Papers by Nicolo' Dell'Unto
Journal of Cultural Heritage, 2013
2013 Digital Heritage International Congress (DigitalHeritage), 2013
in Italian Questo progetto di tesi prevede un lavoro di osservazione analisi e costruzione di una... more in Italian Questo progetto di tesi prevede un lavoro di osservazione analisi e costruzione di una struttura comunicativa su Second Life al fine di stimolare, attraverso una serie di contenuti di natura archeologica, l’incontro e la collaborazione di ricercatori studenti e appassionati provenienti da tutte le parti del mondo. Per poter organizzare una struttura comunicativa utile a questo scopo, e necessario partire da un progetto che preveda; l’acquisizione, lo sviluppo e lo studio di aree culturali attraverso metodologie digitali integrate. A tal fine ho ritenuto fondamentale partire Popular Abstract in Italian Questo progetto di tesi prevede un lavoro di osservazione analisi e costruzione di una struttura comunicativa su Second Life al fine di stimolare, attraverso una serie di contenuti di natura archeologica, l’incontro e la collaborazione di ricercatori studenti e appassionati provenienti da tutte le parti del mondo. Per poter organizzare una struttura comunicativa utile a ques...
This text deals with the final session of the conference Locus Celebris concerning the future of ... more This text deals with the final session of the conference Locus Celebris concerning the future of Dalby church, monastery and manor. A round table discussion was organized with contributions from nine participants, all with some kind of relationship to the Dalby complex. The participants in the discussion were an exhibition curator, an IT expert from the Design Sciences Department at Lund University, the city planning director of Lund municipality, the head of the Cultural Environment Unit at the County Administrative Board of Skane, a landscape historian as representative of the local organization Kulturkvadranten, an historical archaeologist, a representative from the Swedish National Property Board, the Lund cathedral architect, and the dean of the cathedral of Lund. The conclusion was that it is important do develop the site of Dalby on its own merits and to preserve the existing atmosphere, tradition and continuity. The story of Dalby could preferably be visual, and in the futur...
The Virtual Museum of the Western Han Dynasty Project is a joint research between UC Merced and t... more The Virtual Museum of the Western Han Dynasty Project is a joint research between UC Merced and the Jiaotong University aimed to the digital documentation of archaeological sites, artifacts and cultural relics of the Western Han Dynasty. The outcome of this process will be the creation of a virtual museum, based on collaborative environments, dedicated to the Western Han Dynasty and able to integrate new archaeological datasets coming from the fieldwork activities (most part of them unpublished), monuments, and famous collections of artifacts of the Xi’an archaeological museums. One of the most important archaeological examples in Xi’an is represented by the mural paintings of the monumental tombs of the Western Han Dynasty. Despite their cultural and historical importance they are at risk of being lost because of the critical conditions of plasters and colors. The murals show a very rich repertory of subjects such as scenes of daily life, rituals and ascension to heaven. These exam...
The CNR ITABC (Institute for the Technologies Applied to the Cultural Heritage), through the Virt... more The CNR ITABC (Institute for the Technologies Applied to the Cultural Heritage), through the Virtual Heritage Lab, develops integrated methodologies for data elaboration and visualization and for the creation of virtual archaeological landscape. The Via Flaminia's territory (Rome, Italy) is a composite setup of buildings, terrain and vegetation. Its virtual reconstitution requires the acquisition of architectural and topographic data and the development of a methodology to consolidate all data into a unique real time modelling framework. Gathering data about the current status of the various elements of the territory requires to draw on a broad spectrum of instruments and techniques. Each technique should indeed be adapted to the morphology and scale of the entity that is surveyed. The instruments used to acquire data are: laser scanners, photogrammetry, computer vision, Total Station and differential GPS. Using an advanced technology such as the laser scanner (for example in the case of the Villa of Livia ) we obtained threedimensional sets of points. The level of resolution is 6mm, or about 30,000 points by square meter. A total of 7,000 square meters were surveyed. Points were then triangulated (using Rapidform) and a first model produced decimated. The preparation of a real time model requires such raw and bulky models to be optimised, and especially to reduce the number of polygons and ease the texture management. Two approaches were tested in this respect. The optimized models are finally integrated in the virtual reality system, together with other models, prepared using different technologies, such as photomodelling (applied to regular geometries) that produces low-poly models with textures. Through the 3d reconstruction of the architectural heritage and its real time display, we obtained an accurate and communicative interpretation that both suits research purposes and can transmit the importance of conservation to the general public. It is perceived as an effective way to divulgate and publicise an information that is often only accessed by the scientific community.
The visualisation of an archaeological landscape passes through its representation, interpretatio... more The visualisation of an archaeological landscape passes through its representation, interpretation and reconstruction. Its various and complex aspects can be described just through an integrated approach of disciplines, data and technologies. Two directions have been undertaken by our research team: a narrative approach and a geographical-spatial one. The narrative approach to cultural data is focused more on graphic and photo realistic scene generation, using software such as 3DStudio Max and Virtools, which allow interactive, game-like quality applications for the web and Virtual Reality. The work is based on the creation of complex behaviours inside the virtual worlds in order to stress the communication through different types of narration (story-telling).
This contribution is intended to present the results of some comparative tests between different ... more This contribution is intended to present the results of some comparative tests between different techniques for tridimensional digital documentation, applied to archaeological finds. Both open source and proprietary solutions have been analyzed, investigating pros and cons of their approach and considering the characteristics of hardware and software components from an archaeological point of view. Our attentions was especially focused on Computer Vision applications (mainly based on software) with a comparison of Microsoft’s product Photosynth with the GPL licensed Bundler. Another point of interest (hardware side) has been the investigation on optic sensors, which took us to concentrate on the triangolation laserscan Next Engine (proprietary) and on the structured light Three Phase Scan (open source). (Less)
ABSTRACT This project is aimed to learn how to virtually reconstruct archaeological sites within ... more ABSTRACT This project is aimed to learn how to virtually reconstruct archaeological sites within the virtual community of Second Life, the 3D virtual world where users can socialize, connect and create using voice and text chat. The University of California Merced purchased a virtual island in Second Life (www.secondlife.com) called "UCM Heritage Island", where students, scholars and instructors can interact, share and update cultural contents and create learning objects.This island is used in the following University courses:WH01, Introduction to World Heritage and WH 110, Reconstructing Ancient Worlds. This digital learning activity is based on a specific and important archaeological case study: the reconstruction of the imperial Villa of Livia (wife of the emperor Augustus) in Rome (I cent B.C.-II cent. A.D.).The objectives of this learning platform are to teach the students how to interpret, reconstruct and communicate scientifically an existing archaeological site using all the dataset available on site: photos, movies, maps, models, 3D documentation, remote sensing and spatial data, archives, historical information. We'd like to imagine the Virtual like a 3D cyberspace in which artificial organisms and humans interact, move, grow on the basis of rules of the artificial societies and of the relations of the ecosystems; the realm of the Virtual, in technical sense, includes all the 3D worlds where the action/reaction/retroaction is free and in real time. In network and collaborative environments cyberspaces and information are shared and the experience, subjective and objective, is embodied by avatars, actions, interactions, behaviors, navigations, dialogues, feelings, storytelling.This embodiment constitute a new way of learning, communication and cultural transmission; in cybernetic terms it is a "mirror effect", we can display our 181 Digital Heritage action and mind in someone's embodiment. At UC Merced we are experimenting digital media learning in Second Life within the UCM Virtual Heritage Island where the students can understand the reconstruction process of the ancient Roman villa of Livia (Augustus' spouse, I cent. A.D.). The aim of our research is hence to develop a theoretical overview of learning in cybercommunities. In particular, we present some theoretical hypothesis for the development of VE systems, basing on more recent studies on situated cognition, sense of presence, interaction and embodiment.This work was made also thanks to the UCCP innovation grant awarded in the Summer 2008.
Time travel is often associated with popular mediation. This article demonstrates how time travel... more Time travel is often associated with popular mediation. This article demonstrates how time travel using digital visualization may also be a useful tool doing research. The case study is the medieval cathedral and monastery of Dalby in Sweden with a 12th century crypt and font. The crypt may have functioned as a baptismal chapel in the Middle Ages. Digital 3 D techniques including terrestrial laser scanner and image based modelling are used to reconstruct the original architecture of the crypt, to move back the font and to conduct simulations of the use of the space in the liturgy.
In recent decades, the development of technology that aids in documenting, analysing and communic... more In recent decades, the development of technology that aids in documenting, analysing and communicating information regarding archaeological sites has affected the way that historical information is transmitted and perceived by the community. Digital technologies have affected archaeology at all levels; for example, novel investigation methods have highlighted new and unknown aspects of archaeological research. The constant development of friendly user-interfaces has encouraged the diffusion of and experimentation with different approaches. This article discusses how the use of three-dimensional models has changed our perception of field practices in archaeology. Specifically, this paper presents several experiments in which three-dimensional replicas of archaeological contexts were processed and used to document and monitor the short lifetime of on-going archaeological excavations. These case studies demonstrate how the use of digital technologies during field activities allows arch...
Urkesh, today a small village known as Tell Mozan, was a major political and religious center of ... more Urkesh, today a small village known as Tell Mozan, was a major political and religious center of the Hurrians – an elusive population of the ancient Near East. Archaeological excavations have shown that they had developed a strong urban civilization, at the very dawn of history, some 5000 years ago. A temple dominated the ancient skyline, at the top of a built-up terrace that rivaled the nearby mountains. A large royal palace, currently under excavation, has yielded written evidence that has allowed us to identify the ancient city. The excavation of Urkesh at Tell Mozan started in 1984 and through the year 2002 there have been 15 seasons of excavation. Excavations are carried out under a permit from, and with the collaboration of the Directorate General of Antiquities and Museums, the Ministry of Culture, the Syrian Arab Republic, the expedition is under the aegis of IIMAS the International Institute for Mesopotamian Area Studies. In this context, in 2003, an international collabora...
... 488-508. Saba A. (1927), Montecassino e La Sardegna medioevale, Cassino. ... Vico L., Moro A.... more ... 488-508. Saba A. (1927), Montecassino e La Sardegna medioevale, Cassino. ... Vico L., Moro A., Galeazzi F., Di Ioia M., Dell'Unto N. (30 Ottobre 4 Novembre2006), Integrated methodologies for data elaboration and real time: Villa of Livia (Via Flaminia project). ...
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Papers by Nicolo' Dell'Unto
It was thus possible to detect a significant difference in terms of visibility among the observed objects.
The topics addressed in the document are meant to help to ensure the development of standardized good practices relating to the production, the handling, the long-term conservation and the reuse of 3D objects. Therefore, even if the focus is put on technical questions (formats, processing, and annotation), the White Paper also identifies the need to clarify the legal status of 3D objects, in order to facilitate their reuse(s) in non-research contexts, in particular in Museums