Category Archives: Digital Studio

New Digital Studio Equipment

This semester the Digital Studio (O’Neill Library, room 205) has been upgrading the equipment in the Podcasting Room and Sound Room, some of which is ready for use and some of which will be ready soon.

In the Podcasting Room, we now have:

Besides being higher quality than the Blue Yeti microphone (still available in the space), the Rode Procasters provide a more professional recording experience. Instructions on how to use the mics are available in our Multimedia Production Guide

We are also in the process of setting up a Padcaster Studio for use in the Podcasting Room. This easy to use video production system will allow the BC community to record things like interviews and presentations.  

In the Sound Room, we are currently installing new acoustic panels, which will improve recording quality. We are also going to be making a Logitech C922 Pro Stream Webcam available that will allow for higher quality video capture. We see this as being of particular value to faculty who want to record presentation videos for online or hybrid courses.

Please email us if you have any questions, including about equipment availability.

3D Models in the Classroom: Every Rock has a Story

In collaboration with CDIL, the DS team digitized a series of rock specimens utilized in Prof. Ethan Baxter’s Fall 2021 Earth and Environmental Sciences class, Every Rock has a Story, to be used in interactive videos and, eventually AR experiences. A total of approximately 35 rocks were digitized (see examples), a subsample of the more than 60 3D models that were created this year through a combination of photogrammetry and laser scanning (see our collection). (See the Digital Studio’s 3D technologies page.)

Apple’s Reality Composer, a Free AR App

In collaboration with the Center for Digital Innovation in Learning (CDIL), Digital Scholarship and the BC Libraries have begun exploring the use of AR experiences in teaching and research. As part of this effort, we have been experimenting with Apple’s Reality Composer, a free AR app that allows for the creation of basic AR experiences without the need for coding skills. Here you will find a series of AR projects created with it. Clicking the image on an iPhone or iPad* will automatically open the model.

*Currently, these experiences are only accessible through Apple iPhones or iPads running an up-to-date iOS. We have iPads and Reality Composer as part of our 3D modeling station.


Animated robot AR model as seen on the Apple Quick Look gallery


Lion-headed stamp AR model created in the BC Digital Studio

Simple 3D models in Apple’s .usdz format allows them to be opened in AR and to be in a WordPress or Omeka page, as seen here. Clicking the image on an iPhone or iPad will automatically open the model in AR when pointed at a horizontal surface; clicking on a Mac or PC will download the AR file.

The two models above are simply models, but using Apple’s Reality Composer allows you to create more complex experiences with basic interactions without needing to code.

In the example below, built for a Boston College biology class, 3D models of hominid skulls were created using photogrammetry, uploaded into Sketchfab, and placed in AR to share with students, in order to replicate the experience of engaging with the models in the classroom.

Simply click the 2D image of a skull, and the AR experience will begin to load. Please note that the experience may take 15 seconds to 1 minute or so to load depending on the iPhone or iPad in use and the internet connection, and requires a flat, horizontal anchoring surface.

AR experience created by Nina Araújo; 3D models by Matt Naglak.


Hominoid skull

A second example was created using 3D models of an active excavation site just outside of Rome, Italy. It allows users to “re-excavate” a specific ancient tomb on the site and see the specialized burial technique that was utilized. The experience opens at life-size, so a relatively open space is necessary (Trigger warning: a 3D model of an adult skeleton uncovered which dates to around 100 BC is shown). 3D models by the Gabii Project; AR experience by Matt Naglak.


Ancient tomb outside of Rome Italy

Interested in AR but on a Google or Android device? Check out the variety of AR apps available for download from Google Arts and Cultures or from the Google AR/VR page. Note these apps are mostly also available on Apple products as well.

Check Out Our Podcasting Room

This post is by Melanie Hubbard, Digital Scholarship Librarian for Instruction.

Podcasting Room
A student recording with Audacity in the Podcasting Room.

The Podcasting Room in The Digital Studio, found on the 2nd floor of the O’Neill Library, provides an opportunity to create your own podcast (and other kinds of audio projects). What makes it a “podcasting room”? It’s the equipment–the mics and the software. There is also the acoustic paneling that reduces sound reflection (reverb). The room’s furniture and size are part of it since it allows people to record podcasts in small groups. (Except for during COVID. Sorry! Only one person can be in the room at a time.)

I love podcasts, and I know I am not alone. (To say they are popular would be a massive understatement.) If you’re similar to me, you like them because you love stories, learning new things, and listening to people having interesting conversations. I’m also drawn to podcasts because I am interested in sound as a creative medium. My background includes a certain amount of professional audio experience, so I have a special appreciation for this kind of work, and I am excited to see (and hear) the projects our students create and the sort of audio-based assignments our faculty design. 

Audacity is an open source sound recording and editing platform.

Working with sound can be a little intimidating since it’s easier for us to identify “bad sound” than to figure out how to create “good sound.” The Podcasting Room is here to set you up for greater success as am I, who can consult on your projects. This fall, the O’Neill Library will also be offering an asynchronous workshop, Working with Sound: Introduction to Audio Recording and Editing, which will be available on October 1. You are welcome to join the group or conduct the workshop later on your own, as it will remain online indefinitely.

What’s in the Podcasting Room? There is a Mac with the audio applications GarageBand and Audacity, a well-known and widely-used open-source recording software, two Audio Technica AT2005USB microphones, and two pairs of Audio Technica ATH-M20x headphones. (Read more)

Want to use the Podcasting Room? Visit the Podcasting Room page to make a reservation.

Need Help? Email digitalstudio@bc.edu for questions regarding the Podcasting Room or consultations on audio projects.