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A Living Landscape: Interstate Plastics Lays the Foundation for Valles Caldera's New "Phygital" Exhibit
It isn't every day that you get to control a volcanic eruption, trigger a meteor strike, or watch centuries of ecology shift in seconds. But at the newly opened Volcano Discovery Center in Valles Caldera National Preserve, visitors get to do just that.
To bridge the gap between the digital world and physical reality, the project creators turned to Interstate Plastics, an Interstate Advanced Materials company, to supply the critical foundation for a seamless "phygital" experience.
The centerpiece of the exhibit is a massive, sophisticated 12-foot 3D topographic map. It serves as a dynamic projection surface where visitors use touchscreens to "paint" the landscape with data, allowing them to simulate complex natural phenomena such as wildfires, animal migrations, and geologic history in real time.
[Watch the experience live on YouTube] to see how the physical and digital worlds merge.
Creating this immersive environment posed a unique challenge: the team didn't just need a screen; they required a physical terrain capable of being machined into extreme detail while providing a perfectly smooth surface for high-definition projection mapping. Standard materials wouldn't cut it because wood grain would ruin the illusion, and standard foam warps under projection heat.
Interstate Plastics' material specialists worked closely with the design team to select 4-inch-thick High-Density Urethane (HDU) Precision Board (PBLT-15). HDU Precision Board was critical to the project's success because its smooth, non-porous surface supported high-fidelity projection mapping, and its stability across temperature and humidity prevented warping. This ensures that the physical terrain always aligns with the digital projection, maintaining a seamless experience for every visitor.
The result is a stunning educational tool, creating an interactive environment that transforms static terrain into living history. Visitors can now visualize complex environmental changes through a tangible, memorable reality.
Interstate Plastics continues to be a leading partner for designers and engineers looking to turn digital concepts into physical realities. For help with your next project, call Interstate Plastics at (888) 768-5759.
Interstate Advanced Materials, the parent company of Interstate Plastics, is a nationwide distributor of plastic sheet, rod, tube, and film. With 10 locations across the U.S., we offer a full range of stock shapes, precise cut-to-size services, complex CNC manufacturing, and superior technical support. Built on a 45-year reputation for quality products and exceptional service, Interstate Advanced Materials delivers trusted, rapid, and dependable solutions for diverse industries ranging from semiconductor to food processing, ensuring that every customer receives high-performance materials to enhance their operations.
