Hi-tech 3D centre open at college

The technology has shown how the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct was built

A hi-tech centre aimed at offering affordable 3D virtual reality for business projects has been officially opened at Aberystwyth University.

The £10.4m Visualisation Centre was unveiled by Deputy First Minister Ieuan Wyn Jones.

The technology has already helped produce 3D images of the Sun, to illustrate an historic aqueduct and how wind turbines might look on a hillside.

It is funded by the assembly government and run by university team See3D.

Director David Neill said the centre had been developed to help businesses turn their ideas into reality using 3D visualisation technology. It will also provide a service to academia.

"The technology has been around for some time, but it's been expensive," said Mr Neill.

One of the images from Nasa's Stereo spacecraft, which is taking a detailed look at solar activity. Enlarge Image

"Our aim is to make it affordable for smaller businesses.

Mr Neill said recent projects included illustrating how the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct near Llangollen, was built.

It was part of a project by the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales.

The 18th Century engineering marvel has been nominated as a World Heritage Site and the virtual reality film takes the viewer through all the processes.

"We showed how it was built and what it looked like at different stages of construction," said Mr Neill.

"We have also worked on wind farms to show how turbines might look on a hillside."

The technology has shown how the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct was built

In April, See3D produced the some of the first images of the Sun using data from the NASA STEREO (Solar TErrestrial RElations Observatory) mission to the Sun.

Professor Noel Lloyd, vice-chancellor of Aberystwyth University, said the centre was an "important development for the university".

The centre has received £6m from the Welsh Assembly Government, which includes £4.4m from the European Union's Objective 1 programme.

It has also received money from industrial partners Silicon Graphics Inc and Sun Microsystems.