On Thursday, October 10, Will Rourk, University of Virginia 3D Technologies Specialist, presented “Preserving Artifact and Architecture with 3D Cultural Heritage Informatics,” the second in HSF’s new series of free educational talks related to the historic Cabell property. HSF welcomed an excited group of in-person attendees to the talk, held at Mary Baldwin University’s Francis Auditorium. We are pleased to share a full recording of the talk for online viewing. HSF is grateful for Professor Rourk’s invaluable help preserving the Cabell House through 3D documentation, and we thank him for his fascinating presentation on the process and significance of collecting and utilizing 3D data.
Professor Rourk explained that 3D cultural Heritage Informatics refers to the collection, processing, and creation of knowledge assets from 3D data and is the course he teaches in UVA’s Architectural History Department. One way 3D data is collected is by using specialized scanning equipment, including laser and structured light scanners. These scanners (which can run upwards of $70,000!) can be used to record the geometry and color of many kinds of historic resources. Laser scanners are used to record structures and operate by collecting individual data points, which, together, create a comprehensive body of data known as a point cloud. Wherever the laser hits a point in space, it collects dimensional data allowing 3D representation.
Once 3D data is collected, it is combined in a process known as registration, which brings various data sets together to form a complete data set describing the appearance and nearly exact dimensions (down to the millimeter or, in some cases, even submillimeter) of the structure or object scanned. This complete data set can be used in many valuable and engaging ways. For instance, it can be brought into design software such as CAD or BIM or used to create interactive 3D models viewable in virtual and augmented reality. Most significantly, however, thanks to its precision, a complete data set is an extremely important type of historical documentation—one in which the form of the recorded structure or object is more accurately and fully understood than with other kinds of documentation.
In March of 2024, Professor Rourk 3D laser scanned the interior and exterior of the Cabell Log House. He took 44 scans in total (containing 811 million data points), which he later registered and used to create different architectural visualizations—including elevations, sections, plans, and a fly-through animation—of the house and property. To learn more about Professor Rourk’s journey in 3D documenting the Cabell Log House and to see the results of this documentation:
Click to see the 3-D scans of the house
