A 3D scan reveals the secrets of an Egyptian mummy
The Egyptian mummy was converted into a 3D model using 3D scanning and computed tomography
The once separate technologies of 3D scanning and computed tomography have been combined to produce a unique composite model of the Egyptian mummy. Data on the geometry, texture and color of the mummy collected with the Artec Eva 3D scanner were combined with a CT scan made with an AXIOM Siemens CT scanner. The result is a digital copy of the mummy, showing what it looks like inside and out.
The CT scanner provides us with comprehensive information about the internal structure of the body, but it cannot record/express colors, so we are deprived of a completely realistic representation of the object. Now, thanks to a new feature in Volume Graphics 3.1, the leading program for the analysis and visualization of industrial 3D CT data, the two data sets are merged with the click of a button.
The Sherite mummy project is one of the first applications of this new possibility. Sherit, "small" in ancient Egyptian, is a mummified Egyptian child who died two millennia ago. It is currently located at the Rosicrucian Museum in San Jose, California.
"The most important thing for us in this project is to bring this girl's story to life," says Julie Scott, Executive Director at the Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum. "She arrived in our museum in the 1930s and we still know very little about her." We wanted to find a way to learn more about who she was without damaging the bandages."
Sherit underwent a CT scan in 2005 that allowed researchers to roughly determine her age and health. The girl was between four and a half and six years old when she died. The body was wrapped in fine cloth and covered with round earrings, an amulet, a necklace from the Roman period, from which it can be concluded that she came from a wealthy family. Doctors involved in the investigation believe she died of dysentery or meningitis.
"The research is currently featured in a short film in the science section of the museum," says Julie Scott. "We are planning to present a new video soon. The new presentation will be interactive. We hope that the new technology will interest guests to better understand the life of this little girl who lived so long ago."
The CT scan of the Sherit mummy was combined with a high-precision 3D scan done with a handheld Artec Eva 3D scanner that produced a vivid, full-color 3D view of the mummy's exterior.
"We chose the Artec scanner because it is the best way to enhance the detail of the CT scan with a color surface mesh, which we can then feed into the VGSTUDIO MAX software," says Christoph Reinhart, CEO of Volume Graphics. "Artec scanners, in addition to being easy to use, are compact and capture the surface in high quality." The devices are easy to handle because they are relatively small and work quickly. At the same time, they allow us to make highly accurate 3D images of the surface and, most importantly, in color, which is lacking in computed tomography. We are very pleased with the results. The quality exceeded our expectations."
The use of Artec 3D scan technology of structured light enables the rapid creation of 3D scans without placing a marker on the sensitive surface of the mummy. Artec 3D scanners produce high-resolution 3D images with a color depth of 24 bits per pixel, displaying the true color of the object. Thanks to the enhanced visualization option in Artec Studio 12 software, 3D data is displayed as fully rendered scans, which facilitates the processing and review of 3D models.
"The mummy was quite easy to scan because it has a complex geometry, a variety of non-repeating textures and a natural, imperfect surface," says Anna Galdina of Artec, who scanned the mummy. "The only minor difficulty I faced was the Museum's request not to place the scanner above the mummy." This limited the range of angles from which I could shoot, but thanks to the versatility of the scanner, this was not a big problem."
Ana had 30 minutes to scan the object, but the whole job was done much faster - in less than 10 minutes. "Then I decided to make additional scans, adjusting the settings in the Artec Studio program." Also, I used the extra time to check that all cracks and voids were noted."
The initial raw data processing was done on-site in just a few minutes. "The high-resolution version was then processed in an hour and a half," says Anna. The client asked for several versions of the model in different resolutions, which I also prepared."
Anna created a total of five models in .obj with .png texture, .ply and .wrl sizes varying from 600,000 to 27 million polygons. "Ultimately, I'm very excited to be a part of this project," she says. "I have never seen Artec 3D scans combined with CT scans before this." The results are amazing! Both sets of data are perfectly blended, and now you can see all the details of the mummy's exterior as well as what's inside. Unbelievable!”
A 3D image contains color data as well as geometric data. The CT scan safely recorded all the data inside the mummy, an area inaccessible to an optical 3D scanner. Using a CT scan, a three-dimensional volume was calculated, which contained all the information about the geometry and material.
After that, both scans had to be combined into a 3D model. A textured mesh is laid over the surface of the object, calculated with the help of a CT scan. The result is a mummy that is the most accurate digital copy to date, inside and out.
The whole process of joining the two scans was done in VGSTUDIO MAX, Volume Graphics top software for visualization and analysis of industrial CT data, the latest version of which can read .obj and .ply data.
"It will be interesting to see what users of our software do now that they know it is possible to add another dimension to volume data," says Christoph Reinhardt. By adding colored point clouds as well as mesh, we have merged the worlds of optical and CT scanning. We are eagerly awaiting the results!
Previously, CT scanned objects were manually colored to give their surfaces a realistic appearance, but this is no longer necessary thanks to the combination of 3D textured scanning and CT scanning. The textured mesh is combined with the CT data in the Volume Graphics 3.1 software in order to obtain a more complete documentation, a more accurate representation and a comprehensive visual analysis of the object.
Obvious fields of application are the protection of cultural heritage, forensics, archaeology, anthropology, as well as medical sciences. However, application in industry is also possible. For example, a combination of textured meshes with a CT scan can be applied to examine the interior details of an object with colored details on the surface.
Ana had 30 minutes to scan the object, but the whole job was done much faster - in less than 10 minutes. "Then I decided to make additional scans, adjusting the settings in the Artec Studio program." Also, I used the extra time to check that all cracks and voids were noted."
The initial raw data processing was done on-site in just a few minutes. "The high-resolution version was then processed in an hour and a half," says Anna. The client asked for several versions of the model in different resolutions, which I also prepared."
Anna created a total of five models in .obj with .png texture, .ply and .wrl sizes varying from 600,000 to 27 million polygons. "Ultimately, I'm very excited to be a part of this project," she says. "I have never seen Artec 3D scans combined with CT scans before this." The results are amazing! Both sets of data are perfectly blended, and now you can see all the details of the mummy's exterior as well as what's inside. Unbelievable!”
A 3D image contains color data as well as geometric data. The CT scan safely recorded all the data inside the mummy, an area inaccessible to an optical 3D scanner. Using a CT scan, a three-dimensional volume was calculated, which contained all the information about the geometry and material.
After that, both scans had to be combined into a 3D model. A textured mesh is laid over the surface of the object, calculated with the help of a CT scan. The result is a mummy that is the most accurate digital copy to date, inside and out.
The whole process of joining the two scans was done in VGSTUDIO MAX, Volume Graphics top software for visualization and analysis of industrial CT data, the latest version of which can read .obj and .ply data.
"It will be interesting to see what users of our software do now that they know it is possible to add another dimension to volume data," says Christoph Reinhardt. By adding colored point clouds as well as mesh, we have merged the worlds of optical and CT scanning. We are eagerly awaiting the results!
Previously, CT scanned objects were manually colored to give their surfaces a realistic appearance, but this is no longer necessary thanks to the combination of 3D textured scanning and CT scanning. The textured mesh is combined with the CT data in the Volume Graphics 3.1 software in order to obtain a more complete documentation, a more accurate representation and a comprehensive visual analysis of the object.
Obvious fields of application are the protection of cultural heritage, forensics, archaeology, anthropology, as well as medical sciences. However, application in industry is also possible. For example, a combination of textured meshes with a CT scan can be applied to examine the interior details of an object with colored details on the surface.