Journal of Cultural Heritage 11 (2010) 42–49

Original article

From 3D reconstruction to virtual reality: A complete methodology

for digital archaeological exhibition
Fabio Bruno a,∗ , Stefano Bruno a , Giovanna De Sensi b ,
Maria-Laura Luchi a , Stefania Mancuso c , Maurizio Muzzupappa a
aDepartment of Mechanical Engineering, University of Calabria, Ponte Pietro Bucci 45/c, 87036 Rende, Italy
b Department of History, University of Calabria, Ponte Pietro Bucci 28/d, 87036 Rende, Italy
c Department of Archaeology and History of Arts, University of Calabria, Ponte Pietro Bcci 21/b, 87036 Rende, Italy

Received 6 May 2008; accepted 18 February 2009

Available online 13 November 2009

Abstract
For nearly two decades, virtual reality (VR) technologies have been employed in the field of cultural heritage for various purposes. The safeguard,
the protection and the fruition of the remains of the past have gained a powerful tool, thanks to the potentialities of immersive visualization and 3D
reconstruction of archaeological sites and finds. VR applications based on videogame technologies are known for their realism and fluid interactivity,
but the choice of the fittest technologies remains a complex task because there is an ample number of hardware devices and software development
kits. Moreover the design of a VR application for cultural heritage requires several different professional skills and presents a certain complexity
in coordination and management. This paper presents strategies to overcome these problems, by suggesting some guidelines for the development
of VR systems for cultural heritage. It illustrates a complete methodology to create a virtual exhibition system, based on realistic high-quality 3D
models of archaeological finds (reconstructed using a 3D Scanner and a high definition camera) and a low-cost multimedia stereoscopic system
called MNEME, which allows the user to interact in a free and easy way with a rich collection of archaeological finds. The solution we propose is
intended to be easy to transport and fully usable by different user typologies, without any external assistance or supervision.
© 2009 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

Keywords: MNEME; Stereoscopic vision; 3D scanner; Laser scanner; Archaeological finds; Virtual reality; Virtual museum; 3D acquisition; Virtual archaeology

1. Introduction paintings and three-dimensional sculptures, buildings and small

objects of different materials, including wood, stone, marble,
The virtual model is a valid cognitive tool and is a fundamen- pottery and metals [2–5]. Through the above-mentioned tech-
tal medium through which a user (a scholar, a student or simply nologies, as well as photogrammetry [6], it is possible to create
somebody who shows an interest for the subject) can interact photorealistic 3D models, which permit the exploration and the
with 3D models and agents in a virtual environment. This tech- enjoyment of archaeological heritage, ranging from very small
nology can be applied to the world of cultural heritage as a vessel objects to whole buildings [7–9]. There are also some hybrid
for preservation, reconstruction, documentation, research and techniques, which can guarantee satisfying results [10–12].
promotion. Nowadays, it is also possible to reconstruct large environments,
Most virtual reconstructions are based on 3D scanning tech- like cities and buildings, while maintaining a high level of
niques, in order to acquire the objects faithfully [1]. In literature graphic definition [13,14].
there are several examples of the digitization of two-dimensional Pioneered by Reilly [15], many researchers have investigated
the potentialities of VR applied to archaeology, thanks to factors
like interactivity, visualization and realism [16–18]. The term
∗ Corresponding author. Tel.: +39 0984 494623; fax: +39 0984 494673. ‘Virtual Museum’ is used to describe two kinds of VR tech-
E-mail addresses: f.bruno@unical.it (F. Bruno), stefano.bruno@unical.it
nologies: the first one is a reconstruction of an already existing
(S. Bruno), g.desensi@unical.it (G. De Sensi), luchi@unical.it (M.-L. Luchi),
stefania.mancuso@unical.it (S. Mancuso), muzzupappa@unical.it museum, in which the user can simulate an immersive visit, and
(M. Muzzupappa). enjoy the works of art and the archaeological finds; the second

1296-2074/$ – see front matter © 2009 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.
doi:10.1016/j.culher.2009.02.006
 F. Bruno et al. / Journal of Cultural Heritage 11 (2010) 42–49 43

one is the ex novo creation of a virtual environment, not corre- The methodology has been applied and tested to develop a
sponding to existing structures, in which the user can navigate VR system, which is used to present, in an innovative way, an
and watch the reconstruction of the objects [19–21]. Many Web- overview of an archaeological exhibition promoted by university
based and stereoscopic applications like ARCO, 3D-MURALE, of Calabria and organized by the ‘Herakles’ centre for cultural
ARCHEOGUIDE [22] allow users to explore remotely not only tourism.
archaeological sites, but also collections of artefacts placed in This exhibition focused on a collection of archaeological
virtual museum halls. finds that demonstrate the presence of developed indigenous
Immersive technologies like CAVE systems or VR display peoples in the region at the time of the Greek colonization, and
systems are widely used to show reconstructions of small to show the relationships between the natives and the Greeks.
finds, whole sites and also excavation activities [23–25]. When The virtual exhibition allows the user to enjoy the explo-
compared with 2D multimedia presentations, immersive visu- ration of a unique collection of pieces that are scattered in
alization systems have proven to be the most interesting and various museums, immersing himself/herself in a highly spec-
appealing technologies and are commonly used to navigate ified category of artefacts that would otherwise be impossible
through reconstructed cities and lost sites [26,27]. to experience simultaneously. The reconstruction of the pieces
Finally, the biggest issue of multimedia applications applied creates a comprehensive visual outline of the Oenotrians and the
to cultural heritage is the interactivity with the work of art: for Bruttians, offering information about their customs and culture,
example, the possibility for the user to explore all the details of their historical and geographical collocation and their techniques
an object in a stereoscopic view represents an important added of artisanship.
value [28]. If the 3D reconstruction focuses on a small archae- The virtual exhibition system, called MNEME (from the
ological piece, the user must be able to observe it from every Ancient Greek ‘memory’), was intended to be an innovative
point of view and to look at its details without a loss of definition, way to promote the collection and also to spread archaeological
through an efficient control device [29]. knowledge and make the local populations more conscious of
their historical background.
2. Research aims
2.1. The historical background
Considering the papers presented in the previous section we
decided to focus our attention on three main issues: first, there MNEME was designed to promote and diffuse archaeo-
are several different VR systems and software solutions which logical and historical knowledge of Oenotrians and Bruttians
often produce favourable results in terms of realism and inter- populations. Archaeological research in different areas of the
activity, but none has proposed an exhaustive methodology to region (Sybaris, Kroton, Mount Poro, Reggio) has revealed
create a complete virtual museum system starting from a set of many proto-historical [30] traces belonging to politically and
archaeological pieces. socially aggregated communities. The objects – mostly found in
Second, most of the reported works aim to recreate large necropoleis – denoted a high technical level of realization and
sites like ancient towns – where the pieces are simply part of autonomous decoration, which are useful to determine the muta-
a larger environment – or the halls of a museum, where the tions and evolution of all the cultures present in Calabria between
pieces are not observable in every detail and from every point XVII and IX century BC. The Greeks came in contact with
of view. On the other hand, the reconstruction of works of art or those indigenous populations, which the sources call Oenotri-
archaeological finds is focused on a single piece, having not the ans, around the second half of VII century BC. The relationships
intention of recreating a thematic collection of objects like in an between the two peoples were in some cases conflictual, but at
exhibition. the same time, the archaeological pieces clearly show the result
Third, all the systems described in literature are using large of a cultural osmosis.
fixed installations or remote visualization systems; there are no Four centuries after the Greeks arrived, another population
systems designed to combine transportability and high imaging managed to conquer and dominate large portions of the ter-
quality. ritory: the Bruttians [31], a shepherd-warrior population that
This paper aims to give a contribution to these issues, defin- was able to undermine the unity of Greek colonies and eventu-
ing a complete methodology to create a transportable virtual ally facilitated their fall against the Romans. Also in this case,
exhibition system, which covers all the tasks of 3D acquisition, the necessary conditions for the confrontation and assimilation
digital reconstruction, software development, content creation of the two peoples were met: the indigenous people absorbed
and stereoscopic visualization. Greek models with a clear intention of self-legitimation and
The main goals of the methodology were essentially of two self-representation.
kinds: the first is a methodological one, aiming to reduce the The finds that have been reconstructed are 25 pieces, currently
costs of VR systems for small museums and to create a versatile owned by museums scattered all over the Calabrian territory,
and transportable system for promotional purposes; the second is ranging from the famous Reggio Calabria museum to small but
an applicative one, aiming to overcome the obstacles that prevent precious collections like the museums of Tortora (located more
the fruition of archaeological finds, such as the geographical than 200 km up north from Reggio Calabria).
distance or the barrier represented by the glass showcases used The samples come exclusively from Oenotrian and Bruttian
in museums. settlements and tombs, scattered all around the territory, and
44 F. Bruno et al. / Journal of Cultural Heritage 11 (2010) 42–49

Fig. 1. The schematization of the methodology proposed to develop a Virtual Exhibition System.

include bronze jewellery, votive weapons, small statues, armours internal part of hollow items like pots and amphorae, and
and pottery. then the triangulation between the points and the effective
division in polygons is made by 3D modelling software
3. Methodology tools.
The scanner used in this process was a laser scanner Minolta
In order to develop a flawless and bug-free system, all the Vivid 300, subsequently substituted by a higher performing
work was precisely planned following an ad hoc methodology. structured light scanner manufactured by Scansystems S.R.L.
The first step was the acquisition of the pieces and the subsequent Table 1 shows the technical specifications of the aforementioned
3D reconstruction; at the same time the software multimedia scanner.
application was developed and tested. Finally, the stereoscopic Scanner precision has been validated in laboratory through
transportable system had to be built and assembled with the a simple test, which consists in making the scanner acquire
software application. an object. The resulting geometry is then compared with the
The process is synthesized in the following graph, and one obtained with an extremely precise coordinate measurement
described in detail in sections below. The orange blocks repre- machine.
sent the hardware parts, the green blocks stand for the contents During the acquisitions, we had to face some problems caused
related to data acquisition and software components, while the by the hardware optical limits. 3D scanners give notoriously
actions are contained in white blocks Fig. 1. poor results if used to scan black and shiny surfaces, because
these surfaces tend to absorb the light beams and prevent the
3.1. 3D reconstruction acquisition of any point. The loss can be reduced by modifying
the light environment of the room or using certain lens filters,
The first step for the creation of a virtual museum was the but, in some cases, this is not enough and the profile of the object
3D reconstruction of all the pieces included in the collection. To given by the scanner turns out to be scattered and many parts are
reach this goal, we used a standard reverse engineering process,
which ensures a photorealistic reconstruction of every detail of Table 1
shape and decorations of an object. This process is carried out in Technical specifications of the 3D Scanner used in the case study.
two phases: scanning and texture-mapping. First the objects are
A3 A4 Small object
put in front of a 3D scanner that acquires the shape of the objects
and transforms the acquired points into a 3D digital model. Working area (mm) 400 × 300 280 × 210 30 × 22
Precision (mm) 0.03 0.02 0.002
The piece is scanned from various positions, in order to
Resolution (mm) 0.2 0.14 0.015
achieve a full shape of the object that can also include the
 F. Bruno et al. / Journal of Cultural Heritage 11 (2010) 42–49 45

missing. Therefore, some of the models were reconstructed by

merging the data acquired by the scanner with polygonal forms
reconstructed through geometrical measurements.
The 3D reconstruction phase has been carried out by
using several software applications. Minolta polygon editing
tool and Scanprobe software have been used for 3D acqui-
sition and patches registration. MeshLab (an open source
system developed at the visual computing lab of ISTI –
CNR) has been employed to filter data and other post-
processing tasks like cleaning and filling of the holes. Fine
retouches and missing parts reconstruction have been done with
Rhinoceros.
After the modelling phase, the next step is the reconstruction
of the texture of the object. Each scanner has its proper camera
system used to acquire the colours and the decorations of the
object. The quality of the texture acquired by the scanners was
too poor to be used for a photorealistic model; so it was necessary Fig. 2. The scanning process is made through a high-definition camera and a
3D scanner, in proper lighting conditions.
to use a high-definition Nikon D200 camera to reconstruct all the
details and decorations in a reliable way. In some cases, more
than 100 pictures were taken on a single piece, especially for collection underwent a colour equalization process, which gave
the cylindrical or round-shaped decorated objects like vases or them similar lighting and colouring conditions. The most insid-
amphorae Fig. 2. ious problems were the “highlights” present in some pictures of
The texture-mapping procedure, aiming to maintain maxi- reflective objects. To remove these spots we carried out a careful
mum accuracy, required using both mapping software able to operation of cloning from pictures taken from a different angle,
export a bitmap file with all the polygons of the object placed on as well as a pixel-per-pixel colour replacement Fig. 4.
a 2D image, and other image processing tools for retouch, crop- The result of this experimental phase is a collection of 25
ping and hand-drawing. Long procedures of colour balancing, objects made of different materials – transparent glass, pottery,
cropping, wrapping and correcting were done in order to obtain bronze, silver, and stone, belonging to various archaeological
an external texture without reflections, colour mismatches or sites. Some of the objects are composed by more than one mil-
irregularities Fig. 3. lion polygons, while the texture image file has a resolution of
Reflections proved to be a substantial issue during the pro- 4096 × 4096, which helped to minimize the differences between
cess, particularly when scanning metal objects and other lustrous the originals and the reproductions Fig. 5.
surfaces. Due to the acutely fragile nature of some pieces, it
was not possible to remove them from the museum halls or 3.2. Software development
showcases. In these cases, the acquisition process was more
complicated, and the quality of the pictures taken by camera was The subsequent phase was the implementation of the models
affected by reflections and poor lighting conditions. We aimed in a software multimedia application, which had to allow the user
to obtain faithful colouring for each piece; all the objects of the to freely rotate each piece, and the creation of a user interface

Fig. 3. The process of texture mapping of a cylindrical decorated object.

46 F. Bruno et al. / Journal of Cultural Heritage 11 (2010) 42–49

Secondly, the control system was included in a stereoscopic

multimedia application that incorporates videos, pictures, music
and 3D animations, thus including the archaeological finds into
a larger context and giving the user information on the historical
and geographical context of the finds.
The multimedia components we included in our system were
images of the excavation and of the current landscape of the
archaeological areas, some maps of the region, audio files of
commentary, logotypes, background music and short movies.
The user interface consists of a console placed onto a small
column, composed by a trackball and four buttons. Each page
of the application assigns a different function to the keys (Con-
firm, Go Back, Go to Main Menu, Previous, Next, Listen to
the Comment, Zoom In, Zoom Out, etc.), while the trackball is
used to navigate and, when the 3D engine is activated for the
archaeological pieces, to rotate the objects. All these functions
are illustrated in the lower section of each page, in order to make
the navigation user-friendly.
The application starts with an introductory screen, which
shows a retouched satellite picture of Calabria with the names
Fig. 4. This Greek bronze sphinx shows different visualization modes of the 3D of the two populations – Oenotrians and Bruttians Fig. 6.
models, from wireframe to realistic texturing. When one of them is chosen by the user through the command
console, the screen switches to a picture slideshow, along with
for the ‘virtual museum’, which had to integrate audio samples, an audio comment which explains and illustrates the history of
picture galleries, introductory screens and movies. the population in about 50 seconds. Subsequently, the various
The software application was developed using the Virtools locations where the pieces were found appear on the map.
Dev 4.0 software package, which enabled us to rapidly cre- The user can then navigate in the map and click on his/her
ate multimedia applications and, at the same time, to manage favourite site: first a slideshow with an audio comment appears,
the stereoscopy, allowing complete control of the calibration of and then the screen switches to an opaque background image
the visual system. A software developer created a 3D software with the reconstructed 3D pieces placed in a circular orbit. The
engine to rotate the 3D models of the archaeological finds at 360 user may then choose an object: the other objects move in the
degrees, and diminish or increase the zoom factor to focus to a background and the chosen one comes to the front.
certain extent. It is possible to rotate each piece in every direction, and to
An important issue arose concerning the lighting of the diminish and increase the zoom factor up to a certain extent;
objects: we chose to reduce the use of external lights, which in this way the user can observe the object at 360 degrees,
caused unpleasant and sometimes unrealistic reflections on the in detail, without having any impediments like, for example,
object’s surface. Also, the ambient light gave the object an exces- the glass showcases of traditional museums. During the exam-
sive illumination, resulting in excessively bright colour tones. ination of the piece, the audio comment, usually lasting less
than one minute, gives some information on shape and purpose
of the object, materials used, technique of artisanship, cultural
influences and current museum location.

3.3. Design of the transportable stereoscopic visualization

system

The system is based on the principle of passive stereoscopy.

The main goal of the project was to design a stereoscopic vision
system, which could satisfy the following, needs:

• easy to assemble and transport;

• powerful and clear vision and sound;
• user-friendly interface;
• fine design and appearance.

The external look of the system is that of a cube with a big

Fig. 5. Some reconstructed archaeological finds. Faithfulness to the original screen on the front and a command console fitted in a column,
objects is the key to obtain a convincing 3D model. placed approximately two meters from the screen. The system
 F. Bruno et al. / Journal of Cultural Heritage 11 (2010) 42–49 47

Fig. 6. The introductory screen of the application shows the name of the two populations and the user can choose one of them. After that, one archaeological site is
selected, a brief introduction starts, and then the screen switches to the VR interface.

can be assembled in an hour and a half, plus another hour for lenses, in order for the user to perceive the 3D effect. The
the calibration of the internal projectors. None of the internal screen is 2.00 × 1.50 meters wide; we found this to be the
machinery is visible to the public. best compromise between a wide visualization surface and
The structure of the device is entirely made of light aluminium transportability.
bars; the panels are made of light wood and coloured cloth, thus The command console column contains a trackball and four
granting a high level of customization; the front screen is made of buttons to interact with the application, through the various
a special plastic material which ensures a high level of definition sections of the exhibition. Two speakers are also stored in the
and brightness, minimizing distortion, reflections and blur. The column, while the woofer is placed inside the main device.
device works following the principles of passive stereoscopy, The system is designed to be placed in sites open to the public
using a retro-projected screen. Inside the “cube” there are two and to be used by people without any assistance or supervision.
projectors, a computer, a mirror and other devices like audio It does not present any removable part and it has only one little
controllers and polarizing filters. The computer is configured like door to allow technicians to access the cube for maintenance
a PC gaming machine equipped with a dual core processor, two operations. The system can be configured to automatically start-
Gigabyte RAM and Nvidia 8800 graphic processing unit. This up and shutdown at specified times and days of the week, or it
configuration ensures a high frame rate (more than 30 frames can be manually controlled with a single on/off switch Fig. 7.
per second), allowing the display of 3D models composed by
more than one million polygons. 4. Results and discussion
The computer, through a couple of projectors and a mirror,
gives two stereoscopic images at a resolution of 1024 × 768. The results of this research are related to two main aspects.
A correct view requires a pair of special glasses with polarized The first one is the efficacy of the methodology in terms of costs
and time required to complete the project. The second one is
related to the feedback received by hundreds of users that tried
the system in different circumstances.
In regard to the first aspect, the application of the method-
ology in the MNEME project allowed us to complete all the
activities in four months of work: two people worked mainly
on data collecting, 3D scanning, 3D reconstruction and texture
mapping for almost three months, while a software engineer
developed the platform in fifteen days. Hardware design was
completed by a VR specialist in cooperation with a designer
in a couple of weeks, but the realization of the first prototype
required the work of a technician for one month, because some
changes in the design had been made in order to simplify the
assembly and improve the robustness of the structure. Since the
first prototype was fully realized, subsequent systems have been
built in one week. The cost of the hardware, including the labour,
has been kept under 15,000 D .
Fig. 7. The complete ‘MNEME’ system: stereoscopic visualization system, In regard to the feedback received from the users, we did not
command console, software application running. have the opportunity to generate a formal analysis, but we have
48 F. Bruno et al. / Journal of Cultural Heritage 11 (2010) 42–49

collected a fair amount of different comments that represent an purposes. The system can also be valid for the participation in
important base to evaluate the results of the MNEME project promotional events like tourism trade fairs, in order to improve
and, consequently, of the methodology proposed. the attractiveness of the stand and gain the attention of both
Four VR systems were built: some were installed, for brief young audiences and cultural tourism operators. All this can
periods, in places of interest (The Great Hall of the University be done with a small percentage of the total budget required to
of Calabria, national museums and local tourism offices), while participate to such events.
others were used for promotional purposes in exhibitions related Through MNEME, interesting results can also be achieved
to tourism and cultural heritage. in the field of knowledge spreading. The mission of making the
The structures installed in museums were used mostly by visitors acquainted with an underrated part of historical past of
local and foreign visitors, who already had an interest in archae- Calabria was accomplished. The system gave the users a large
ology. Some of the users spent over twenty minutes visiting the amount of information and an appealing visual experience, thus
whole virtual exhibition and taking their time to enjoy every making many of them curious and willing to know more about
detail of the objects and listen to the audio descriptions. Com- the archaeological treasures located in the regional museums.
ments were mainly positive, both from non-expert visitors and Thanks to the feedback received by hundreds of enthusiastic
professional archaeologists who studied some of the pieces users, we deduced that MNEME can be useful, both for pro-
reconstructed for the exhibition. motional purposes and for cultural reasons, and can also allow
MNEME was also presented in several events, including the a community to regain possession of archaeological treasures
Mediterranean bourse of archaeological tourism of Paestum, that are no longer present in their territory. Let us take Calabria
the LubeC – technologies applied to cultural heritage in Lucca as an example: in the past centuries, both authorized archaeolo-
(Italy), the festival of creativity in Florence and the International gists and illegal black-marketers have deprived the region of an
Tourism Bourse (ITB) in Berlin. Visitors ranged from archaeol- impressive amount of priceless archaeological finds. This hap-
ogy scholars to families and primary school students. All of them pened in many countries like Greece, Egypt, Iraq and others,
showed a great interest in the system: scholars praised the high which have an important part of their archaeological treasures,
quality of the reconstruction, while occasional visitors enjoyed spread in several museums all around the world. These pop-
the 3D effect, thus demonstrating that stereoscopic systems ulations may not have their treasures back, but thanks to VR,
have a better impact than two-dimensional picture slideshows they can at least keep the virtual reconstructions in traditional
or pseudo-3D technologies like QuickTime VR. museums, providing the visitors with an amazing visual expe-
The users were provided with plastic glasses in a limited num- rience and information on lost treasures. If one believes in the
ber, while paper glasses were distributed when many users were educating mission of a museum, this cannot be ignored.
present. Crowds of more than 50 people were able to perceive
the stereoscopic effect correctly and listen to the audio comment.
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