Published: Sunday, February 7, 1999
Section: OUTLOOK
Page: 6G
(The original article contained many illustrations.
The text below are mainly the captions for these illustrations.)
The art museum of the future could be gallery on computer containing
accurate, detailed three-dimensional representations of sculptures and
paintings. Computer graphics professors and students from Stanford University
in Palo Alto, Calif., are in Italy scanning several famous sculptures,
including Michelangelo's David, and creating three-dimensional images of the
artwork.
The scanner
A close look at the Cyberware MS platform scanner and how it willbe used to
scan David. The scanner head
Laser: Sweeps a six-inch-long fine line of laser light across the
sculpture's surface.
Color camera: Records texture and color of statue
White light lamp: Lightens area being scanned
Reflected image: Laser light reflects shape of statue into the range
camera
David's arm
Range camera: Measures the distance between the scanner and the statue
within a quarter millimeter and records the images by picking up reflections
of the laser stripe.
Tilthead: Can be mounted above or below the arm to scan in difficult places
3-foot horizontal arm
Scanner truss: Up to 25 feet tall when fully extended
Motorized truss
The test scan
To prepare for the scanning of David, Marc Levoy, the project leader, and
his colleagues used the following technique to create a three-dimensional
image of a statue of a happy buddha.
1. The statue is set in front of the scanner under bright lighting
conditions.
2. To make it first scan, the scanner sweeps the laser across the statue
and sends the shape of the project to a computer.
3. The statue is scanned from 48 different angles and heights.
4. The information is mathematicallly compiled and stored as millions of
triangles in a computer.
5. The colors and textures recorded by the color camera then can be
painted onto the triangles, giving them a solid, realistic look.
Uses for virtual models
The beard of the statue of Moses, a Michelangelo statue displayed in San
Pietro in Vincoli, has been worn down by centuries of admirers. The digital
images can be used to virtually restore such damaged artwork.
Researchers can digitally re-create the statue for future viewing.
Through animation, art teachers can illustrate the techniques Michelangelo
used, such as lengthening the legs of Mary in his Pieta to make Christ fit in
her lap.
A detailed computer model can be used to make accurate physical replicas of
sculptures at any scale. Small replicas could be used for research, for
selling in art museum gift shops and for making accurage movie props.
At present, tourists cannot get a close look at Michelangelo's David. The
17-foot statue stands on a 6-foot pedestal. The Gallerie dell'Accademia in
Florence, Italy, where David is displayed, could include a virtual model in
its planned multimedia center so visitors could admire the sculpture as
closely as they like.
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