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Versatile 3D Laboratory: Challenging Aspects of 3D Imaging for Cultural Heritage Applications

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Handbook of Cultural Heritage Analysis

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Abstract

In this chapter, the authors strived to provide a concise collection of key information on research methods, collaboration outcomes, and the importance of generating awareness in 3D imaging and modelling over a 20-year-period dedicated work. The aim of this chapter is to foster an exchange of ideas and information suitable for cultural heritage applications across several disciplines. Elements covered in this chapter will include a particular noninvasive technique known as 3D imaging and modelling, which is accepted as a fundamental approach to study and preserve cultural heritage. In addition, this chapter seeks to encourage multidisciplinary approaches that can assist site managers to better deal with their site from conservation to public outreach, demonstrate the importance and feasibility of post-processing complex image data by specialized technologists in a 3D laboratory, and outline the benefits of a 3D laboratory based on heterogenous skills.

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Abbreviations

(LE):

Province of Lecce, Italy

3D:

Three-dimensional

3D4∀:

3D for all

3DTV:

Three-dimensional television

ASCII:

American Standard Code for Information Interchange

BCE:

Before Common Era

BDS:

Brindisi Airport, Italy

BP:

Best practices

BR:

Province of Brindisi, Italy

CCD:

Charge-coupled device

CD-ROM:

Compact disc read-only memory

CE:

Common Era

CEDAD:

Centro di Fisica Applicata, Datazione e Diagnostica – Center for Applied Physics, Dating and Diagnostics

CH:

Cultural heritage

CPU:

Central processing unit

DH:

Digital humanities

DIY:

Do it yourself

DVD:

Digital versatile disc

ENG:

Engineering

EU:

European Union

FESR:

Fondo Europeo di Sviluppo Regionale

GPU:

Graphics processing unit

ICP:

Iterative closest point

ISO:

International Standards Organization

IT:

Information technology

MAUS:

Museo dell’Ambiente dell’Università del Salento – Museum of the Environment of the University of Salento

MIUR:

Ministero dell’Istruzione, dell’Università e della Ricerca – Italian Ministry of Education, Universities and Research

NRCC:

National Research Council Canada

NSF:

National Science Foundation, USA

PON:

Programmi Operativi Nazionali

R&D:

Research and development

RH:

Relative humidity

RP:

Rapid prototyping

S&T:

Science and technology

SfM:

Structure from motion

SIBA:

Servizio Informatico Bibliotecario di Ateneo

SLR:

Single-lens reflex

TPP:

Teatro Pubblico Pugliese

WSA:

World Summit Award

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Acknowledgments

Many of the projects were realized within Initiative 18 of the “Piano Coordinato delle Università di Catania e Lecce,” co-financed by the European Union (FESR, PON Ricerca 2000–2006), special funding from CASPUR-Rome (inter-university computing consortium), Activity 4 of the project LandLab (Laboratorio multimediale di ricerca, formazione e comunicazione sui paesaggi archeologici), co-financed by the European Union (PON 2000–2006, Ricerca Scientifica, Sviluppo Tecnologico, Alta Formazione), and many towns of the Salento region that provided access to many CH sites. The contributions of NRCC staff were instrumental in the different 3D campaigns. It is through their great dedication and important contributions that many of the projects ran smoothly. Special thanks go to many collaborators in Italy, the United Kingdom, the EU, Australia, Japan, and the USA. The authors would like to express their appreciation and sincere gratitude to the Superintendence for Archaeological Heritage of Puglia for allowing the teams to access many of the sites. Special thanks and appreciation go to Alexandra Beraldin, lecturer at l’École EAC-Marche de l’art, culture, patrimoine, luxe – Paris for her help in reviewing and editing this chapter.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Salento, Lecce, Italy

    Adriana Bandiera

  2. Ottawa, Canada

    J-Angelo Beraldin

Authors
  1. Adriana Bandiera
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  2. J-Angelo Beraldin
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Adriana Bandiera .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Geosciences, University of Malta, Msida, Malta

    Sebastiano D'Amico

  2. University of Messina, Messina, Italy

    Valentina Venuti

Appendix I – Applications of 3D to Cultural Heritage

Appendix I – Applications of 3D to Cultural Heritage

Museum objects, paintings, archaeological site features, architectural elements, and sculptures can be digitized to provide a high-resolution 3D digital record of the object or site. The digital record, or digital model, should provide archival quality documentation which can be used for a variety of research, conservation, archaeological, and architectural applications, for fabricating accurate replicas as well as for interactive museum displays and virtual 3D theater applications. There is a real opportunity to open collections and information to a wider public through video games, mobile apps, etc. Museums can engage people without physical walls and borders. Experience and knowledge of own and other cultures can be accessed from anywhere and any platform. Telling stories from different point of views will be possible. The digital world may become an ultimate equalizer; there is no need to belong to a prestigious institution to achieve quality work.

Here are a variety of museum and heritage applications:

  • Archival documentation: tool mark details.

  • Museum exhibition and display applications: interactively examine fine details on 3D digital models using a large screen monitor.

  • Research applications: magnified, accurately measure, examined under different lighting conditions and display of 3D models with or without color, e.g., brush stroke on paintings, roll-out photographs.

  • Art conservation applications: the data provides an accurate record of the shape, surface condition, and color of an object, which can be used to document and monitor changes at different points in time.

  • Archaeological recording, architectural and historic building, digitizing sculpture applications: on-site acquisition and modelling.

  • Replication applications: the object is not touched or damaged during scanning; scale replicas can be made, which are much closer or truer representations than those copied by hand; the data can be formatted by machine the replica directly to make a mold.

  • 3D virtualized reality applications: interactive 3D virtualized reality systems offer the potential for the digital repatriation [57] of models of artifacts, which have been removed to distant museums, back into the virtualized model of their original site.

High-resolution archival documentation

Comparative conservation examinations

Remote interactive 3D display

Replication of fragile objects

Examination of details

Ethnographic collections

Monuments

Sculptures

Paintings

Enhancement of museum exhibitions

Virtualized 3D tours of closed sites

3D digital repatriation and restoration

Archaeological site recording

Art history research

Natural history specimens

Archaeological sites

Historic buildings

Research community: CH provide

Variety

Specific requirements on the performance and use of the technology

Shape and size (5-mm sculptures to cities)

Size of data set with respect to web/archive

Materials

Classes: stone, marble, ceramic, metal, glass, bone, etc.

Metal types: gold, silver, iron/rust, brass, copper, etc.

Impact on measurement:

Translucent material

Shiny/dark

Dusty, etc.

Environments:

Sub divo, caves, dust/mud/snow/rain, heat/cold, etc.

Engage people without walls and borders:

Experience and knowledge of own and other cultures

Tell stories from different point of views

Spill-over activities: video gaming

Research community: R&D topics.

Analyze

Visualize

Archival quality documentation:

Storage, indexing, searching, and distribution

Access to collection

Closed or hard-to-reach sites

Collection in museum vault

Replication:

Substitute

Sale of low-resolution replicas

Copyrights

Research:

Examine and render fragile artifacts (complex shapes)

Measure, process, categorize

Interactive 3D VR theaters

Make the experience alive through time and space!

Collaborative environments

Blend real world with digital world

Conservation:

Monitor deterioration

Act upon condition ASAP

Virtual restoration

Web-based virtual museums

Increase awareness of a site or an artifact

Extend the life span of many exhibits

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Bandiera, A., Beraldin, JA. (2022). Versatile 3D Laboratory: Challenging Aspects of 3D Imaging for Cultural Heritage Applications. In: D'Amico, S., Venuti, V. (eds) Handbook of Cultural Heritage Analysis. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-60016-7_52

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