[Seminole Chronicle]

The eye-popping visual effect of 3D has taken over movies and television and is now taking over the city of Orlando.

Architecture students at the University of Central Florida, in partnership with the UCF Synthetic Reality Lab, the city of Orlando, FARO and the Orlando chapter of the American Institute of Architects, are creating a 3D representation of Orlando using old photographs, written and oral histories, and infrastructure images.

This 3D rendering of The City Beautiful will show future generations what Orlando is like today and will also become a valuable tool for police and firefighters.

“We would like to have a virtual representation of the city to be used for planning purposes for everything across the board: infrastructure, street drainage, fire rescue, police training,” Holly Stenger, a city project manager and architect, said in a release. “It’s a planning tool. The images also could be used to refurbish buildings if they are damaged by a hurricane, fire or some other disaster.”…

So far, 75 buildings have been modeled, including the Orlando Public Library and Howard Middle School, which used to serve as Orlando High School. …

Thomas McPeek, an assistant professor at UCF’s School of Visual Arts & Design said that this will be an ongoing project and as of now, there is no set date for completion.

See the full story here: http://www.seminolechronicle.com/vnews/display.v/ART/2012/03/01/4f4e34edef317