5Dculture @ CARARE 2023: Cultural Heritage in 3D

In support of the Twin It! 3D for Europe’s culture campaign, Anthony Corns (The Discovery Programme), Alberto Sanchez Vizcaino (University Research Institute of Iberian Archaeology, University of Jaén) and Henk Alkemade (CARARE) introduced the 5Dculture project during the CARARE 2023: Cultural Heritage in 3D conference.

Quick recap: 5Dculture
The 5Dculture project, funded by the European Commission's Health and Digital Executive Agency, commenced on 1 January 2023, and will run for 24 months with IN2 as the lead partner and a total of twelve participating organizations, including CARARE. This initiative focuses on delivering high-quality 3D content in the areas of Fashion, Archaeology, and Architecture to the European Data Space for Cultural Heritage. It also aims to develop and evaluate reuse scenarios across various domains, deploy innovative digital technologies for 3D, and enhance capacity building in the Cultural Heritage sector. CARARE, responsible for the "reuse of Archaeological content" Work Package, collaborates with The Discovery Programme and the University Research Institute for Iberian Archaeology to deliver and repurpose 3D content for the Brú na Bóinne World Heritage site and the Iberian Culture. This includes exploring how 3D content enhances visitor experiences, evaluating the creation of 3D surrogates, and reconnecting archaeological sites with artifacts through 3D and digital media.

5Dculture Progress and Impact
The project has already yielded enhanced or new 3D models of Brú na Bóinne and Iberian Archaeology, with tangible applications in education and art. The workflow for creating Inclusive Heritage at the University Research Institute of Iberian Archaeology was shared, showcasing innovative efforts to improve textures and metadata of 65 3D models for educational and social transfer actions aimed at school groups and those with special needs.

To learn more about how the University Research Institute of Iberian Archaeology facilitates educational and creative re-use, please read our blog entry by Alberto Sanchez Vizcaino covering their activities during the “European Researchers’ Night”.

An additional emphasis within 5Dculture lies on enhancing the quality of 3D models, with a particular focus on innovatively incorporating parametric synthetic textures. This approach aims to significantly improve the (re-)usability of the 3D content related to the megalithic site and artifacts of Brú na Bóinne.

The 3D content has found reuse in educational initiatives during the "Culture Night" event and has also been utilized in the creation of art. A total of thirty-three new models have been generated to date.

Looking ahead, the project aims to finalize methodology, report on and evaluate the first reuse cases, complete 3D modeling and reuse demonstrators in the second half of 2024, and establish a Community of Practice in January 2024 to foster the deployment of digital technologies and tools for 3D. The ultimate goal is to empower cultural heritage institutions with the necessary knowledge and skills for widespread reuse of their 3D assets.

Watch the presentations on CARARE's Vimeo channel here.