visit – Temple Study

Sistine Chapel as a 3D Virtual Reality Simulation

March 10, 2013 by Bryce Haymond 2 Comments

A screen capture of my recreation of the Sistine Chapel in virtual reality. (Click to enlarge)

Seven years ago in 2006 I did a project as part of a course at BYU. The object of the project was to produce something substantially creative. I decided to recreate the Sistine Chapel as a computer generated virtual simulation. Since most people may not have a chance to visit the real Sistine Chapel, this would give them a chance to see this remarkable place, examine it, walk around, and view the masterpieces that adorn its walls. So I recreated the Sistine Chapel in a format called Virtual Reality Markup Language (VRML), reconstructing all of the high resolution photos I could find of the artwork on the walls and ceiling. Of course, the simulation falls short of the actual experience, as most simulations do, but it gives a good approximation. [Read more…]

Seeing the Face of God in the Temple – Part 1

April 10, 2011 by Bryce Haymond 23 Comments

The Israelite high priest sees God face-to-face upon the Ark of the Covenant

The Doctrine and Covenants section 93 verse 1 reads:

Verily, thus saith the Lord: It shall come to pass that every soul who forsaketh his sins and cometh unto me, and calleth on my name, and obeyeth my voice, and keepeth my commandments, shall see my face and know that I am; (D&C 93:1)

This superlative promise was one of the foundations of Joseph Smith’s restoration, and whose revelations repeated throughout his calling as God’s prophet: [Read more…]

Vancouver British Columbia Temple Open House Announced

April 7, 2010 by Bryce Haymond 2 Comments

Celestial Room in Vancouver British Columbia Temple

Today the Church announced the public open house of the Vancouver British Columbia Temple, which will be the 131st temple of the Church. It is beautiful.

If you are in the area, you might want to see if you can visit. The tours run from April 9th through the 24th. The Church has produced an invitation that you can give to friends or family. The dedication will be held on May 2, 2010.

As always, the temple has been constructed of only the finest materials:

The temple’s exterior is covered with Branco Siena granite from Brazil…

The interior features beautifully grained hardwood from the west coast of Africa. British Columbia’s provincial flower, the Pacific dogwood, is used as a motif in the decorative painting and intricate carpet sculpting. Artwork depicting the native beauty of British Columbia graces the walls of the temple.

Here is a short video about the temple by the Church as well.

Poll – Top Things that Interfere with Regular Temple Attendance?

November 4, 2009 by Bryce Haymond 24 Comments

Elder Richard G. Scott

In the April General Conference earlier this year Elder Richard G. Scott spoke about the temple. He said:

I have seen that many times individuals have made great sacrifices to go to a distant temple. But when a temple is built close by, within a short time, many do not visit it regularly. I have a suggestion: When a temple is conveniently nearby, small things may interrupt your plans to go to the temple. Set specific goals, considering your circumstances, of when you can and will participate in temple ordinances. Then do not allow anything to interfere with that plan. This pattern will guarantee that those who live in the shadow of a temple will be as blessed as are those who plan far ahead and make a long trip to the temple. ((Elder Scott, “Temple Worship: The Source of Strength and Power in Times of Need,” April 2009 General Conference.))

As Elder Scott suggested, one way to succeed in attending the temple regularly is to identity those things that interfere, and either eliminate them, work around them, or correct them.

So, we come to the poll below (only visible on the website). This poll is completely anonymous. Feel free to explain your choices, or “other” selection, in the comments, and how you plan to overcome your interferences.

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360° Panoramas of Temple Square

July 24, 2009 by Bryce Haymond 2 Comments

360° panoramas of Temple Square let you look around as if you were there.

Dr. William Hamblin has put together some very cool high resolution 360° panoramas of different locations on Temple Square in Salt Lake City. And they really are 360°. You can look in all different directions, including up and down. It gives the impression of standing on the spot. Well done!

The locations he has included are:

West of the Salt Lake Temple (next to Tabernacle)
In between Assembly Hall and Tabernacle
East of the Salt Lake Temple
South of the Salt Lake Temple
Near the South Visitor’s Center
Christus statue in the North Visitor’s Center
Conference Center auditorium
Tabernacle interior

You get the best effect if you zoom in just a little. You can zoom in and out by using the shift and Ctrl keys on your keyboard. You can move around by clicking and dragging with your mouse.

I’ve always been impressed by how new technologies can take us places for fun or practical purposes. I’ve written about visiting Utah temples with Google Street View, modeling temples in 3D with Google’s Sketchup, using Microsoft’s Photosynth technology to virtually zoom around Temple Square, or how the Church uses computer rendering to envision future temples. Dr. Hamblin’s panoramas are a welcome addition!

See the 360° Panoramas of Temple Square