design of methodologies for the effective data presentation to the public through advanced technologies Relevance for the session: The paper deal exactly with the issue of presentation paradigms, going from the physical to the immersive VR Innovation: We show how, with a careful design, iti si possible to create two specialized viewers with significantly diverse presentation paradigms, starting from the same base data and tools, and then expanding the concept to physical reproduction and VR