We have ventured to produce a small number of 3D visualisations of selected works from our collections and publish them on the internet in our Online Collection Plus in addition to traditional scans and photographs. This initiative is part of the project ‘Kulturerbe digital’, a programme to promote the digitisation of cultural heritage in Austria.

How does it work? By means of photogrammetry, a large number of digital images of an object is produced from different angles and then processed into a 3D model to create a three-dimensional geometric reconstruction of the object.

The selected objects have very different shapes. We’ve not only digitised small Easter eggs but also larger objects from our museum’s former permanent exhibition, such as a traditional wooden chest from the Zillertal Valley (Zillertaler Truhe) and even the Montafon Parlour (Montafoner Stube). You need to be quite creative to be able to depict objects like these from all angles. In cooperation with Harald Wraunek from Denkmal 3D, we positioned smaller objects on an app-controlled turntable and used ladders and tripods

3D visualisations are saved in OBJ format and require special tools to be displayed. We therefore upload our models to Sketchfab, a special platform for showcasing digital three-dimensional content, and then link them to our Online Collection Plus.

It is amazing how detailed the images are. Every single woodworm hole becomes visible when you zoom in. We get very excited every time a new 3D object is uploaded, which gives us the opportunity play with it, turn it and swivel it around, and simply marvel at intricate details that might not yet been discovered.

Explore our 3D visualisations here. Have fun zooming in!