Lots of talk in academia about the use of technology and computers but unfortunately it seems that much of it revolves around blogs or other social media platforms. However, that doesn’t always cut it in the field of historic preservation. Documentation is a key component in the field and one that is well suited to take advantage of technological changes and while we have been progressive in some respects we are now adding some additional digital documentation tool sets to our toolbox. While not new to other preservation programs Agisoft Photoscan software, SketchFAB (online 3-D viewer, free), and Unity (animation software, free) all offer some pretty cool possibilities and come with a small price tag (in some cases free). Below is a model made in Agisoft Photoscan and then placed within SketchFAB (an online viewer).
Thanks for your article. I am interesting exploring 3D software for some of St. George’s Episcopal’s objects as well as 360 degree landscapes for our walking tour. I know Mt. Vernon has that capacity Does UMW have a course on 3D modeling, etc with a historical preservation bent ?
I am the business manager at St. George’s but work with its history.
Ben,
Apologies on the extreme delay, I rarely check the Center webpage for comments as we are often flooded with “junk” mail. That said, yes, the Center does engage in some 3-D modeling and we do offer a class, HISP 345 Computer Applications in Historic Preservation, which looks at ways to document and represent historic buildings, landscapes and objects in 3-D. I’d be happy to talk further, my e-mail is mspen1bi@umw.edu