Research on the Reconstruction of Ancient Weaving Scenes and the Living Transmission of Techniques Based on Virtual Reality (VR)

Abstract

The main challenges to ancient weaving methods include lack of successors, the complicated nature of the methods that are hard to learn intuitively, and prohibitive cost of learning, which results in the imminent loss of this invaluable intangible cultural heritage. The given paper suggests a solution to the restoration of the old weaving scenes and the live transfer of the methods, which are based on the Virtual Reality (VR) technology. To create a knowledge base with 1847 entities and 3,251 relationships, first, field surveys are used to gather data regarding loom structure, process parameters, and videos of activities that inheritors engage in to create the knowledge base. Second, a 1:1 scale loom model is created with 3D modeling technology, with a physics engine to approximate the realistic mechanical properties of warp and weft interlacing. Third, a teaching module is developed as an interactive format, that is, the complex processes are decomposed into 72 operable units and a system of gesture recognition and haptic feedback is incorporated to create an immersive learning experience. Lastly, a multi-user collaborative system is created to assist in remote communication of masters and apprentices. System tests showed that the experimental group only needed 18.3 hours to master the skills, which was 64.9% shorter than the control group’s 52.1 hours. The operation accuracy rate reached 92.3%, which was 13.7 percentage points higher than the control group’s 78.6%. The cultural cognition score was 87.4 points, which was 1.84 times that of the control group’s 47.6 points. This effectively promoted the digital protection and intergenerational inheritance of ancient weaving techniques. The VR training workflow can use electromagnetic or optical-inertial tracking to record hand and body movements during craft learning.