Developing Virtual Storytellers for the Virtual Alhambra

Thanks to the technological advances in the last ten years, the recreation of 3D virtual worlds is becoming increasingly popular in several application fields. Desktop virtual reality is one of the best ways of reaching a good number of users through this technology. With the aim of improving the development of desktop virtual reality applications and increasing the relevance of the virtual experience, we defined the Virtual Reality Framework (VRF). This framework supports the creation of interactive systems for personalized and group guided tours in virtual worlds. The VRF can incorporate functionalities including context-sensitive information that a virtual guide will tell a user or group of users in a personalized manner. User interaction with the environment and with the intelligent virtual guides will lead to changes in the story told during the tour. In this paper we describe the Virtual Alhambra Project, which was the project that brought the VRF into being.