Contemporary Themes in 3D Archaeological Computing: Thoughts (mostly) from Portus, Italy

Graeme Earl

3D Digital Archaeology: Reconstruction, Analysis, and Conservation of Cultural

Heritage, University of Rochester, 4 December 2013

Archaeology and “3D” Data

• Acquisition

• Integration

• Visualisation

• Iteration

Produced by BBC in collaboration with Portus Project

http://www.portusproject.org/blog/2012/11/rome-what-

lies-beneath/

Portus Project

http://binged.it/1cbBGOz

Big questions: Scale and Character : Function : Chronology

Big digital questions: Blending Digital and Physical : Integration : Simulation

Big Data/ Archiving Management : Communication

https://twitter.com/GCBeale

Aquisition

• Photographic e.g. photometric stereo

• RTI – Reflectance Transformation Imaging

https://twitter.com/HemboPagi

Aquisition

• E.g. mini dome; Giga-RTI

• Potential of light field e.g. Lytro?

Aquisition

• E.g. multispectral (RTI)

http://soton.academia.edu/EleniKotoula

http://lbi.academia.edu/GeertVerhoeven

Aquisition

• E.g. gigapixel survey and excavation photogrammetry

• E.g. crowd and cloud photogrammetry

http://gigapan.com/cms/create-make

Aquisition

• E.g. drone and object photogrammetry

https://twitter.com/stephenjohnkay/

Aquisition

• E.g. object photogrammetry

https://twitter.com/James_E_Miles http://www.portusproject.org/blog/2013/11/photogrammetry/

Aquisition

• E.g. LiDAR

Aquisition

• E.g. laser scanning

https://twitter.com/James_E_Miles

Automated and semi-automated approaches for extracting key components

for finite element analysis ?

Automated and semi-automated methods for producing plans and

elevations ?

Aquisition

• Lightweight scanning at Portus using Kinect

Kinect scanner developed as part of RCUK PATINA project https://twitter.com/jmknibbe

https://twitter.com/Peter__Wheeler

Aquisition

• Micro Computed Tomography

X-ray source within the micro CT chamber at Southampton

Aquisition

• Micro-CT

• e.g. Roman cremations

Voxel data derived from micro CT See: http://digitalhumanities.soton.ac.uk/projects/hoard-imaging

Aquisition

• Micro-CT

• e.g. Roman cremations

A cremation urn containing nine coins, dating

from AD282, found in the Cotswolds.

This item in particular would take months to

excavate – with archaeologists needing to

carefully examine bone fragments and remains

to extract more information about its past.

Claudius II and Tetricus I coins

discovered solely virtually

c. 18,000 Roman coins discovered in Bath under the floor

of a Roman building, dating to around AD270 and

concreted together in a large block weighing over 100

kilograms

Beau Street (Bath) hoard

http://blog.britishmuseum.org/category/conservation-

2/beau-street-hoard/

Box vs bags ?

Selby hoard

A small pot dating to the 2nd century found in the Selby area, East Riding of Yorkshire

https://twitter.com/James_E_Miles

https://vimeo.com/45452797

Antoninus Pius (138 to 161) coin

Marcus Aurelius (161 to 180) coin

Presenting the hoard

http://acrg.soton.ac.uk/blog/1148/

Material Analysis

https://twitter.com/gbjc105

http://www.staffordshirehoard.org.uk/staritems/petctoral-cross

Challenges and potential

• Material analysis of CT finds data

• Automated classification e.g. bulk object imaging

• Use of CT methods in voxel analysis

• Potential of ultrasound research to inform geophysics

• Non-linear analyses of remote sensed 3d data

Digital Simulation Agents: Access : Record: Structure: Probability: Fidelity

https://twitter.com/gbjc105

https://twitter.com/jessogden

https://twitter.com/James_E_Miles Funded by RCUK Parnassus Project

Displacement contours and principal stresses – hypothesis one https://twitter.com/James_E_Miles

Deflected shape and principal stresses – hypothesis three https://twitter.com/James_E_Miles

Parameter Value Source

Building Width 60.1m Excavation, Geophysical, Standing

Remains

Narrow Nave Width

3.74m Excavation

Wide Nave Width 11.38m Excavation

Inter-pier Distance (N-S) 5.34m Excavation

Infilling wall width 0.58m Excavation

Pylon Buttress Length 0.20m Excavation

Pylon Buttress Width 1.06m Excavation

Brick Width (Arches) 0.4m Excavation, Structural Constraints

Brick Thickness 0.05m Excavation, Structural Constraints

Vault Height (Narrow Nave) If cross vaulted:

Wide nave width x 0.25

If barrel vaulted:

Narrow Nave Width x 0.5

Parallels, Structural Constraints

Vault Height (Wide Nave) If cross vaulted & depressed:

Inter-pier distance N-S x 0.5

Otherwise:

Wide nave width x 0.5

Parallels, Structural Constraints

https://twitter.com/MattJ_Harrison

Parameter Value Source

Building Length 180-220m Excavation, Geophysical, Standing Remains

Pier Height 7-10m Excavation, Structural Constraints

Roof Offset 0.4-0.6m Parallels, Structural Constraints

Roof Pitch Angle 18-23° Parallels, Structural Constraints

Gutter Depth 0.5-0.7m Parallels, Structural Constraints

Gutter Width 0.4-0.6m Parallels

Corbelling Depth 0.3-0.5m Parallels

Corbel Height 0.28-0.32m Parallels

Corbel Width 0.18-0.22m Parallels

Inter-corbel Distance 0.5-1.0m Parallels

Tie beam thickness 0.30-0.40m Parallels, Structural Constraints

Primary Rafter Thickness 0.30-0.40m Parallels, Structural Constraints

Secondary Rafter Thickness 0.17-0.22m Parallels, Structural Constraints

Perlin Thickness 0.18-0.20m Parallels, Structural Constraints

Roof Planking Width 0.25-0.35m Parallels, Structural Constraints

Inter-truss Distance (roof) 2.00-4.00m Parallels, Structural Constraints

Inter-perlin Distance 0.90-1.10m Parallels, Structural Constraints

https://twitter.com/MattJ_Harrison

Parameter Value Source

Foundation Slope 0.5 : 0

0.5: 9.16-10.83%

Parallels

Vaulting Presence 0.25: true

0.75: false

Structural Constraints, Excavation

Vaulting Type 0.499: Barrel Vault

0.499: Intersecting/Cross Vault

0.002: Depressed Cross Vault

Structural Constraints, Parallels

Roof Type If Barrel Vaulted:

0.69: Pitched (N-S)

0.25: Exposed Vaults

0.15: Pitched (E-W)

0.03: Flat Roof

If Cross Vaulted:

0.82: Pitched (N-S)

0.15: Pitched (E-W)

0.03: Flat Roof

If Not Vaulted:

0.97: Pitched (N-S)

0.03: Flat Roof

Artistic Sources, Structural Constraints, Parallels,

Roof of Narrow Naves 0.6: Separate roof

0.4: Roofed with adjacent nave

Structural Constraints

Waterspout Presence If Pitched N-S Roof:

0.99: true

0.01: false

Otherwise:

False

Artistic Sources, Parallels

Corbelled Roof 0.9: true

0.1: false

Artistic Sources, Parallels

Corbel Material 0.45: Brick

0.45: Moulded Brick

0.1: Travertine

Artistic Sources, Parallels, Excavation

Impost Corbelling 0.5: true

0.5: false

Artistic Sources, Parallels

Roof Tile Width 0.5: 1.0m

0.5: 0.4m

Structural Constraints, Parallels

https://twitter.com/MattJ_Harrison

Generative Modelling

• GML http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Generative_Modelling_Language

• Grass Hopper

• http://www.grasshopper3d.com/

• City Engine

• http://www.esri.com/software/cityengine

https://twitter.com/MattJ_Harrison explores these in CAA2012 proceedings

Visibility and Accessibility

Earl, Graeme, Porcelli, Vito, Papadopoulos, Constantinos, Beale, Gareth, Harrison, Matthew, Pagi, Hembo and Keay,

Simon (2013) Formal and informal analysis of rendered space: the basilica Portuense. In, Bevan, Andrew and Lake,

Mark (eds.) Computational Approaches to Archaeological Spaces. Walnut Creek, US, Left Coast Press, 265-305..

UCL Depthmap

Interim reconstruction by https://twitter.com/gbjc105

Development still ongoing of this model – see Portus Project website for updates

Next steps? Predictive Rendering ? Believable representation of

light in a scene

Vs

Prediction of light interaction ?

http://soton.academia.edu/E

leniKotoula (left)

https://twitter.com/GCBeale (right)

https://twitter.com/Papad

opoulos_C (above)

Next steps? Acoustic Rendering ?

https://twitter.com/CatrionaCooper

Next steps? Integration

• Combining Lines, Surfaces, Point Clouds, Volumes and Voxels

• Access to raw data from within single interface

• Capture workflows

Communicating Portus in 3D ?

Portus Documentary

http://www.portusproject.org/blogs/2012/12/reconstructing-portus/

Exploring possibilities of “second screening” for future broadcast work

Portus Tour

• AR ?

• Location ?

• Social ?

• Co-creation?

Exhibitions and Outreach

Virtual Fieldwork Project

Disability solutions identified:

• Panoramas, Video Panoramas and Panorama Tours

• Wearable cameras

Potential for social annotation of resources e.g. gigapan, photosynth; ongoing work by https://twitter.com/Peter__Wheeler

@PortusMOOC • http://www.portusproject.org/education/portus-mooc/

Thanks

@GraemeEarl

http://digitalhumanities.soton.ac.uk http://www.portusproject.org/education/portus-summer-field-school/ http://www.portusproject.org/education/portus-mooc/ http://www.ahrc.ac.uk/News-and-Events/Image-Gallery/Pages/Portus-Project.aspx Tweet archive from today #UoR3darch