1. Introduction | The Science of 3D (UCL Petrie Museum)

UCL is contributing to UK Qatar Year of Culture. University College London (UCL) is excited to be taking part in Qatar UK 2013 which celebrates the friendship between Qatar and the United Kingdom through the arts, culture, education, science and sport.

Professor Michael Worton

UCL Vice-Provost (International)

3D digital models of objects at the UCL Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archaeology. Film and App by Giancarlo Amati.

Welcome to the e-brochure: Science of 3D

UCL recognises that the boundaries between art and science are fading and that innovation in society is being driven by the interplay between the two. With degree programmes such as Digital Humanities, UCLIC and CASA and new BASC, UCL is equipping its students with the skills to traverse different academic landscapes and providing unprecedented opportunities for interdisciplinary research. UCL Qatar’s inaugural exhibition '3D Encounters: Where Science Meets Heritage' is just one example of how research collaborations between the arts and sciences can lead to advances that help us engage and interact with different cultures. The exhibition presents high quality 3D digital replicas of ancient artefacts from the Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archaeology with which visitors can engage through gesture recognition, augmented reality and touch screen technologies.

For those who will not have the opportunity to visit the exhibition or those who want to know more about the research behind it, this digital flipbook provides a behind the scenes look at 3D research and development at UCL.

Being able to scientifically capture objects ‘in the round’ can support conservation programmes and enable close comparison of similar objects. In order to assess the potential of 3D recording to permit new interpretations and reach new global audiences for the museum world, this e-brochure has contributors who are conversant in the technology, 3d graphics, software development, digital humanities, curation, museum management, anthropology and practice of object handling and 3D capture.