Munich Marvel: Experience Olympiapark – 3D Printed Model with Augmented Reality Enhancements

"Visit the Olympiapark from a new and immersive perspective."

What it is about

Imagine a space that can be experienced tangibly yet features hidden secrets, impossible to gasp if you don’t know how. Our project is an attempt to recreate the most recognizable sights of the Olympiapark as a 3D-printed model, onto which a augmented reality (AR) layer is overlaid. The model itself allows the viewer to gaze at the park from the new perspective, where details such as buildings, paths the lake are truly tangible. Scanning one of the QR codes on the model redirects the user to some insightful information about some of the most significant landmarks of the park.

How we built it

To create an accurate representation of the Olympiapark, we first had to acquire digital elevation model for the area from the Bavarian OpenData portal. The 2D terrain elevation data served as a height-extruding factor for the Orthophoto image. The image was used to carve features manually in-Blender from the terrain geometry. These include paths, buildings, stadiums and a lake. Later, the model was exported from Blender to a file that can be 3D-printed. Then, the whole has been printed, painted and enhanced with the AR overlay, created using the MyWebAR application.

Challenges we ran into

The geometry needed adjustments in order to be printed and printing took around 228 hours. Painting required immense precision and patience. The AR overlay uses QR codes which were tough to nicely integrate with the model.

What we're proud of

Our project seems to be a surprisingly accurate and interactive depiction of the real Olympiapark. It’s a successful integration of the first encounter with 3D printing and previous experiences with 3D modeling and AR.

What we learned

Each of us learnt how to create a spatial-data based models, how to materialize them in real-life and what are the challenges of integrating such models with AR experience. We realized how time-consuming and challenging it is.

What's next

The AR part could be extended, with more points of interests and functionalities. We can now use our skills to learn more about 3D-based depictions in the future and seek further developments in the area.