Three-dimensional digitization

Lucida 3D Scanner recording the surface of a painting © Teresa Casado for Factum Foundation
3D surface model of the predella of Polittico Griffoni by Ercole de' Roberti (Pinacoteca Vaticana, Rome) © Factum Foundation
Digital models of Ercole de' Roberti panel of Saint Petronius from the Polittico Griffoni (Pinacoteca Nazionale, Ferrara) © Factum Foundation
Recording Raphael cartoons at Victoria and Albert Museum (London) © Gabriel Scarpa for Factum Foundation
Laas Geel site (Somaliland) recorded with photogrammetry by Otto Lowe © Ferdinand Saumarez Smith for Factum Foundation
3D render relief of Laas Geel site (detail) © Factum Foundation
3D render of the Cellini Bell recorded at British Museum (London) © Irene Gaumé for Factum Foundation

key details

13, 14, 27, 28 October & 4, 18 November 2021
Online on Zoom
4pm — 6pm (CET)

the course

Curated by Carlos Bayod Lucini, project director at Factum Foundation, this 12-hour course aims to expand and deepen understanding of the concepts and practices of 3D digitisation for cultural heritage.

The content is organised into two parts: Input (capturing information) and Output (sharing information). The course explores the theoretical and technical aspects of digital preservation of cultural heritage through the recording, processing, and dissemination of digital outputs and, in some cases, material reproductions of the originals.

Additionally, the classes offer practical demonstrations of the methods and technologies discussed, akin to a workshop. The discussions are enriched with relevant case studies and examples of projects developed by Factum Foundation.

Programme

October 13, 2020

Recording the relief of paintings

  • Carlos Bayod Lucini

Carlos Bayod presents the Lucida 3D Scanner, Factum and ARCHiVe’s system for digitising relief. The class explains the process of planning, capturing, processing, visualising, sharing and reproducing the surface of paintings and other low-relief artifacts for conservation purposes.

October 14, 2021

The Lucida 3D Scanner (practical session)

  • Carlos Bayod Lucini

This class includes practical sessions demonstrating how the recording process with Lucida 3D scanner works, showing the type of software needed and the obtained files.

October 27, 2021

Recording (and reproducing) surface and shape

  • Carlos Bayod Lucini

Class concerning 3D and colour recording of an object’s surface and shape employing close-range photogrammetry and structural light scanning: reliefs, sculptures, architectural elements, rock art, city and landscape, etc. The class explains how these techniques are used for the production of facsimiles through the combination of digital technology and craft skills.

October 28, 2021

Close-range photogrammetry (practical session)

  • Carlos Bayod Lucini
  • Otto Lowe

The practical session concentrates on close-range photogrammetry to record scultpures, architectonic elements and other tridimensional objects. Otto Lowe explains in depth the method, the gear, the softwares needed and the possible outputs of this recording method.

November 4, 2021

Stereo-photometric recording

  • Carlos Bayod Lucini
  • Jorge Cano

In this class we enter Factum laboratories with Jorge Cano discovering the stereo-photometric recording system. This technology is experimented to obtain extremely detailed 3D data from surfaces (as for paitings, impressions, print matrices, engraved surfaces,…).

November 18, 2021

Digital restoration and analysis

  • Carlos Bayod Lucini
  • Irene Gaumé

In the final class, Carlos Bayod and Irene Gaumé analyse new approaches to higher-resolution surface 3D recording and 3D modelling: surface scanning for research and analysis. The concept of digital restoration and its methodologies for non-contact conservation are also talked in depth.

Lecturers

Carlos Bayod Lucini

He is Project Director at the Factum Foundation. His work is dedicated to the development and application of digital technology to the conservation, study and dissemination of Cultural Heritage. Bayod has taught at the MS in Historic Preservation at Columbia University in New York among other institutions, and is a frequent speaker for centers such as Museo del Prado, Harvard Art Museums and Fondazione Giorgio Cini. 

Jorge Cano

He is Head of Technological Research & Development at Factum Arte and Factum Foundation. Cano is an expert in 3D recording, image filtering and Geographical Information Systems. For Factum he has developed several scanners and numerous tools for data processing. His latest design, the Selene Scanner, has been used by the Bodleian Libraries allowing imaging specialists and researchers to look at ancient objects with new eyes.

Irene Gaumé

Irene Gaumé is the head of the 3D design department at Factum Arte and leads re-creation projects at Factum Foundation, where she has pioneered the use of 3D modelling to reconstruct cultural heritage, promoting preservation through innovative technology. Her journey as a 3D artist is rooted in a traditional background in sculpture, dedicated to translating ideas into meticulously researched and rendered objects. With a strong foundation in Fine Arts, Irene has honed her expertise in 3D organic modelling, collaborating with renowned artists.

Otto Lowe

He is Senior 3D Recording Specialists and Project Manager at Factum. Otto has also specialised in teaching photogrammetry to universities and local communities conducting training programmes and workshops for Columbia University (USA), Urbino University (Italy), the Royal Commission for AlUla (Saudi Arabia), Art Jameel (Saudi Arabia), the Peri Foundation (Russia), Tokyo University of the Arts (Japan) and Art UK (United Kingdom).

1/6 Recording the relief of paintings
2/6 The Lucida 3D Scanner
3/6 Recording (and reproducing) surface and shape
4/6 Close-range photogrammetry
5/6 Stereo-photometric recording
6/6 Digital restoration and analysis

Recording the Island of San Giorgio Maggiore and its collections

Un ragazzo fotografa la facciata della chiesa di San Giorgio Maggiore.
Recording with photogrammetry the facade of San Giorgio Maggiore Church © Otto Lowe for Factum Foundation
3D model of San Giorgio Maggiore Church © Factum Foundation
3D render of the altar in the San Giorgio Maggiore Church © Factum Foundation
Using LiDAR to record the Longhena Staircase at Fondazione Cini © Otto Lowe for Factum Foundation
3D render of the cloisters © Factum Foundation

key details

27 September 2021
Onsite at ARCHiVe / Online on Zoom
4pm — 6pm (CET) 

about

Participating in the celebrations for the 70th birthday of Fondazione Giorgio Cini, Adam Lowe and Frédéric Kaplan, introduced by Renata Codello, Secretary General of the foundation, presented the methods and technologies in use for the monitoring and recording of the Island of San Giorgio Maggiore and the surrounding waters.
This presentation explains the 3D recording methods and the data processing actions to the audience at ARCHiVe, introducing the possibilities offered by these innovative techniques.

Adam Lowe explains the project of documenting the Island of San Giorgio Maggiore, starting from the photogrammetry recording of the Basilica of San Giorgio Maggiore by Andrea Palladio, then of Fondazione Giorgio Cini architectures and spaces. Concludes Frédéric Kaplan explaining the process of analysis of recorded data, introducing to the idea of a “mirror world”.

This talk introduces the topics later developed in the course Three-dimensional digitization curated by Factum Foundation in 2021.

Lecturers

Adam Lowe

He is the director of Factum Arte and founder of Factum Foundation for Digital Technology in Preservation. He was trained in Fine Art at the Ruskin School of Drawing in Oxford and the RCA London. In 2001, Lowe moved to Madrid and created Factum Arte, a multidisciplinary workshop dedicated to digital mediation for the production of works for contemporary artists. Lowe founded Factum Foundation in 2009 with the aim of using Factum Arte’s innovative processes and technologies for preservation, high-resolution recording, education, and the development of thought-provoking exhibitions.
He has been an adjunct professor at the MS Historic Preservation at Columbia University, New York since 2016. In 2019, Lowe became a British Designer Industry, awarded by the British Royal Society of Arts.

Frédéric Kaplan

He directs the College of Humanities at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne (EPFL). He also holds the chair of Digital Humanities and is president of the Time Machine Organization, a non-profit organization of over 600 institutions. He is the author of a dozen books, translated into several languages, and more than a hundred scientific publications. His work has also been exhibited in several major museums, including the Venice Architecture Biennale, the Grand Palais, the Centre Pompidou in Paris and the Museum of Modern Art in New York.