Jean-Pierre Houdin about Khufu, the great pyramid and his breakthrough theory. Mehdi Tayoubi about 3D.
Some ideas are breakthroughs and reveal mysteries which themselves have been investigated for centuries. Jean-Pierre Houdin theory’s about the construction of the great pyramid of Khufu will undoubtedly be a new beginning for historians and lovers of egyptology. It is a simple idea : the pyramid from built from the inside not from the outside (as a mountain one tries to climb). An internal ramp rising spirally was used from 43 meters up while the external ramp was used up to 43 meters. Full story here.
As many visionnaries, Jean-Pierre was convinced his idea was the right one; he left his architect practice, his wife Michelle sold her gallery cum salon in Paris « Les enfants gates », and they moved back and forth between Paris and New York, getting into web design, the internet and video, investing their personnal ressources (500 000€) until they found sponsors (200 000€). I believe that Jean Pierre will now be in a position to get this theory shared and proved through additional investigations in Khufu.
The 2 corner stones of Houdin’s theory : the 1.6 km internal ramp (view from above, with the external ramp top right) and the counterweight to build the Royal chamber
Why has this theory been so successful and commented over the last few days : 1 million unique visitors since they announced it 2 weeks ago and hundreds of press coverage worldwide. In my opinion :
- it is simple and everything investigated for so many years fall into place nicely
- it is supported by strong engineering analysis, using Catia, Simulia and Delmia of Dassault Systems
- it has been endorsed by worldwide scientists and egypotologists
- it has been extremely well comunicated worldwide, supported by 3D modelisation
From 2D to 3D
Mehdi Tayoubi, director, marketing and communication, web communication, has been working with Jean-Pierre for 2 years with his team at Dassault Systèmes in a program called « Passion for Innovation ». He is a web 2.0 guy, with a strong vision about the future of interactivity, 3D and web TV. 3D is well known by engineers or gamers. Dassault Systemes wants to make it popular within new markets, such as education. The 3D application was created using Virtools, to build an experience as close to reality. I attended a private demo and one can pilot over the whole site as if you were piloting an helicopter, as well as inside and outside of the pyramid. Mehdi thinks that Virtools can have the same success as Flash for designers. Mehdi says :
In many ways, Virtools is to 3D what Flash is to 2D. It facilitates content editing and manipulation and simplifies interactivity management.
Jean-Pierre Houdin and Mehdi Tayoubi, interviewed on April 12th (in english)
@Franckp, merck à vous pour les img
Just watch the National Geographic special on Unlocking the Great Pyramid… IS IT Possible to dam up the notch in the pyramid and flood it with water and use a sensor to see where the water goes to help expose the inside ramps…
Jean-Pierre: Bravo! I saw the program on National Geographic about 6 months ago and again today De. 24th 2009. I noticed something at the great notch on the pyramid that wasnt spoken about by the interviewer but clearly shown on your ideas of the large cranes to turn the blocks. There WERE 2 HOLES IN THE FLOORS EDGES near outside of the platform of the 13′x15′ area. They were far enough apart to hold 2 poles apart and lift the blocks into place. I was an Architect for 23 years of my life also. I did not see « notches » in the floor as presented by your idea on the outer platforms but i do NOT think they are needed in order to make the idea work. I think it would have taken too much time to create notches as if train tracks and were not needed since the cranes would have been able to set the blocks down on a path needed anyway by simple use of markings on the stone floors with grease. I did see the sand there on floors too which could have been used to « shift » the blocks in place if needed also. I did also see in the stone floos towards the hole inside that there was clearly a goove the size of a pole width in floor which looked like a greased pole had been used to run the stones up from that point to the top as if on a sled.
I also think since the radiopicture from above clearly showed the ramp in outline and noticable there was « fill-in » in areas of it with stones as in the notch area where it had been filled in almost completely in order to possibly stabilize the top of the ramp and top of the pyramid itself. This seems to make sense as you could fill it in with debree stones that were no longer needed as you filled in each corner of the pyramid where the ramps met at those corners. Also the corners then could have been clearly filled with the extra sand needed to fill the voids as is shown on the corner floor. Remember the whole exterior would have been smooth and covered when finished so that would have covered any imperfections. It also clearly explains « why » there was a curiously placed beam type stone over the corners edge in the photos taken at the corner notch. If you notice that as well. Its still there spanning the two 90 degree sides. that idea could have easily been carried as a way to cover up the corners as they were being finished and exiting the pyramid after it was done at the top. I do not agree with any proposed idea the great pyramid was perfectly smooth triangles on 4 sides when done and seen in many presentations of the pyramids. I dont think that much extra material could have been then painstakingly added to the pyramid after and « covered over with plaster » finish with granite or even stone flakes and smoothed over to « glisten ». that doesnt make sense and wasnt needed either. Just as it wasnt needed in the pyramids in mayan cultures either. I do think if you see the 2 holes I am talking about in the stone floor that you can see also the groove worn in floor of the area where ramped stone went into the hole seen in show. Also as for the « grooves and « tapered » walls of the chamber room that is tall…..easily they were needed as platforms built higher to raise the stones higher for the ceiling of the king chamber roof beams…and why so tall??? because the architect didn’t know how many roof beam levels would be needed..so he made it extra tall. I do think clearly you can see that he made it so only possibly one more roof level of beams could have been added. and making wooden platforms tall enough to still use the ramp inside to raise those granite stone beams makes sense as to why the ceiling tapers also. Also the « wooded » notch to protect the stones not falling as a sort of « safety » brake in case the stones would try to fall back down if the ropes snapped makes sense as well. kind of like gears on a watch…only allowed to move forward (up) and not allowing it to roll down (back) the vertical ramps. That easily could have been accomplished by a wooden notch system allowed to roll over the notch as it goes up and then locking into the groove as it goes up to the next groove. by being able to lock into several of these grooves along the wooden platform allowed at least one set of the grooves to be used at one time over the length of the sleds but probably at least two at any time. I assume one at the top and one at bottom of sled as an extension to the ends of an axle. Those axles could easily have had squared off ends that would have rolled over the notch and then wouldnt have allowed the sled to fall down but « catch » onto the groove notches until it was hoisted up to the next set of notches, catching against each set of notches as it went up. I don’t think more than 2 actual working pairs of axles would have been needed.