A digital library for 3D models of landmark buildings has started a trial run, the Ministry of Culture and Ministry of Science and Technology announced yesterday.
The Taiwan Digital Asset Library, a collaborative project between the two ministries, aims to collect virtual models of cultural assets that can be used for audiovisual creation, Minister of Culture Cheng Li-chiun (鄭麗君) said.
It has collected 100 digital models, including of the Kikumoto Department Store (菊元百貨) and of the demolished China Plaza (中華商場), which lined the train tracks on Zhonghua Road in Taipei’s Ximending area (西門町) until 1992, she said.
Kikumoto was the first Japanese-built department store in Taiwan, she said, adding that local creators are encouraged to make good use of the models to tell more stories about Taiwan.
Fort San Domingo (紅毛城) in New Taipei City’s Tamsui District (淡水), the West Gate Red House (西門紅樓) in Taipei and the Siluo Bridge (西螺大橋) in Yunlin County are among 26 existing buildings that have been made into 3D models, the culture ministry said.
The models of China Plaza are scheduled to be used by the Public Television Service to produce a drama series based on Wu Ming-yi’s (吳明益) novel The Magician on the Bridge (天橋上的魔術師), it said.
Filmmaker Kent Chang (張永昌), who is working on a film adaptation of the comic book Scrolls of a Northern City (北城百畫帖, Pei Cheng Pai Hua Tieh) by AKRU, otherwise known as Shen Ying-chieh (沈穎杰), said he is using models of Kikumoto to recreate 1930s Taipei.
The former department store on Boai Road has been listed as a historic building and is owned by the Cathay Financial Group, culture ministry Information Technology Division Deputy Director Chen Ying-fang (陳瑩芳) said, adding that only part of its original interior remains.
Moonshine Animations, which was commissioned to produce the digital models, collects between 1,500 and 2,000 pictures for a structure before making its model, company chief executive Lin Chia-chi (林家齊) said.
Using graphic processing units offered by the National Center for High-performance Computing, the firm needs only about five hours to process the images — an activity that used to take a week, Lin said.
Besides recreating old buildings, the models would help Taiwanese artists “take their space in the world’s virtual dimension,” Minister of Science and Technology Chen Liang-gee (陳良基) said.
The library is open for non-commercial use under the global Creative Commons license, while its licensing for commercial use is to be directed by the yet-to-be-established “cultural content promotion institute” (文化內容策進院), Cheng said, calling on lawmakers to support the institute’s establishment.
INTERNATIONAL WEED DAY: Advocates are to hold a demonstration to push for the decriminalization of marijuana and allowing its use for treatment of certain conditions It is time for Taiwanese society to examine the medical benefits of cannabis, in line with the international trend to lift restrictions on and decriminalize the use of marijuana, two legislators said yesterday, ahead of tomorrow’s “Rally for Equal Rights for Cannabis” in Taipei. Taiwan is one of a few countries holding a “420 International Weed Day” event — which usually takes place around the April 20 weekend — as most nations have canceled it this year because of the COVID-19 pandemic, said organizer Green Sensation, which is composed of doctors, lawyers and entertainers, among others. The group released a
DIALOGUE SOUGHT: Washington said it was concerned about the pattern of ongoing attempts to intimidate Taiwan after the 10th day of PLA activity in the region The US on Monday urged Beijing to stop its multifaceted pressure campaign against Taiwan after China sent 25 military jets into Taiwan’s air defense identification zone. “The United States notes with concern the pattern of ongoing PRC [People’s Republic of China] attempts to intimidate the region, including Taiwan,” a US Department of State spokesperson said in an e-mail response to questions. “We urge Beijing to cease its military, diplomatic and economic pressure against Taiwan, and instead engage in meaningful dialogue with Taiwan.” The Ministry of National Defense said that 25 Chinese military aircraft entered the zone on Monday. It was the 10th straight
‘NOT ENTHUSIASTIC’: People who have been approved by the CECC as special cases who need to travel, such as foreign diplomats, would be able to receive a vaccine The Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) yesterday expanded the eligibility for COVID-19 vaccination to the fourth priority group — people who need to travel abroad for special reasons — adding that out-of-pocket vaccines would be available from Wednesday next week. Minister of Health and Welfare Chen Shih-chung (陳時中), who heads the center, said although Taiwan’s COVID-19 vaccination program was on Monday expanded to include the top three groups in the priority list, people are still “not enthusiastic” about getting vaccinated. “Only 1,220 people received a vaccine shot on Tuesday, and a total of 27,113 people have received COVID-19 vaccination” so far, he
CAUTION: People should drink at least 1.5 liters of water per day, while men can eat pumpkin seeds to protect the prostate, a doctor in Taipei said Holding urine for long periods could lead to an atonic bladder, or could cause inflammation of the urinary tract, hematuria or renal retention, a urologist said. Chang Fu-chung (張甫仲), a doctor at Taipei Hospital’s Department of Urology, on Friday last week said that the hospital admitted a 38-year-old woman who complained of a sharp, stinging pain when urinating. Chang said he diagnosed her with urethritis, based on her symptoms and darker-colored urine. The top three groups of people who usually hold off going to the restroom are women, middle-aged and older people with prostatic hyperplasia, and those who fail to drink enough water
RSS