Mass Documentation of Archaeological Ship Timbers - Introducing a Novel, Time-Efficient Approach (original) (raw)
Related papers
The 3D annotated scans method: a new approach to ship timber recording
Heritage Science, 2020
Every year, maritime archaeologists around the globe are faced with the daunting task of recording hundreds, if not thousands, of individual ship timbers. The in-depth recording of ship timbers is a process which is both challenging and laborious, but it is an indispensable step in order to fully understand the construction of the ship the timbers formed a part of, and as archaeologists it is our duty to document all the information these complex artefacts hold to the best of our abilities. In this article, the authors first provide an overview of the methods currently in use for ship timber recording, namely 2D scaled drawing, 2D tracing, 3D contact digitising and 3D scanning. The respective advantages and limitations of these methods are then discussed in light of the various scientific and practical considerations that go into choosing a recording method for a project. Next, a new approach to ship timber recording, termed the “3D annotated scans method”, is introduced and discussed using a recent case study in northern Germany. At its core the method consists of two phases; a 3D scanning phase in which the timber is scanned in 3D, followed by a 3D annotation phase in which the recorder interprets the timber by tracing diagnostic features such as fasteners and toolmarks directly onto the timber’s digital model. The authors conclude that this new approach represents an improvement over current methods—both in terms of the quality of the scientific outputs and in terms of recording efficiency—and that, besides being implemented for the recording of ship timbers, the same method can also be used for a wide range of other heritage applications.
Three-Dimensional Models of Archaeological Objects: From Laser Scanners to Interactive PDF Documents
Three-dimensional (3-D) laser scanners build 3-D models of objects and have direct application in the cataloging of artifacts and in archaeological documentation. Certain low-cost scanners are suitable for small objects because the scanners have high accuracy and the ability to capture color and textures. This paper provides the workflow and the steps needed to scan small objects using a low-cost scanner, to build textured 3-D models, and to transmit these models embedded in portable document format (PDF) files. The proposed procedure permits interaction with objects in various ways, including making measurements and building sections. The results enable the dissemination of high-precision interactive models, readable with free software, thereby facilitating the study of the metric and morphological features of archaeological objects
From Ship to Kindling to Ship: The Digital Reconstruction of the Royal Savage Timber Assemblage
New Life for Archaeological Collections, 2019
Royal Savage is an important physical link to one of the seminal events of early U.S. Revolutionary War history. This importance drew the attention of an interested public long before archaeological science and ethics were advanced enough to provide for the long-term preservation of the hull and its artifacts. The result was a collection of disassociated timbers and artifacts that several institutions wanted to own, but which never received the interpretation they deserved. Now, using state-of-the-art three-dimensional imaging technology, it is possible to regain some of the information that was lost. In addition to contributing to the generation of a timber catalog, 3d documentation of the Royal Savage timbers via laser scanning and photogrammetry provides a visually appealing, permanent, and versatile record of the physical characteristics of the ship's remains. The resulting digital models are permanent in that, as visual reproductions, and if stored and managed appropriately, they will remain impervious to the physical decay to which the actual remains of the ship have and will continue to be subjected. As such, they will also remain available to continued and varied analyses to which the physical remains cannot be subjected, both as individual timbers and, when digitally reconstructed, as a partially intact hull.
3D Technologies for the Digital Documentation of an Ancient Wooden Structure
International Journal of Heritage in the Digital Era, 2014
In this paper we would like to present an operational procedure for surveys of complex structures, such as the wooden dome of SS. Giovanni e Paolo in Venice. The aim of this work was to analyse the shape and the geometry of this very articulated constructive technique: because of its complexity, a laser scanning survey, with the support of more traditional methods, such as direct and topographic survey, seemed to be the best way to analyse this structure: from the data elaboration it was possible to create a 3D model of each element as in reality, without any simplification. In line with the growing demand of digital documentation in the field of Cultural Heritage, the 3D technology applied to this research allowed an immediate reading of the whole architectural system. This paper analyses the difficulties encountered during the survey and illustrates the solutions chosen to overcome them.
Most people like 3D visualizations. Whether it is in movies, holograms or games, 3D (literally) adds an extra dimension to conventional pictures. However, 3D data and their visualizations can also have scientic archaeological benets: they are crucial in removing relief distortions from photographs, facilitate the interpretation of an object or just support the aspiration to document archaeology as exhaustively as possible. Since archaeology is essentially a spatial discipline, the recording of the spatial data component is in most cases of the utmost importance to perform scientic archaeological research. For complex sites and precious artefacts, this can be a di€cult, time-consuming and very expensive operation. In this contribution, it is shown how a straightforward and cost-eective hard- and software combination is used to accurately document and inventory some of the cultural heritage of the Cres/Lošinj archipelago in three or four dimensions. First, standard photographs are acquired from the site or object under study. Secondly, the resulting image collection is processed with some recent advances in computer technology and so-called Structure from Motion (SfM) algorithms, which are known for their ability to reconstruct a sparse point cloud of scenes that were imaged by a series of overlapping photographs. When complemented by multi-view stereo matching algorithms, detailed 3D models can be built from such photo collections in a fully automated way. Moreover, the software packages implementing these tools are available for free or at very low-cost. Using a mixture of archaeological case studies, it will be shown that those computer vision applications produce excellent results from archaeological imagery with little eort needed. Besides serving the purpose of a pleasing 3D visualization for virtual display or publications, the 3D output additionally allows to extract accurate metric information about the archaeology under study (from single artefacts to entire landscapes).