An accurate reconstruction of Bologna history by CINECA. (This video is just the first few minutes of the full movie).

CINECA writes:

Apa the Etruscan and 2700 years of Bologna History, a joint production Cineca and Genus Bononiae, is the first 3D stereoscopic Blender-made movie with high historical standards applied to an entire city with four different geo-referenced scenarios and seven historical periods: Etruscan, Roman, Medieval, Renaissance, XVII and XVIII century and the present day.
The methodology developed for this inter-disciplinary realization used only open source tools, except for City Engine adopted in the procedural modelling. The movie is currently shown at the Museo della Storia di Bologna.

Technical details:

The production repository consists in more then 10.000 files for 15GB (circa 380 Blender files), 18 scenes, 100 shots for a two year work involving 40 people

Total running time: 15’59’’

Blender versions:

• Blender 2.49b for modelling, rigging, compositing and rendering with self-developed stereo camera
• Blender 2.50alpha for experimental volumetric cloud effects
• Blender 2.61 for video editing

Links

• Genus Bononiae – museums in the city: the 3D movie
• Palazzo Pepoli. Museo della Storia di Bologna