Marc Ghysels, always on the edge of new technologic progress, just released a first so-called ‘photoscan‘ of an African art object, see below (or here). It is a 3D view of a Djenne terracotta figure from Mali, which can be admired from all angles (and zoomed upon). I think it’s extraordinary and can’t stop playing with it. This imaging technique seems very natural (and in fact is very easy to use), but does require “a lot photographic and post processing work/time… as well as huge computer horsepower”, to quote Ghysels. The beauty of the technique is also that its final result can be easily displayed on an iPhone or an iPad without time-lag. In my humble opinion, it’s the future of online object presentation – especially for very three dimensional objects, such as this terracotta figure. The only thing that is still missing is a ‘PRINT’-option, but with 3D printing technology advancing rapidly that’s just a matter of a few more years.
Djenne terracotta figure
by Marc Ghysels • Scantix
on Sketchfab
Update: the future is here ! A reader informed me about 3D scans taken at the San Francisco Asian Art Museum, see them here – the used software (TRNIO) even runs on an Iphone.
Update 2: the Indianapolis Museum of Art is already using this technology on their website, click here for a 3D view of a Songye figure from their collection.