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​Colonia Iulia Emona - CG film of historically reconstructed Emona

In this short 3D animated film we take you on a tour of the 1st century A.D. Roman settlement of Emona. We made this informative and educational movie for the iEmona exhibit, but it was also broadcast on national television and in schools. The short movie shows an ordinary day in Emona with all the hustle and bustle typical for a town in that time period.

Our team meticulously reconstructed the city and its surrounding area. By adding 3D animated characters and props we recreated the vibrant city life of Emona.

The layout and positioning of the different structures in the city are based on data from excavations and findings by archaeologists.

Starting point for the 3D modelled landscape were actual satellite images combined with archaeological data. This information enabled us to pinpoint the exact location of farms, agricultural lands and important roads. It resulted in the realization of a historically correct 3D model of the local topography.

The 3D reconstruction of Emona is one of the larger projects we did to date. It goes without saying we've put a lot of work into it. Render times were enormous, and we used a lot of different software while designing the 3D generated environment. It was an exciting challenge for our multidisciplinary team to design the environment, characters and all the props as accurate as possible and translating these models into a cinematic experience. We are very proud of the resulting high-end 3D animated full motion movie.

We paid very close attention to the small details while designing the characters, accessories, and clothing. The team took great care in optimizing the models and all the different scenes. CtrlArts' designers combined several CG lighting techniques to come to the most aesthetically pleasing and lifelike environments. Our technical directors worked closely together with animators and the rest of the CG team creating the most efficient and optimized workflow. In this manner achieving the highest level of fluency in the motions of the 3D animated characters. Texture mapping the different characters and props in the movie was a time consuming job, but we are convinced that our efforts paid of and the objects in the movie are true-to-nature reproductions.

All the items and the clothing worn by the inhabitants of Emona are detailed 3D visualizations of genuine artifacts.

We used several camera perspectives in order to give the viewer the most complete picture of the exterior and interior of the 3D modelled buildings.

All the separate structures in the city are historically accurate and, in our modest opinion, uniquely detailed CG reconstructions of original Emona buildings. We spared no effort to even visualize the tiniest details, the foodstuffs on display in the market, the entire interior of the tavern, the inscriptions on gravestones, and the marble slab above the main gate.

The movie concludes with our reconstructed 3D version of Emona morphing into time lapse footage of modern day Ljubljana. This way placing the 3D animated Roman settlement in its exact historical location within the current city.

As mentioned before, we are very proud to have realized this project and contributed to a renewed appreciation and understanding of cultural heritage through our 3D visualizations.


Short 3D animated historical reconstruction of 1st century A.D. Roman town architecture and surrounding topography, based on archeological evidence and findings.The town’s layout is based on archeological evidence gathered in excavations of the area over the past century. The building architecture and details are partly based on direct evidence and partly reconstructed on basis of comparable archeological sources from nearby locations dated to approximately the same period as peak of Emona.

Colonia Iulia Emona was produced by CtrlArt in 2012, as part of a digital exhibit for the iEmona exhibition, MGML, Ljubljana, Slovenia.


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