Edinburgh - Grassmarket c1544

The Grassmarket area probably developed in the fourteenth century. It seems to have originally been outside the town walls, and in 1477, James III ordered that beasts, cows and oxen should be sold here, rather than bringing live animals into the burgh itself. In the early sixteenth century, Edinburgh’s defences were extended by the construction of the Flodden Wall, and the Grassmarket area became properly integrated into the town. In 1543, repairs were made to the ‘calsay’ (or stone road surface) in the Grassmarket, indicating that the street was already paved at this date. During the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, the Grassmarket was the scene of numerous public executions. It was referred to as ‘the street called Newbygging under the castle’. By the 1470s, the area was known as ‘Westirmart’, and seems to have been associated with the sale of timber, hats, and shoes. At the far end of the Grassmarket stood the gateway known as the West Port, which was in existence by at least 1509, and formed the western boundary of the burgh.

Firstly, a digital landscape was created using survey data and height maps. Following extensive historical research and collaboration with specialists, 3D models are created and imported into UNREAL Engine (a cross-platform game engine for creating virtual worlds). Models are textured, scaled, oriented and assembled. Scenes are created and populated with appropriate objects, including furniture and artefacts. Landscapes populated with flora and fauna. Weather settings and atmospheric lighting. Clothing and characters researched, created, imported and animated.