New scanning technology CultLab3D: How museum pieces can be digitised on the assembly line
Press release from 11/05/2014
It's a revolution in museums: with the CultLab3D scanning line, collection artefacts can be captured in three dimensions and converted into authentic digital models in just a few minutes. While 3D reproduction techniques for museum treasures were previously expensive and, above all, time-consuming, the new CultLab3D digitisation line, which is around seven metres long, now offers an optimised and economical process. It was developed by Fraunhofer IGD together with the Staatliche Museen zu Berlin and the Liebieghaus in Frankfurt in a project funded by the Federal Ministry of Economics.
Günther Schauerte, Vice President of the Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation, says: "Digitisation in museums is far more complex than in libraries and archives due to the three-dimensional nature of the objects. However, the aim is the same here as it is there: to make our cultural assets accessible to researchers and the general public in a new way. For everyday museum practice, however, the new technology also means that scientific projects and restorations can be better prepared, we can learn more about the original form of objects that have often only been preserved in fragments and their materiality can be more clearly determined."
"CultLab3D focuses on automating the digitisation process of cultural artefacts using state-of-the-art scanning and lighting technology," explains Pedro Santos from Fraunhofer IGD. In a 3D scanning line that is the only one of its kind in the world to date, the objects pass through the ARC, a special scanning arc whose photogrammetric equipment captures the object from all sides in just a few minutes. A scanner mounted on a robot arm then closes any remaining defects. The model is then assembled from over 6000 images. The structure and colour of the surfaces and the optical material properties are also taken into account. With a resolution in the micrometre range, the digital model meets the highest quality standards.
The digital reproduction of three-dimensional objects is increasingly coming to the fore today. In contrast to conventional photographic methods, digital 3D models depict the complete geometry of the object. This makes them the ideal reproduction medium for a wide range of applications. In many areas of collection or find documentation, digital 3D models allow contact-free measurement and a more authentic view of materiality and statics than would be possible with two-dimensional images. For science and research, they are also often the only way to illustrate complex issues or allow hypothetical variants to be analysed and compared. In addition, 3D models can be used to develop attractive educational programmes - from the virtual reconstruction of fragmented historical buildings and objects to their use in the field of augmented reality. The production of 1:1 scale replicas is also possible.
CultLab3D is still in Berlin (Kulturforum) until 7 November 2014 and is digitising statuettes from the Collection of Classical Antiquities, cuneiform tablets from the Museum of the Ancient Near East, object art from the collections of the Art Library, wind instruments from the ethnomusicological collection of the Ethnological Museum, objects from the Egyptian Museum and the plaster moulding workshop, as well as smaller objects such as coins from the Coin Cabinet (special exhibition hall at the Kulturforum (basement)) in a test run. The test run serves to further develop the scanning line and evaluate the process. The aim is to find out which specific requirements need to be taken into account in museum practice, what the advantages are compared to previous methods and how the technology can be optimised.
Event information: EVA Berlin 2014
The EVA Berlin conference on "Electronic Media & Art, Culture and History" will take place for the 21st time on 5 - 7 November 2014. As in previous years, the venue will be the Museum of Decorative Arts at the Kulturforum Potsdamer Platz (Matthäikirchplatz 8, 10785 Berlin). This year's focus is on the topic of "Culture in 3D". After the introductory workshops, Tim Renner, State Secretary for Culture, will open the conference on 6 November 2014.