Real-time 3D helps to solve the mystery of the Great Pyramid of Kheops

Many construction theories have been proposed over the years, but none has withstood analysis – until now. Houdin imagined Kheops as the first significant industrial construction site in history. To refine and test his theory, he called on assistance from Dassault. As part of its ‘Passion for Innovation’ sponsorship programme, Dassault decided to help solve the 4,500-year-old mystery with its simulation software. And thus Houdin has established a theory that works and explains how the Great Pyramid was built from start to finish. Houdin’s theory is founded on three key points. First, an outside ramp was used to build the first 43 metres of the pyramid. Second, an internal spiral ramp, running behind the faces of the pyramid, was used to complete the construction. Third, there was a great gallery to accommodate an ingenious system of counterweights able to lift the heavy granite ceiling rafters (up to 63 tonnes) in the King’s Funeral Chamber. The largest real-time 3D virtual reality auditorium in the world was unveiled last week, to show the theory in action – a first for Dassault Systèmes and the Géode. Here, seven computers running Dassault Systèmes’ 3D Virtools solutions are linked in a network to recreate the Kheops construction site in 3D, exactly as it was 4,500 years ago. The system allows the presenter to move about the virtual site freely in response to the audience’s questions – linking the real and virtual worlds via an immersive, interactive 3D experience. “The Kheops event demonstrates the diversity of applications possible with ‘3D For All’, our strategy designed to benefit the general public’s daily lives with realistic interactive 3D experiences,” explains Dominique Florack, senior executive vice president, Products R&D, Dassault Systèmes.