Summary
This paper presents an inaccessible Buddhist temple in the Myanmar city of Bagan as a case study for the realization of a VR experience that aims at providing accessibility to knowledge and therefore a better understanding of the cultural value. In order to evaluate the effectiveness of the VR for this purpose, a user study has been conducted and its results are reported. The VR resulted to be effective in allowing users to recognize materials, features and state of conservation of the temple, as well as an understanding of its features and dimensions.

Innovative VR tools and techniques
- Creation of a computer game and a VR experience very high in quality and resembling the features of the original sources of the temple, but light enough to be able to be run in Unreal Engine.
- VR can raise awareness about cultural heritage among users and actively help conservation experts in their research.
- The popular requests regarded the addition of audio and written information when pointing at some specific items, as well as lightning control and being able to zoom on some elements.
- VR is better regarded than serious games when virtually visiting cultural heritage.

VR in education
- VR can be an effective tool to allow users to recognize materials, features and state of conservation of buildings.
- VR with high resolution and high level of detail can contribute to both the enjoyment of the users and to the actual understanding of the cultural heritage’s features and dimensions.