Museums around the world are currently starting to introduce a new type of exhibits in their collections, and namely the 3D models of existing works. Each valuable artifact is scanned using advanced technology, and is then faithfully replicated in a three-dimensional, digital environment. This is done so that, in case anything happens, at least some of the data on the artifact remains, and also in order to facilitate looking for certain pieces, which may resemble others. The public can also benefit from the beautiful models that result from the archiving work, AlphaGalileo reports.

“A 3D scan is basically a cloud of measured points. Further processing is required to map the object properly. However, we are still a long way from being able to sensibly correlate 3D data between different objects,” Dr Andre Stork says. He is a partner in the 3D-COFORM consortium, and also head of department at the Fraunhofer Institute for Computer Graphics Research IGD, in Darmstadt, Germany. 3D-COFORM is the joint European project that seeks to move at least the most important artifacts into the virtual environment.

In the case of, say, a large-scale temple, the new process would ensure that, within the next few years, visitors could essentially take a flight around the monument from inside the museum. This virtual tour would take them through places that are not usually on tourist maps, because they are too frail to be subjected to constant human activity. In other words, people could get a much better view of ruins and sanctuaries than they would if they actually went there. Naturally, nothing compares to actually seeing such a site for oneself, archaeologists admit.

The great thing about the new archive is that it would have the ability of organizing the objects it contains into “smart” hierarchies of related artifacts, which would allow a user to browse through large collections of related items with just a few simple clicks. The 3D images would also allow people to look at smaller art pieces, such as statues, from all possible angles. On an average trip to the museum, the crowds gathered around important exhibits don’t really give visitors the opportunity to get the best possible view of those particular items.