THis is a draft of the power point to be used for a narration of how we made the animation of Pluckemin

1. The Making of The Pluckemin Animation

2. • This project started as a result of an informal request from the Friends of the Jacobus
Vanderveer House so they could provide an interpretation of the Pluckemin Artillery
Cantonment for visitors to their museum.
• Washington College got involved for some very good reasons:
– Dr. John Seidel, Director of the Washington College Center for Environment and
Society, did his PhD Dissertation on “The archaeology of the American Revolution: A
reappraisal & case study at the Continental Artillery Cantonment of 1778-1779,
Pluckemin, New Jersey” for the University of Pennsylvania in 1987 and has extensive
knowledge of the historic site.
– The Washington College Geographic Information Systems Laboratory, part of the
Center for Environment and Society, has extensive experience in creating 3D
visualizations and a qualified team of energetic student apprentices to work on the
project.
http://www.jvanderveerhouse.com/
http://ces.washcoll.edu/
http://gis.washcoll.edu/

3. Project Goal
To create a preliminary visualization of the
Pluckemin Artillery Cantonment that can be
used as a tool to further explore how the site
looked, how the buildings were constructed, and
to act as a first step to creating a more accurate
visualization of the site.

4. Washington College Team
• John Siedel, Director, Center for Environment and Society
• Stewart Bruce, GIS Program Coordinator
• Katherine Wares
• Tyler Brice
• Jimmy Bigwood
• Mariah Perkins
• Caitlyn Riehl
• Cara Murray
• Heather Black
• Gavin Townsend
• Alexander Lucas
• Erin Cooper

5. Software Used
• ESRI ArcGIS Desktop, Spatial Analyst, and
ArcScene
• Google Sketch-Up
• Geoweb3D
• Fraps
• Camtasia Studio
• Adobe After Effects

6. Hardware Used
• HP xw8600 Workstations with dual Quad-Core
Intel® Xeon® Processors and 8 GB of ECC RAM
• Special thanks to NVIDIA for their donation of
a Quadro 6000 with 6 GB of graphic memory
and worth $4,000

7. Primary Challenges
• None of the buildings exist now to use as
references and the exact location of the
footprints is only estimated from the
archeological evidence.
• The site has been almost completely developed
so the base aerial image had to be created
• The topography of the site has been severely
altered due to development so a new digital
terrain model had to be constructed

9. The Academy

13. Soldiers Barracks

14. Slope
We estimate a 40 to 60 foot drop in elevation from the top to
the bottom of the barracks
Therefore the barracks did not look like the Lille drawing as they had to step down the slope.

15. Report on Probable Construction
Prepared by:
A. Craig Evans/M. Jason Evans
Fine Woodwork/Restorations
464 Montclair Avenue
Bethlehem, PA 18015
August 26, 2011

16. It is likely that the room segments were approximately 30’
long (white oak or locust sill stock would have been readily
available on site or close by) with the configuration of a one
doorway serving two rooms and the fireplace providing the
bulk of a partition between the rooms. Given the slope, an
up-hill side would need to have been leveled down
approximately 15” and the lower end filled about the same to
achieve a reasonably level surface. This effort would simplify
for the intermediate sections as the excavation from one
could easily go to the upper one needing fill. Although not
actually depicted in the Lillie drawing, the roofline would
necessarily have steps along the grade.

19. Video from Katherine about the
process

25. Insert animation sequence of barracks
construction

26. Development Pressures

28. Development Pressure

31. Terrain Issues

38. The Animation

39. The Components
• The 3D Buildings developed in Google Sketch-Up
• The base aerial imagery modified from a 1953 aerial image
• A newly created Digital Elevation Model (DEM)
• Trees and tree stumps
• Artillery
• Soldiers
• Horses and wagons

40. Google 3D Warehouse

41. Continental Army Soldiers
Put here results from Alex, Erin, and Katherine

42. Video from Tyler about the process

43. Next Steps
• Review finished buildings with a team of experienced architects
knowledgeable about construction during the late 1700’s. Create more
detailed building plans that can be used to recreate more accurate 3D
models.
• Further review the detailed archeological surveys and reports to improve
placement of building footprints.
• Come up with an interior blueprint for each building to be used by 3D
modelers that will allow the viewer to go inside each building.
• Improve and enhance the base aerial imagery.
• Improve and enhance the digital elevation model to increase topographic
accuracy and realism.
• Research the various types of artillery used during the Revolutionary War
and create 3D models of each type for the visualization.
• Improve upon the 3D soldiers and other accessories used in the
animation.