Rapid Prototyping of Digital Models in Archaeology

Peter FERSCHIN¹ / Andreas JONAS¹ / Iman KULITZ¹ / Dietrich RAUE²

(¹Vienna University of Technology, Institute of Architectural Sciences, Digital Architecture and Planning, Austria / ²German Archaeological Institute, Department Cairo, Elephantine, Egypt)

Creating models in archaeology, building research and related disciplines has already a long tradition. Physical models of existing or reconstructed buildings were manufactured from materials that are easy to manipulate like wood, while models of objects were often produced by manual casting techniques. Since digital technologies enter more and more the area of archaeology, digital virtual models were produced, based on traditional excavation documentation (maps, plans, sections, photographs, …) or by using digital methods with 3D scanners. The automated production of physical models from virtual models is still very uncommon in the field of archaeology.

In our work we will focus on extending the “model making chain” with two rapid prototyping techniques (3D Printing and CNC milling).

As a test of these techniques we created a 3D printed model of the virtual reconstructed Heqaib Sanctuary on Elephantine/Egypt and a terrain model of a surveyed part of the island of Elephantine.

From our test results we will explain the necessary steps how the models (geometry as well as textures) need to be prepared for rapid prototyping techniques. Furthermore we will describe the necessary technological workflow (e.g. generating of milling paths) and explain the characteristics of both tested techniques.

Applications of models created from rapid prototyping techniques could be used in the education process in archaeology, for museum exhibitions and for completing distributed parts of objects by scanning and merging the parts digitally and then generating a unified physical model.

Also CNC milling of parts for the conservation process of unique archaeological objects will be an interesting task in the future.

Keywords: Rapid Prototyping, 3D Printing, CNC Milling, Archaeological Models, 3D Models