- Offaly County Council
- Scan and digital interaction of historical objects
Carved Stones Ireland
From Laserscan to interactive WebGL-Application
In 2008 and 2009, several extraordinary monuments in Offaly County, Ireland, were documented and visualised using 3D laser scanning and structured light scanning. The project’s ambition was to record the historically meaningful crosses and buildings, which often lie on private territory, before the decay wears them further down and make them accessible for the public on virtual platforms.
Among the most meaningful objects was the high cross of Durrow, Tihilly and Kinitty, the Ardara bridge, the Rahan round window and the glass house of Shinrone. Depending on the object’s size and the level of embellishment, two different kinds of survey systems were deployed (also in combination): the 3D laser scanner Riegl LMS 420i and the structured light scanning system QT Sculptor. The result of point clouds and photographic documentations were high resolution, photo-realistically textured 3D models and animations, which are available for download on the website of Offaly County. The impressive High Cross of Durrow was also prepared as a flash presentation, in which symbols and panels can be discovered interactively.
Despite the enormous technical progress and developments in recent years, the quality of the 3D data created back then is still very high. For the representation of 3D models, there are meanwhile newer and simpler possibilities since the Flash application from 2009.
Conversion of 14-year-old 3D data into new and modern forms of presentation
All objects digitised at that time were prepared for use and display in modern 3D viewers such as Sketchfab. The object geometry and the associated textures were adapted and the model was given a title and scale. In this way, all twelve objects could be set up on Sketchfab with a uniform appearance. You can check out the 3D models by visiting Offalys skatchfab account: https://sketchfab.com/OffalyHeritage
For the imposing Durrow High Cross, there is also an interactive application in which explanations of each individual motif of the cross can be accessed. The original Flash application from 2009 is no longer supported. With the new WebGL application, a modern solution was found that can also be run directly on the website in the browser without prior download. While the content and core functions have been largely retained, a new and contemporary design has been developed for a more pleasant experience.
You can check out the WebGL application on the accompanying website at https://offaly.arctron.com. There you will also find the collected representation of all scanned objects as interactive 3D models incl. short descriptions, photos and their exact location.
