The Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County (NHMLAC) and the La Brea Tar Pits have created a herd of scientifically accurate extinct animals to use in augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR).
Alongside paleontologists from La Brea Tar Pits and NHMLAC, researchers and designers at the University of Southern California (USC) have developed more than a dozen virtual models of Ice Age animals.
Extinct animals including dire wolves, saber-toothed cats, American lions and Columbian mammoths were built in a blocky, low poly style. They are available to use on Snapchat, Instagram and Sketchfab.
“The innovation of this approach is that it allows us to create scientifically accurate artwork for the metaverse without overcommitting to details where we still lack good fossil evidence,” said Dr William Swartout, chief technology officer at the USC Institute for Creative Technologies.
Mammoths, meet the metaverse
“We think paleoart is a crucial part of paleontological research,” said NHMLAC’s Dr Matt Davis. “That’s why we decided to publish all the scientific research and artistic decisions that went into creating these models. This will make it easier for other scientists and paleoartists to critique and build off our team’s work.”
Davis pointed out that paleontologists can accurately represent the shaggy fur of Shasta ground sloths because they have discovered a whole skeleton of the species with its hair and skin still preserved.
However, paleontologists have only found a few strands of hair for mastodons, meaning the thick fur pelt depicted was an artistic decision.
“Paleoart can be very influential in how the public, and even scientists, understand fossil life,” added Dr Emily Lindsey, assistant curator at La Brea Tar Pits.
Meanwhile, Disney has appointed an executive to lead its metaverse plans. Mike White will now serve as the company’s SVP of next-generation storytelling and consumer experiences.
