As part of the Korea Heritage Service 2017 Digital Cultural Heritage Content Production Project, TRIC developed a mixed reality (VR + AR) educational experience centered on Suwon Hwaseong Fortress, a UNESCO World Heritage site.
Through the same project, TRIC had previously built a complete digital heritage model database for key structures within Suwon Hwaseong. Each component was modeled to be fully disassembled and reassembled, optimized for VR and AR applications. However, due to the limitations of smartphone processing power, the mobile-based MR content—one of the core deliverables of the project—faced constraints in achieving high visual fidelity.
To overcome the inevitable drop in quality on mobile platforms, TRIC devised an innovative solution that combines MR content with tangible cultural heritage replicas to enhance both content richness and educational impact.
In collaboration between TRIC’s replication and content development teams, the Hwaseong Seongyeok Uigwe (Royal Protocols of Hwaseong Construction), held by Gyujanggak, was reproduced as a physical facsimile. This facsimile served as an image marker to trigger the MR content. Users could physically interact with the Uigwe reproduction, gaining hands-on insight into the sophisticated architectural philosophy and techniques of King Jeongjo and Jeong Yak-yong in the 18th century.
As users turn the pages, 3D visualizations of the buildings—rising directly from the Uigwe—are activated through AR and VR, accompanied by narration. This immersive storytelling approach provides an intuitive and multidimensional understanding of both the protocol and the fortress itself.
The final product comprises an educational facsimile of the Hwaseong Seongyeok Uigwe printed on durable hanji paper, along with a custom-designed cardboard viewer in the shape of the Uigwe, compatible with users’ smartphones.
Following its debut at the Korea Heritage Service showcase exhibition, the content has been distributed to educational institutions through the Cultural Heritage Administration and Suwon City.
