3D Reconstruction as a Service – Applications in Virtual Cultural Heritage

Abstract

Abstract. As Virtual Reality (VR) expands its application range in various domains, one area that benefits more and more from VR implementation is cultural heritage. This synergy has created a new research subject: virtual cultural heritage, with specific challenges and with the key issue being to reconstruct the 3D virtual model of a real cultural artefact or item. We propose that by transcending the classic 3D reconstruction instruments to online services available remotely these newly appeared challenges can be properly addressed and the 3D reconstruction process will gain in accessibility and availability for a wider range of scientists, researchers and users. This paper presents an original implementation of such 3D reconstruction services that create virtual models based on data obtained from a 3D scanning system operating on the laser striping principle. This solution is intended to be used for digital preservation efforts of the cultural artefacts from the Brasov history museum by creating a digital archive with their 3D virtual models.

Reconstruction of Industrial and Historical Heritage for Cultural Enrichment Using Virtual and Augmented Reality

“…A variety of approaches have been adopted from other domains as a methodological background to build 3D models of cultural heritage such as building information modelling (BIM) [59]. A VR model has been developed for a charcoal mini-blast furnace plant in Brazil [66], an industrial museum and cultural centre in the region of Thessaloniki [58], an exhibition of the historical relics in the Mawangdui Han dynasty tombs in China [67], a Taitung old railway station in Taiwan [68], a 3D reconstruction of the Roman forum of Fanum Fortunae in Italy [69], Nikola Tesla's laboratory in Long Island (Wardenclyffe), New York, NY, USA [70], underwater archaeological sites in Italy [71], Stoa of Attalos in Athens, Greece [57], Selimiye mosque in Edirne, Turkey [72], Brasov's history museum [73], Sant'Angelo cave church [74], the Virtual World of Caen [56], inaccessible monuments of the cities of Lecce and Catania [75], the fortress Al Zubarah in Qatar [76], and the Museum of Preclassical Civilizations of the southern Murgia in Ostuni [77].…”

From Culture to Smart Culture. How Digital Transformations Enhance Citizens’ Well-Being Through Better Cultural Accessibility and Inclusion

“…The institutions more likely to achieve digitization are the larger ones, which have more resources, whereas the smaller ones fail to engage in or complete this process in the absence of the necessary infrastructure, resources, and staff [44]. Lack of standardized metadata and different collection management systems used in digital libraries without sufficient technical standards are the main barriers in digitizing collections [45].…”

“…The online presence of these models is argued to bring about a higher accessibility and availability for scientists, researchers, and users. The process would also contribute to a better preservation of cultural artefacts as a digital archive of these 3D representations was created [45].…”