Complicated material acquisition scenario

In this scenario we define functional requirements for a specific application area of 3D-COFORM: the acquisition of objects with complicated materials. With the term “complicated materials” we address mainly the case of objects having complex surface reflection characteristics, but also those artefacts with a very complex shape or presenting a very complex surface pattern requiring extremely high-resolution and accurate mapping of colour information. These objects are difficult to capture with traditional techniques like laser scanning and single photographs. Instead, 3D-COFORM introduces the application of dome-based acquisition devices which allow certain aspects of the artefact‟s appearance to be captured with previously unknown accuracy. Moreover, we will also improve the consolidated technologies available for producing the 3D model or to acquire and map pictorial data onto the 3D digital model.

"An example of highlights detection."

The functional requirements of this dome-based acquisition and other tools are analysed and defined based on a typical usage scenario provided by MICC. A scenario has been proposed by the “Polo Museale Fiorentino”, the body managing all public museums in Florence, including Uffizi Museum, Bargello Museum, Palazzo Pitti, etc. It includes a large collection of works of art in ivory and jewels once owned by the Medici family and now dispersed in several museums in Florence. These are artefacts which present:

• considerable shape complexity (some of these ivory artefacts are very deeply carved, with cavities that are very hard to scan with standard optical technology)
• complexity of the surface colour and state of preservation (ancient ivory artefacts usually show degradation of the surface which shows up in terms of tiny cracks, usually not detectable easily in shape but easily visible in high-resolution images)
• complexity of surface reflection characteristics (this is the case of some ivory artefacts and of most of the jewellery)

Therefore, we have a large number of artefacts, showing different degrees and type of complexity. It will thus be not just a test case of interest for archival/documentation purposes, but also important for further conservation studies and for new, improved ways of presenting those artworks to the museum public.