Fabrizio Galeazzi

3d printing and immersive visualization for improved perception of ancient artifacts

This article investigates the use of 3D immersive virtual environments and 3D prints for interaction with past material culture over traditional observation without manipulation. Our work is motivated by studies in heritage, museum, and cognitive sciences indicating the importance of object manipulation for understanding present and ancient artifacts. While virtual immersive environments and 3D prints have started to be incorporated in heritage research and museum displays as a way to provide improved manipulation experiences, little is known about how these new technologies affect the perception of our past. This article provides first results obtained with three experiments designed to investigate the benefits and tradeoffs in using these technologies. Our results indicate that traditional museum displays limit the experience with past material culture, and reveal how our sample of participants favor tactile and immersive 3D virtual experiences with artifacts over visual non-manipulative experiences with authentic objects.

Defining Best 3D Practices in Archaeology

Abstract This research aims to investigate the potential use of three-dimensional (3D) technologies for the analysis and interpretation of heritage sites. This article uses different 3D survey technologies to find the most appropriate methods to document archaeological stratigraphy, based on diverse environmental conditions, light exposures, and varied surfaces. The use of 3D laser scanners and dense stereo matching (DSM) techniques is now well established in archaeology. However, no convincing comparisons between those techniques have been presented. This research fills this gap to provide an accurate data assessment for the Las Cuevas site (Belize) and represents a starting point for the definition of a sharable methodology. Tests in Las Cuevas were conducted to compare both accuracy and density reliability in cave environments using two different techniques: triangulation light laser scanner and DSM. This study finds that DSM is the most economical, portable, and flexible approach for the 3D documentation of archaeological sites today. In fact, DSM allows the 3D documentation process to be done more efficiently, reducing both data acquisition and processing time. Nonetheless, the quantitative comparison presented in this paper underscores the need to integrate this technique with other technologies when the data acquisition of micro-stratigraphy is required.

Comparing 2D Pictures with 3D Replicas for the Digital Preservation and Analysis of Tangible Heritage.

In this paper, we present two experiments designed to compare 2D digital pictures and 3D digital replicas of artifacts, to understand how differently these media facilitate the perception and understanding of our past. Archeologists and museum experts have commonly used 2D digital pictures to preserve and study artifacts. Recently, these scholars have also started to use 3D digital archives for their studies. Yet, we still need to determine how these two formats (2D vs. 3D) affect the perception of our past. Results of our experiments point to 3D digital replicas of artifacts as more effective means to digitally preserve tangible cultural heritage, since 3D multi-visualization augments the perception of physical characteristics of the artifacts allowing a more embodied experience with these objects. Our experiments also suggest that multi-visualization (i.e., point-cloud, mesh, and color information) helps the viewers to overcome their personal conceptualization of specific objects.

3D laser scanning in cave environment: The case of las cuevas, Belize acquisition of the cave system and excavation area

The Las Cuevas site is a Maya administrative and ceremonial center active during the latter part of the Late Classic period (700-900 AD) in Western Belize. It is of particular interest because a large cave resides directly beneath the largest temple in the site core. This paper presents the use of phase shift variation laser scanning technology (Faro Focus 3D) for the acquisition of the caves network of galleries (9 chambers) and a large excavation area (8×5 m) investigated in the entrance chamber in the summer of 2012. More than 300 scans were made to acquire the entire cave and the amount of 3D data collected was more than 400 GB. The creation of different level of details allowed the alignment and triangulation of the 3D models of the different chambers and units. The dimension (24×20×10 cm; 5 kg) and accuracy (± 2 mm at 10-25 m) of the laser scanner allowed complete documentation of the cave and units in just three weeks of work. The importance of this work relies on the possibility to use the processed data to systematically improve the archaeological understanding of Las Cuevas, complex cave system, favoring the interpretation of socio-cultural dynamics linked to cave environments during the Late Classic. The use of 3D technologies can, in fact, help the understanding of how the space in the cave was used in the past for rituals and ceremonies. Moreover, the 3D millimetric reproduction of the excavation process linked to the 3D survey of the entire cave will be instrumental for the archaeological records preservation. Future scholars will have the opportunity to retrace the work made by archaeologists at Las Cuevas, starting new discussion and interpretations of the same 3D archaeological context.

Authenticity and cultural heritage in the age of 3D digital reproductions

This volume represents the first attempt to collate an organic collection of contributions on authenticity and the digital realm in heritage and archaeology. It analyses the concept of authenticity from different perspectives and with different multidisciplinary contributions, together with theoretical debate. The collection of papers explores the concept of authenticity in a comprehensive way, engaging with theories relating to the commodification of ancient material culture, heritage-making processes, scholarly views and community engagement. These papers also take into account current digital practices for the study of past material culture and how their use affects and redefines interpretation processes in archaeology. This will provide a key reference text for archaeologists, museum and heritage specialists, and other readers interested in authenticity, cultural heritage and 3D reproductions.

3-D Virtual Replicas and Simulations of the Past: "Real" or "Fake" Representations?

This paper investigates the ontology of 3-D replicas and simulations of archaeological and heritage sites. In the past 20 years, the use of new technologies for the 3-D documentation and reconstruction of cultural heritage has altered approaches to the analysis and interpretation of tangible heritage. The preservation and re-creation of the past is becoming increasingly “digital.” Scholars are debating the authenticity of 3-D digital reproductions in heritage and archaeology. How should we consider these digital and virtual reproductions? Are they original digital representations of our cultural heritage or just virtual “fakes”? It is argued that it is not possible to define universal predetermined categories for the definition of “authentic” in the digital domain, since 3-D digital reproductions of tangible heritage are always influenced by the subjective interpretation of the creator of 3-D content. To support this argument, three case studies are presented that deal with the contested and controversial concept of authenticity in different domains: physical, digital, and a combination of physical and digital.