3D Virtual Restoration of Polychrome Sculpture: Techniques and Applications

The research investigated the three-dimensional dimensional digitisation, computer modelling and scholarly virtual representation of museum objects. The study focussed on examples of European sixteenth century polychrome sculpture from the Victoria & Albert Museum collection and also explored a range of other sculptural artefacts.

The research took place at a time when high-resolution three-dimensional digitisation of complex cultural heritage objects had been undertaken only by isolated research groups with access to bespoke hardware technology and software systems. However, new commercially available technologies, such as optical laser scanners and portable structured light systems were beginning to emerge, mainly targeted at the automotive industry and medical analysis. The project pioneered the use of such technologies in the cultural heritage domain with the objective of establishing a reproducible, accessible methodology for digitisation that could be realistically applied by museums and other collections wishing to apply it for purposes such as documentation, facsimile reproduction and interpretative visualisation. The further aim of the research was to establish a scholarly basis for the interpretative virtual representation of cultural objects - informed by a complete range of art historical, technical and chemical analyses and conservation knowledge in relation to the objects. This challenged the developing tendency of museums to rely on the film and special effects industries to deliver such interpretative content with a high-degree of creative latitude and subjectivity. An AHRC bursary award supported the research.

This outcome presents the technical methodologies for accurate three-dimensional capture, novel methods of photorealistic three-dimensional colour mapping, and colour manipulation techniques for virtual reconstruction to the wider museum and cultural heritage professions. The methods presented include laser scanning, polygonal surface generation by triangulation, advanced NURBS surface partitioning and UV coordinate colour mapping for complex arbitrary geometry.

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