Deakin’s 3D project takes Ute back to the future

A TEAM OF researchers from Deakin’s Waurn Ponds campus are in the process of developing a 3D version of the Ford Falcon Ute as part of a project to explore Geelong’s industrial design heritage.

The 3D images of a 2009 Ford Falcon XR6 will be used to create a virtual reality (VR) pop-up museum experience during Geelong Design Week 2020.

It will also include images of an original 1934 Ford Ute which will see people flip through visuals indicative of the ute’s progression over time.

Doctor Kaja Antlej, from Deakin’s CADET VR Lab in the School of Engineering, said the project aimed to pay homage to Geelong’s tradition as a city of innovation and creativity.

“Since its earliest days as Australia’s wool capital, Geelong has been a significant industrial city and car manufacturing one of our most visible industries,” Dr Antlej said.

“But we didn’t just make cars, we invented a quintessentially Australian vehicle that helped shape our collective identity.

“By drawing on transdisciplinary skills from the School of Engineering, School of Communication and Creative Arts and the School of Humanities and Social Sciences we will examine our history as a city of invention and explore the idea of a post-industrial future.”

Geelong Design Week, set to run from March 19-29, will celebrate forward-thinking and the effects it has on the community’s landscape.

While the research team is yet to finalise the 3D imaging session for the 1934 model Ute (informally known as the “kangaroo chaser”), last week saw 3D specialist Max Rahrig, a researcher from the Centre of Heritage Conservation Studies and Technologies at Germany’s University of Bamberg, offer his expertise.

Mr Rahrig said the project would show the possibilities of modern 3D technologies for documenting cultural heritage.

“Not only will this project result in the most accurate digital documentation and preservation of the heritage object itself, but it gives us the chance to present and explore culture in an innovative and outstanding way.

“In doing so, it will improve our understanding of how VR heritage experiences can empower the local community and create stimulating learning environments and resources for museums, schools and individuals.”