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The ancient city of Ayutthaya - explorations in virtual reality and multi media Missing Architectural Elements Many of the Europeans who visited or were resident at Ayutthaya published their descriptions and impressions of the city. As most of the Thai records were destroyed when the city was razed, these publications provide some of the only information about the physical form of the monuments of Ayutthaya. Although interpreted through Eurocentric eyes, the narrative passages describe the use of gold, the materials used to construct the monuments, and the size and appearance of the buildings. For example: About an hundred paces South of the Palace there is a great Park walled in, in the middle whereof stands a vast and high Fabric built cross-ways in the manner of our Churches, having over it five solid gilt domes of Stone or Brick, and of extraordinary Architecture, the dome in the middle is far bigger than the rest, which are on the extremities and at the ends of the Cross. This Building rests upon several Bases or Pedistals, which are raised one over another, tapering and growing narrower towards the top. The way up to it on the four sides is only by narrow and steep Stairs of betwixt thirty and forty steps three hands broad apiece and all covered with gilt Calin or Tin like the Roof… These Piramides end at the top in a long very slender Cone, extremely well gilt, and supporting a Needle or Arrow of Iron, that pierces through several Christal balls of an unequal bigness. The body of those great Piramides as well as of the rest, is of a kind of Architecture that comes pretty near ours; but it has too much Sculpture upon it, and wanting both the simplicity and proportions of ours, it comes short of its beauty, at least in the eyes of those that are not accustomed to it… All the Fabrick and Piramides are inclosed in a kind of square Cloyster, above six-score common paces in length, about an hundred in breadth, and fifteen foot high. All the Galleries of the Cloyster are open towards the Pagod; the Cieling thereof is not ugly; for it is all painted and gilt after the Moresko way… ((Tachard 1688), op. cit.) In addition, contemporary Ayutthaya period monuments and physical model reconstructions were used as a source of information. Modelling The creation of the 3d CAD models of Ayutthaya commenced several years ago, and used the photogrammetric records as the basis for many of the existing chedi and buildings. The Intergraph system is capable of producing 3d CAD data from the photogrammetric record, and for the main chedi mat Wat Sri Sampet this approach was undertaken. Many of the smaller chedi were modelled from conventional photography, as the form and size were well known. The missing features like the Palace were built using the published descriptions as the basis, with dimensional control being provided from the field surveys and base maps. Decorative elements were created from existing contemporaneous examples. Material Maps: In order for a high level of realism and verisimilitude to be achieved, a library of material maps were created from scanned photographs of actual surfaces. Much of the decoration found on Thai architecture is detailed and intricate, so original textures were needed.   Figure 1: Postcards from Ayutthaya |