Gettysburg 3D Experience
Gettysburg 3D is a 1:1 scale digital reconstruction of the 1863 battlefield, built using Unreal Engine, LIDAR data, and historical records. It restores terrain, buildings, and land-cover to their original states, enabling users to explore the battlefield virtually on screen or in VR. The project aims to make Gettysburg accessible to all, with future plans to animate troop movements in real time.
Client
Adams County Historical Society, National Park Service, Smithsonian
Service Provided
3D Simulation, VR
The Goal:
Re-create Gettysburg as it was in July 1863—at 1:1 scale, in real time, with historically accurate terrain, land-cover, buildings, and ultimately animated regiments—so anyone can “walk the battlefield” through a screen or VR headset.
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The Challenge:
The project faced two core challenges: first, achieving historical fidelity in a landscape transformed by 160 years of development, erosion, and modern infrastructure. Raw LIDAR data had to be painstakingly “de-modernized” and hand-corrected using 1868–69 Warren maps and period photographs to accurately restore the battlefield’s original topography. Second, access to the real site remains limited due to travel costs, mobility barriers, and classroom constraints—preventing many students, researchers, and descendants from experiencing Gettysburg in person. This project seeks to overcome both challenges by creating a historically accurate, immersive digital experience accessible to all.
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The Result
To date, I built a terrain and land-cover prototype using LIDAR data and Unreal Engine, accurately sculpting key features like Seminary Ridge, Devil’s Den, and Cemetery Hill, and overlaying 19th-century farms, orchards, and fences from archival sources. They released an interactive, layered digital map that allows users to explore the historic battlefield today, with plans to animate 150,000 soldiers based on after-action reports—transforming a solo passion project into a collaborative platform for educators, historians, and technologists.
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