A Thai software developer has developed an augmented reality (AR) application to be used in commemorative brochures, which will allow mourners to access information on the late King and the cremation ceremony in 3D.
"The commemorative brochures will bring a digital experience to Thais mourning the late King," said Apichai Rungsiripiyakull, chief executive of augmented reality developer OS Corporation Co, and member of the subcommittee on commemorative brochures under the Culture Ministry.
Through AR, the application can display details that cannot be fit onto the event's paper-based commemorative brochure.
The paper-based brochure was designed by Yodkwan Sawatdee of Silpakorn University's Faculty of Decorative Arts. The AR application will display information and pictures over the paper.
Users need to download the ARZIO application via Google Play or Apple's App Store. Users can then view images in 3D after taking a picture of the brochure through the app.
On the front page of brochure, the app will display 12 digital photo galleries depicting various stages of the late King's life.
On the back of the brochure, the app will display a 3D model of the crematorium, which will allow users to zoom into different details depending on the brochure angle.
To achieve this, the company used 3D software to build a model of the crematorium and then integrate real photographs to refine the texture details of the model.
"The hardest part of developing the app was to make it work even on low-end smartphones," said Mr Apichai.
The Culture Ministry's commemorative brochures come in three versions and will be handed out to mourners during and after the late King's cremation ceremony.
The first and second versions are in Thai and English, respectively, and contain information on the late King's life, his royal duties and the royal cremation ceremony.
A total of 9.6 million Thai brochures and 100,000 English brochures will be distributed to people participating in the sandalwood flower-laying ceremony in Thailand and abroad.
The last version will be given out during the special exhibition to be held from Nov 1-30, after the royal cremation. This last brochure will focus on the late King's life, the ten royal virtues and all elements of the royal cremation ceremony, including the royal crematorium and accompanying structures such as the royal carriages and palanquins. A total of 600,000 copies of the third version will be made available.
