Che forte!

Che forte! - An Android APP to visualize WWI fort sites

The CheForte! project leads to the creation of an Android app that enables visitors to five of Trentino’s finest WWI fort sites to visualise the forts’ original structures over the existing remains, using Augmented Reality and their smartphones. The app takes a 3D model of each fort and, after an alignment process, renders the model in the correct perspective into the environment through a smartphone.

The CheForte! project was a collaboration between FBK researchers and students from Liceo Scientifico Galileo Galilei (Trento) to introduce, stimulate and educate students in the power of Augmented Reality development tools and the potential of the Unity platform. The students were supported by FBK’s know-how in this domain and they were actively encouraged to gather technical knowledge from the AR and Unity developer communities, as autonomously as possible, to give them a taste of the real world of app development.

Goal - The vision behind the CheForte! project was to provide visitors to Trentino with an app that would empower them to see the forts in their original state, actually in-situ, rather than from behind a computer screen in their homes. The app was designed using Unity3D for visualisation and interaction, and Wikitude’s SDK plugin for the Augmented Reality tools. The reconstructed models of the forts were created during the VAST (VAlorizzazione Storia e Territorio) project, which aimed to enhance the cultural and exhibition offerings of museums located in the "Altopiani" region. The app’s flexible design offers developers the possibility to insert more forts thanks to its modular design and structured database of installations.