3D TECHNOLO GY AND DIGITAL SOLUTIONS

RESEARCH AND TEACHING IN THE FIELD OF DIGITAL ARCHEOLOGY

Heritage preservation and Education

It is well known that archeology is a destructive science in the sense that investigated sites are damaged over the course of the excavation phase, even if this destruction is executed following thorough scientific rules that make it possible to reveal the secrets of the ancient world. Once the excavation is over, an archeological site cannot be restored to its initial state. Therefore, any information overlooked during the investigation is lost forever. The Technical University of Cluj Napoca in Romania owns a color Handyscan 3D VIUscan scanner from Creaform. The scanner is used by the Design Engineering and Robotics Department for educational activities and research activities. The teaching staff and the students also use the scanner for academic subjects where reverse engineering techniques are involved. The VIUscan is also used to 3D scan large objects that cannot be digitized with other equipment owned by the University at its 3D Measuring and Scanning Laboratory. Prof. Daniela Popescu, doctor in engineering, explains: In our research activity, the main project in which the VIUscan is used at the moment is Virtual Ancient Dacia, that involves the scanning and reconstruction of ancient Dacian artifacts. These 2000-year old artifacts were discovered by archeologists near Sarmizegetusa Regia, the capital of the Dacian land. We are also using it to digitize the imperial gates of XIV and XVII-century wooden churches found in Transylvania.

ON-SITE DIGITALIZATION OF HISTORICAL ARTIFACTS

After hundreds of artifacts digitized in cooperation with researchers from the National History Museum of Transylvania in Cluj Napoca, the University of Cluj developed a methodology to actually minimize the extent of damage caused by classical archeological excavations. One step of this methodology (that is still in its validation phase) involves scanning the objects on-site, in the exact position they were found in, and so to document their original position and the colors in the layers of rock and soil surrounding them. The scanning of historical artifacts is performed using a thorough methodology established by a team of engineers and archeologists. First, the artifact is analyzed in order to determine the need for digitization, the restrictions regarding handling of the artifact and its historical value. Second, reconstruction methods for any missing part of the artifact must be developed. To do so,

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the artifact is analyzed in order to identify any component that could be an issue during the scanning process. The operator applies positioning targets on the object and sets up the auxiliary reference system, if needed. The operator puts on protective gloves and starts scanning. In some situations such as large pottery, a greater number of scans are done to ensure that the digitization resolution level is adequate. After the scanning process is completed, the resulting mesh can easily be exported in the CAD software most widely-used (e.g. CATIA) so to begin the reconstruction operation. Once the missing parts have been reconstructed, the 3D model is transformed into a virtual artifact to be displayed in a virtual museum.

application which, together with a haptic device, will allow visitors to experiment other physical properties of a virtual environments exhibits, like the objects weight for instance. Considering that the Creaform Handyscan 3D scanner is not used for production purposes, we can say that its greatest benefit is the great reduction of the amount of time required to digitize historical artifacts and its mobility, that allows us to use it for unconventional applications. From a scientific point of view, it enables us to develop applications and working methodologies which document the way a virtual artifact is created and contains all the important information that could be useful for the researchers and the general public. We consider the Creaform VIUscan to be an important addition to our laboratory and we are very happy that it enables us to perform multidisciplinary research projects with good accuracy.

Heritage preservation and Education

ABOUT TEHNICAL UNIVERSITY OF CLUJ - NAPOCA:

Technical University of Cluj - Napoca is a public higher education institution of research and technical education. The university has around 19,000 students across all study programs at bachelor and master level and 700 doctoral students. UTC-N is one of the four universities with technical profile in Romania classified in the category of Universities with advanced research and education. For the quality in education, UTC-N was nationally accredited by the A.R.A.C.I.S. with the high degree of trust rating, and internationally it was the first university in the country which was evaluated by the European University Association. Research, development and innovation in the Technical University of Cluj Napoca are performed by academics, researchers, PhD students and students in our research centers and laboratories.

WHY CREAFORM TECHNOLOGY?

Dr Popescu explains: Of course there are many scanning solutions on the market that can be used to digitize historical artifacts, but we believe that the VIUscan is best suited for our application in terms of scanning resolution and the number of DPI. We use at the same time another laser scanner that , although it is more accurate, does not offer the possibility of texture scanning. Plus it has another major disadvantage compared to the VIUscan, as it requires a portable CMM for scanning, and offers very limited portability, unlike the VIUscan which enables us to scan right at the digging site. When digitizing historical artifacts, the fact that the Handyscan 3D scanners allow acquisition of the scanned artifacts texture brings us closer to creating an aesthetically perfect virtual artifact. At the moment, we are working on developing an

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