Temporal Manipulation of the Duomo

Key Takeaways

• Gaussian splat scans capture Duomo day/night
• Ultraleap gestures enable real-time temporal transitions
• TouchDesigner renders interactive 3D point cloud
• Project showcases spatial computing for cultural heritage
• Future installations could engage local communities in Milan

Summary

"Temporal Manipulation of the Duomo" lets visitors swipe between day and night scans of Milan’s cathedral using hand gestures. The project combines XGRIDS PortalCam Gaussian splat captures with TouchDesigner rendering and Ultraleap Leap Motion tracking. Team members Josette Seitz and Ian Wallace fused spatial capture, creative coding, and interaction design to create a real‑time, gesture‑driven 3D experience. The installation demonstrates how large‑scale cultural landmarks can become interactive digital artifacts.

Pulse Analysis

Spatial capture technologies have moved beyond static photogrammetry, and Gaussian splat rendering is at the forefront of this evolution. Using an XGRIDS PortalCam, the team recorded high‑density point clouds of the Duomo under contrasting lighting conditions, preserving subtle architectural details that traditional meshes often lose. The resulting radiance‑field data feeds directly into TouchDesigner, enabling fluid, high‑resolution visualizations that respond instantly to user input, a capability that positions the project as a benchmark for immersive cultural‑heritage digitization.

The interaction model hinges on Ultraleap’s Leap Motion controller, which translates natural hand swipes into temporal navigation commands. Participants stand before a monitor and, with a simple left‑or‑right motion, shift the cathedral’s appearance from daylight to nocturnal illumination. This gesture‑first approach eliminates conventional UI friction, offering a tactile, embodied experience that aligns with emerging trends in spatial computing and mixed reality. By mapping physical movement to data transformation, the installation showcases a new paradigm where the body becomes the primary interface for exploring complex 3D datasets.

Beyond the novelty of a swipe‑controlled cathedral, the project signals broader commercial and educational opportunities. Museums, tourism boards, and city planners can leverage similar pipelines to create interactive exhibits that invite locals and visitors to engage with heritage sites in situ. Scaling the system for public installations in Milan could foster community ownership of digital twins, while the underlying workflow—capture, splat processing, real‑time rendering, and gesture mapping—offers a replicable template for other landmarks. As spatial computing ecosystems mature, such gesture‑driven experiences are poised to become a staple of cultural storytelling and immersive learning.