CARARE is a non-profit organization that aims to advance the use of digital cultural heritage. Some of its members create 3D models of cultural artifacts and share them with Europeana. While 3D technology has advanced, standards for sharing 3D content need improvement to ensure the findability, accessibility, and reusability of 3D cultural heritage models. The document discusses challenges in sharing 3D online and provides examples of how 3D is used in research applications. It emphasizes the need for comprehensive metadata and use of open formats to maximize discovery and reuse of 3D cultural heritage content.

1. Sharing 3D
Cultural Heritage
Kate Fernie, CARARE
We have a 3D model, what now?
University of Turku, 12 February 2021

2. CARARE is a non-profit membership whose main objective is advancing
professional practice and fostering appreciation of the digital archaeological
and architectural heritage.
● Several CARARE members are active in 3D digitisation and in creating 3D content for
various audiences
● CARARE has been sharing 3D content with Europeana since 2011-12
● We’ve experienced various developments in 3D over that time
https://www.carare.eu
Introduction

3. Cultural heritage and 3D
• 3D digitisation of the cultural heritage
is increasing valuable for conservation,
research, education, tourism and more
• It is important for documenting
heritage at risk
• 3D provides access to heritage in
places that are hard to reach
• Is enabling the sector to offer
innovative and engaging ways to open
up access to cultural heritage for
diverse audiences
INCEPTION Platform

4. • 3D is used on cultural heritage assets of very
different size and scale – from large monuments and
buildings and to small objects
• The methods, techniques and workflow differ
according to the object and the purpose of the
project
• The audience for the content and they will use it also
influences the what is captured and the quality
Creating 3D
Recording in 3D structure at Knowth, Brú na
Bóinne, Discovery Programme, CC-BY-NC
Scanning the Girl with the Pearl Earring,
Mauritshuis,Kate Fernie, CC-BY
https://carare.gitbook.io/share-3d-guidelines/3d-process/context

5. Standards and qualities
People often focus on the process of creating 3D – the capture, post
processing, optimization, modelling, animation, annotation and aspects of
quality such as resolution, accuracy and precision, visual appearance,
historical accuracy and so on.
Poulnabrone Portal Tomb, 3D model delivered by Sketchfab, Discovery Programme, CC-BY-NC-SA
When it comes to sharing and preserving
3D these aspects are important:
• Standards and using standard file
formats
• Capturing metadata
• Clearing the rights and licencing
access (and preservation).

6. Outputs
3D projects for cultural heritage normally
produce more than one output
• There should be an archive of the full
dataset for preservation
• Versions of the 3D models may be
published at different resolutions online
• Or used in galleries to create visitor
experiences
• Versions may also be created for 3D
printing
The Thinker at the Musée Rodin, France
https://www.myminifactory.com/object/3d-print-the-thinker-at-the-muse-
rodin-france-2127

7. Providing online access to 3D content
• Until fairly recently publishing 3D content online was considered to be an unsolved
problem
• File sizes were vast and too heavy for speedy download
• Users had to download and install various different plugins or software before they
could view the content
• HTML5 and WebGL brought about a revolution
• 3D content streamed in real time
• Accessible on web browsers and mobiles
Voyager, the Smithsonian museum’s 3D viewer, CC-0
 Sketchfab, 3D HOP, the Smithsonian’s 3D viewer
and others

8. From Sketchfab to Europeana
• Sketchfab is a popular platform for
sharing 3D content among cultural
heritage institutions
• In the Share3D project (2018-2020) we
created:
• A metadata capture tool for CH institutions
uploading 3D models to Sketchfab to share
their content with Europeana
• Guidelines on the tools and the 3D workflow
www.share3d.eu
https://sketchfab.com/turunmuseokeskus
Co-financed by the Connecting Europe Facility of the European Union

9. As well as good 3D content we need metadata:
• To understand the 3D content and the cultural heritage that is represented
• For discovery of the content and
• For preservation
Yet metadata for 3D is often minimal
Why a metadata?
https://share3d.eu/dashboard/
• There are few cataloguing systems
available

10. • Links to Sketchfab – imports
metadata for your models on
Sketchfab – links, descriptions, etc.
• Easy to use – select subjects and
periods from AAT, map search to find
coordinates
• Links to Europeana – creates records
in EDM format ready for harvesting
by Europeana
• Includes paradata about the model
creation process
Share3D dashboard

11. In this way Share3D is
helping to increase the
amount of 3D content that
is available to
Europeana’s users
https://www.europeana.eu/

12. Overview of Europeana
Fragment of relief, Medalhavsmuseet, CC-BY
• Europe’s platform for digital
cultural heritage funded by the
European Commission
• 50+ million items – photographs,
videos, music, newspapers, text
(books, reports, diaries, letters),
spoken word
• c. 20,000 3D models
https://www.europeana.eu

13. Challenges for Europeana
Sjösccouten Idris på Daphne lägger till..
Society of Swedish Literature in Finland, CC-BY
• People are used to being able to view
the content on the web immediately on
their devices
• Images and text documents
• For video and audio files there are
standard formats and embeddable
players for online delivery
• 3D is less well standardized
• There are 50+ 3D formats in use
• Many don’t play immediately within web
platforms

14. The format and viewer chosen affects the
experiences that (Europeana) can offer users
when they find 3D online

15. Simple objects: user experience
• Explore objects from all sides
• Zoom in on details
• Show specific views (front, side,
top)
3D pdf, model of Helmet from Peretu
Muzeul Național de Istorie a României, CCO
3D PDFs currently need downloading and a click
to activate the content

16. Complex objects: user experience
• Explore objects inside and
out
• Interiors and complex
scenes
• Zoom in on details
• Show specific views
• Use annotations to follow a
virtual tour of the
monument as it is today
Castle of St Magdala de Pulpis, ADD&4D, InC
Model available via Sketchfab allows user interactivity
within the browser window

17. Reconstructions: user experience
• 3D and 4D visualization
• Explore scenes including
landscapes showing the
site at different times in
history
• Follow a tour guide
Saint Salvator abbey and landscape, Visual Dimension, InC

18. So far I’ve focused on Europeana’s approach
Three research use cases follow

19. Research use case 1: Virtual reference collections
https://www.darklab.lu.se/digital-collections/dynamic-collections/
• Lund University DARKLab
• 3D models of museum objects
provide a virtual reference
collection
• Powered by 3D HOP and 3D
web archives

20. Metall Kniv, LUHM museum, DARK Lab, Lund University
3D HOP Includes tools that
allow users to
• Examine objects, take
measurements and add
annotations
• Users can collect and
compare 3D objects
Research use case 1: Virtual reference collections

21. https://visual.ariadne-infrastructure.eu/
ARIADNEplus Visual Media
Services
• Publication and
presentation of complex
visual media assets
o 3D media, RTI images and
high resolution images
• Based on 3D HOP
• Not intended as an
archive or a repository
Research use case 2: Virtual reference collections

22. Research Use case 3: Publishing
• Embedding 3D models
within scholarly journals
• Are other journals offering
similar facilities?

23. Everyone wants their content to
be easily findable, accessible,
and interoperable with various
systems and ready for re-use
Let’s make this work for 3D
cultural heritage

24. Sharing 3D data: towards FAIR
Findability – create good metadata records and use unique identifiers
Accessible – use common file formats (glTF, X3D, OBJ, PLY, STL, DAE, PLY,
WRL, DICOM, IFC) that mean your 3D content can be delivered, accessed
and preserved easily. Deposit your archive as well as publishing
Interoperable – use formats, platforms and systems that can be supported
by cultural institutions and their users, and which allow for connections
between 3D, 2D and other media
Re-usable – clear the rights in the cultural heritage object and digital
content, and licence for re-use

25. kfernie27@gmail.com
Thanks for your attention!
www.carare.eu
CARARE is a membership association and if you would like to find
out more about joining us, please see: https://www.carare.eu/join-us/

26. Useful resources are available from:
• CARARE training hub: https://pro.carare.eu/training-hub/
• ARIADNE training hub: https://training.ariadne-infrastructure.eu/
• Share 3D introduction to the 3D workflow:
https://carare.gitbook.io/share-3d-guidelines/3d-process/context
• 4CH competence centre on the conservation of cultural heritage:
https://www.4ch-project.eu/
• European Commission Principles and tips for 3D digitisation:
https://ec.europa.eu/digital-single-market/en/news/basic-principles-
and-tips-3d-digitisation-cultural-heritage
References

27. EC expert group on digital cultural heritage and Europeana:
Principles and tips for 3D digitisation
Consider the
value of and
need for 3D
digitisation
Identify the
different
formats and
versions
needed for
different use
cases
Select what to
digitize and for
which use
cases or user
groups
Decide whether
to digitize in
house or to out
source
Clarify
copyright
aspects and
plan for open
and broad
access
Determine the
minimum
quality needed
but aim for the
highest
possible
Plan for long-
term
preservation of
all data
acquired
Use the right
equipment,
methods and
workflows
Protect the
assets both
during and after
digitization
Invest in
knowledge of
3D
technologies,
processes and
content
https://ec.europa.eu/digital-single-market/en/news/basic-principles-and-tips-3d-digitisation-cultural-heritage