3D recording is not as special sort of magic. It’s available to everyone and easy to start – though can be hard to master too.
We wanted to demystify our work and share the approaches and techniques we’ve used in making this resource available.
We’ve assembled a small selection of objects to illustrate the different technologies and approaches to presentation we’ve taken in creating this resource. Each pair relates to specific aspect of documentation. Either the technology used or the decisions we’ve needed to make along the way.
They also share other things in common, and we want you to see how easy it is to find similarities across time space and culture, but also how delightfully complicated the ties between artefacts can become.
Explore the pairs below to learn more about the methods, but also gain suggestions on exploring the rest of the connection.
Scale
Small or just far away? Understanding scale in 3D models is one thing, but how to document things is also very different. This church was recorded using a drone flying 80 metres in the air, a camera on long pole AND a special 360 camera. The other, was done in a small, quiet room from about 20cm away.
Both these objects have some interesting hidden features. Find what they are with the 3D models, or learn how this metal encolpion was made in our casting activity.
Coverage
When we document things, we want to record everything we can see, but it isn’t always easy to do as this pair shows.
This tiny bead has a hole all the way through, out of reach from our cameras. While the piece of wooden doorway is covered tiny cracks and intricate carved corners.
These two have other things in common. Perhaps you’ve guessed already. Check if you’re right be exploring the models or find out more in our description activity.
Quality
Quality is important when documenting cultural artefacts. We want to maximise scientific potential, while also respecting the object, and the people we want to share things with.
But quality can mean different things to different people at different times. Compare these models, and other models on this website to get a better idea of this knotty problem. And learn more about the important symbology of knots in our weaving activity.
Appearance
The real world is complicated. Features like translucency, roughness, weight, even temperature gives each object their own unique personality. But many of these are hard to record and share digitally. As a result we need to be creative and craft these features to tryy and share some of the magic we enjoy with others.
Explore the collection to see different ways we’ve tried to bring our records back to life.
Mixed methods
Picking the right tool for the job is essential. Sometimes one tool isn’t enough. One of these swords was recorded with only a camera. The other combines photogrammetry with the super precision of structured light scanning so not to miss any of the details that tell the story of these two blades.
Find out more details of the story that connects a sword found in Norway and one in Poland with the roman gods Mars and Victoria.
Difficult materials
The most common 3D tools we use record the surface of an object. Some material, like glass, is not so well suited to this. But if you can’t go around something, go through it. One of these beads we have used micro-CT scanning,, combining hundreds of x-rays to reconstruct the interior and combining it with the colour captured with photogrammetry. These techniques gives us extra information about out more about how these were made.
Have a go at bead making yourself and learn more about an ancient and complex technology.
Reconstruction
Something doesn’t need to be beautiful to be attractive and often it is the ugliest objects that are the most fascinating. These two objects may not look like much now, but unpicking their stories to reimagine what they might once have been can also be the most rewarding. Discover more about these enigmatic objects in our reconstruction activity.