Being a Student Museum Conservator

When creating a "Virtual Museum" in the classroom, we begin by scanning actual 3D objects of some present or future historical value.  For the time that we may have these items students will have to understand the role of the Museum Conservator.

For items in our possession for a short time, our conservatorship involves how items are handled.  For items under our student's control for a longer time, it also includes how they are displayed and/or stored.

We previously posted an image of two Santa containers.  One is clearly in a LOT better shape than the other.

Two Cheinco Santas Demonstrating Storage Damage

A 3rd Cheinco Santa arrived today and together with the others perfectly illustrates the cumulative affects of various states of poor storage.

Three Cheinco Santas Demonstrating Cumulative Storage Damage.

The Santa on the left of both images was clearly stored in a more protective environment than the other two.  And, the one on the right clearly shows evidence of very poor storage conditions.  This is the natural fate of ALL objects.  So, conservators pay a LOT of attention to how they protect items both on display and in storage.

This fact is another reason why working with real objects to capture and turn into virtual objects has such great educational value.  It not only provides an opportunity to focus on all the related aspects of the life of an object; but, also provides a point of departure into related subjects such as the affect of light and heat on objects over time.

When I get to introduce our Santas to our students, there are many questions I want to ask them before we even begin to try to capture them.  Why, for instance, is the Santa on the right lighter on top than on the bottom?  What might that tell us about its life since it was created?  Etc., Etc., Etc.

The point is that 3D Scanning is MORE than a single, isolated function.  If seen correctly, it can become an adventure that leads in many directions... including, perhaps, a career as a conservator in one of the world's great museums!

Look closely at what this Getty Museum conservator is doing!

Scanning an Object at the Getty Museum

An Example of WHY Capturing is Important to History

As my first example of a classroom "Curated Virtual Museum Collection" I chose a series of objects that one can buy for less than $20.  They aren't all that expensive nor rare... for now.  Here is a sample.

Chienco Santa - Tobacco Tin circa 1980

The Matter and Form scanner did an excellent job of capturing this object with a single 'Quick Scan'.  The result will be even better when I add a second scan directed at capturing the top and bottom.  But, even if scanned flawlessly, the question remains.  Why pick this object as an example of preserving history.

The answer is TIME and LIGHT.  Right now we can find very nice examples of this object on eBay or Etsy.  But, like ALL things, time and light, have a way of taking away this luxury.  In fact, I have not one; but, TWO examples of the Santa.  They were probably created around the very same time.  However, today, just under 40 years later, they look VERY different.

Time and Lack of Care Ravage a Santa

It is obvious from this photo that the Santa on the right has been sitting in a well-lit spot over an extended period of time.  And, that leads us to believe that the Santa on the left could face that very same fate given enough time if not well protected.

The ratio of perfect examples as compared to less-than-perfect examples inevitably changes over time.  When they first came off the for there were more prefect than not.  But, as the years roll by there will eventually be more damaged than perfect.  In fact, the Santa on the left is actually LESS perfect now than when I first received it due to my carelessness.  There is a small dent near the bottom in the back caused by my picking it up by the head not realizing that the head slides off easily.

These objects represent the work of a company of around 600 people working at Cheinco, in the small town of Burlington, New Jersey.  (By the way, if you ever get by that way, the Burlington County Historical Society has some toys and other items created by Cheinco.)

It's hard to imagine that any company in the future would resume the production of tin objects like this when plastic is so prevalent and inexpensive.  Therefore, they represent a snapshot in time that will probably never exist again.

By scanning these objects in the best condition possible, as faithfully as possible, we can capture that history for others to see and appreciate in a very tangible way.  We can't duplicate the tin; but, we can duplicate the overall effect of the design on the tin and capture some of the documentation, such as the printing on the bottom that gives us some clues about the maker.

Perhaps, even immediately MORE importantly, the scanning and curation process encourages us to know more about the item, more about the company and more about the people that worked in that factory.  We are, in effect, also capturing a day in THEIR life.  And, that is very, very cool.

Should a descendent, long into the future, want to know more about what their ancestor did in 1980, the virtual museum exhibit will be there waiting for them long after ALL the tin objects have faded like Santa #2.

And, that is justification enough.  :)

P.S. If you clicked on any of the links in this page, you have experienced another benefit of our having selected the Cheinco tins as our example.  Would you really have visited the Cheino article, the Burlington, NJ pages or the Burlington County Historical site had we not written about our Santa?  Yes, it is true.  3D Motivates!

3D Scanning Workflow - Step #1: Material File Correction

A lot of users make the mistake of believing that the results they achieve from their color 3D scanner or photogrammetry applications a done deal.  It either worked as they hoped or it didn't.

Nothing could be farther from the truth.

There is a LOT that can be done with a capture that may seem unacceptable.  But, to turn that capture into some usable there may be a bit of processing that needs to be applied.  We're going to call this "The 3D Capture Workflow" and it will involve one or more post-processing steps.

While capture devices and software often allow several file types to be created, the most common from which to start is the Alias Wavefront Object or .OBJ file type.  The primary saved file will often have one or more child files, usually .MTL and .JPG (or .PNG).

ALIAS WAVEFRONT OBJECT FILE (.OBJ)

We usually open an .OBJ file in a 3D viewer application.   The result is something like this... a color 3D object that can be rotated or viewed from all sides.

Santa Capture Viewed in Meshlab

But, the .OBJ file is actually a text document that can be opened in any text editor.  It primarily contains all of the "Vertex Position" data which defines the underlying SHAPE of the captured object.  And, it also contains a pointer to the MESH MATERIAL file. Here are the first few lines of our sample .OBJ file.

# File produced by Open Asset Import Library (http://www.assimp.sf.net)
# (assimp v4.1.0)

mtllib SantaTest01.mtl

# 57085 vertex positions
v  -6.74224853515625 52.62289428710938 -80.77588653564453
v  -6.03680419921875 52.62289428710938 -80.8377685546875
v .....

In this case the child material file is called "SantaTest01.mtl".   Let's take a look at that file.

MESH MATERIAL DEFINITION FILE (.MTL)

Like the .OBJ file, the .MTL file is a text file.  It's basic purpose is to point to one or more image files that define the color information that provides the object with a color surface.

# File produced by Open Asset Import Library (http://www.assimp.sf.net)
# (assimp v4.1.0)

newmtl SantaTest01_material
illum 1
map_Kd SantaTest01.jpg

In this case, there is only one child image file that is called "SantaTest01.jpg".  It is this file that we will be focusing on for the first step of our post-processing workflow.

COLOR MESH MAP FILE (.JPG)

What provides the color detail of our 3D object is actually a flat image file.  Before viewing the .JPG, let's revisit our capture from a different angle.

Santa Capture - Back View

While generally this capture would be acceptable, it is not perfect and can be improved with just a little work on our part.   There are two issues.  The first, as pointed out by the blue arrow is that this tin object is highly reflective.  Normally, this could be solved by spraying an anti-glare material on the object.  But, our goal is to work with objects of some historical value and there is no way a museum is ever going to let us spray one of their historic objects even if it means a better capture outcome.  We will simply have to learn how to deal with specular issues some other way.

The other issue, as pointed out by the green arrow, is that is a seam in an area where there is no such seam in the original object.  while not a 'show stopper', if we can learn how to diminish the affect of that seam, we can obtain a better final result.

To understand and fix (or at least improve) both of these issues, let's turn to the Mesh Map file... SantaTest01.jpg.

SantaTest01.jpg Mesh Map File

As is plain to see, the surface of the Santa capture is defined by SIX individual sections within one .JPG file.  It becomes obvious that where two of these overlap there is some discrepancy in the brightness that results in the seam we see.  And, it's also apparent that if we are to reduce the specular issues we need to address several places in this image.  Once these are addressed, we should see an improvement in the final 3D object.

AFFINITY PHOTO / AFFINITY DESIGNER

Any image processing application could be used.  But, I have chosen to use Affinity Photo for this purpose.  The reason for choosing this application is two-fold.  First, it is VERY reasonable in cost... just $49.99.   And, it is amazingly complete is terms of matching the much more expensive Adobe Photoshop.   Secondly, while I am a complete novice at using Affinity Photo, I have found some amazingly easy lessons that should let me get up to speed enough at least well enough to improve this image and, consequently, improve the overall result of the capture.

The Affinity team has create a number of great free tutorials available on their web site and/or YouTube. But, the training potential also extends to 3rd party experts like Ally and Ezra Anderson of Affinity Revolution training company.

AFFINITY REVOLUTION TRAINING COURSES

Affinity Revolution has a number of terrific free training videos on their YouTube channel.  I have seen enough to believe that, using their training, I will be able to become proficient enough to be able to significantly improve any capture.

Yes, I realize revealing my ignorance in product that I intend to rely on not only for myself; but, others, may be more than a bit foolish.  So, let me explain how I came to this place.  While I started out, decades ago, as an Adobe user, I was never really a fan.  When I came upon an image application called PhotoImpact, I immediately adopted it as my goto image processing program.

Unfortunately, Ulead, the original company that produced PhotoImpact went out of business and sold the rights to Corel who has never updated the product and it became simply too buggy in the new operating versions to remain with it.  I have tried many other candidates over the last ten years and none of them were impressive enough to make the switch until I recently found Affinity.

So, it's not as if I am starting from scratch.  I know what has to be done.  I simply have to become familiar with the ways Affinity offers to do it.  And, I am confident enough in the training options available that sooner (I hope) or later I can fix the above image enough to be able to point out how to do so to those wanting to fix their own captures.

The positive thing is that if it turns out to be SOONER, rather than LATER, you should be convinced that Affinity products (either Affinity Photo or Affinity Designer) can do the same for you.  It's a gamble that I find worth taking.  So, I plan on seeing a lot of Ally or Ezra over the next few days.


The other positive I hope that comes from revealing my 'newbie' status with Affinity is that everyone that reads this will understand that at some point in our journey ALL of use are 'newbies' and especially if we have any sense of adventure and/or curiosity in trying to better our lives and find new tools.  The fun is in seeing how fast we can leave our 'newbie' status behind us to become as proficient as we have to be in order to accomplish our goals.

Let the adventure begin!

The Matter and Form 3D Scanner for the Classroom

As much as I love what learning 3D design and printing can do for students, especially at-risk students, I know that there is one huge impediment to widespread adoption of 3D printing in the classroom beyond the narrow focus of STEM and robotics.  And, that is the fundamental nature of the FDM printer being used in schools today.

As cool as they are, they are simply too slow and too prone to failures for a teacher to rely on for serving a full classroom of students.  Thus, they are being relegated to specific tasks to support small groups of students like those in the robotics club, etc.  Even in the situation in the classes using our curriculum, which are generally limited in size, it is a struggle for our teachers to get everything printed from week to week.  So, we understand the issues teachers face.

But, we continue to be adamant in our belief that 3D technologies offer ALL students unique learning opportunities.  And, that is why we are so excited about 3D capture in all its forms... 3D scanning or photogrammetry.   And, while we can envision many positive educational opportunities in all classroom subjects, history is a great place to start on a grand adventure.

A Matter and Form 3D Scanner Adventure

A little over a month ago, we learned about the Matter and form 3D scanner.  It was just before our one week 3D ThinkLink Immersion class for deserving Cadets from 3 Youth ChalleNGe sites (DC, MD and SC).   Thus, we were able to obtain a Matter and Form 3D scanner just in time for the class.

Matter and Form 3D Scanner

It is completely different from all the other handheld scanners we own and use.  And, quite frankly, that difference stood in the way of our being able to immediately use it for the class as we had hoped.  Even so, we realized we had something very different and very special in terms of our long-term goals of encouraging teachers to consider enhancing their history curriculum by creating their own "Virtual Museums" in the classroom.

So, I have spent a great deal of time since then to learn all I can about what the Matter and Form 3D scanner has to offer.  And, it not only measures up to my hopes; but, significantly exceeds my expectations.   And, I DO mean SIGNIFICANTLY!

Two Basic Differences

We have enjoyed all the handheld 3D scanners we own.  They include the Sense 1 and Sense 2, the xyzPrinting 3D scanner, four standalone Intel iSense scanners, an HP Notebook with a built-in Intel iSense Scanner and the newer HP Z 3D Scanner.  Beyond computer based scanning, our experience  also expands to a Sony Xperia  XZ1, which is terrific for scanning people and several iPhone and iPad apps.  Every one of them is useful at some level.

But, the Matter and Form is totally unique in TWO important differences.

Difference 1: Control, Control and Control!

I mentioned earlier that we were not, initially, able to immediately benefit by obtaining the Matter and Form 3D scanner in time for our 3D Immersion Week.  That is because that week is packed with all new experiences for our cadets and it appeared that scanning with the Matter and Form was going to be a long process.

What I didn't know at the time is that how long a scan takes is under OUR control.  It's simply a matter of trading speed for higher "Point Cloud" resolution. 

All full color 3D scans consist of a Point Cloud that controls the underlying shape and the color image called a 'Material'.  One set of cameras captures the point cloud and another captures the color image covering the final rendered object.

Here is an example of the "Point cloud".  (Note also multiple test scans listed to the left of the MF Studio screen.) 

Point Cloud

And , here is an example of the "Mesh" material applied.

Mesh Material Applied

With the Matter and Form scanning system, just about every aspect of the process is under the user's control.  Had I known at the time, we could have easily reduced scanning time significantly with only a little loss of fidelity.  Each of the scans in the list in the first image represent quite different scan times.  The larger the number, the less the time.  The trade-off is less density and lower base object resolution.  We'll be going into this in detail in future articles.  The important take-away is that, unlike my initial impression, we CAN scan very quickly if we desire.

Difference 2:  Iterative Scanning (Adding scans to improve coverage and quality)

Secondly, scanning is NOT limited to a single all-or-nothing pass.   This HUGE!  If you have ever used a handheld 3D scanner you, too, have had the experience of trying to capture everything in a single session hoping that one false move doesn't throw you into the frustrations of the "Lost Tracking" wilderness!   Even when successful, we are rarely able to scan ALL 3D sides of an object with a 3D scanner in a single scan.  In fact, I don't recall a single instance of having been able to do so until obtaining the HP Z 3D scanner.  (But, experience with the HP Z scanner, while so promising, has been initially frustrating in that once tracking is lost, it seems very difficult to recover.)

The Matter and Form's software, however, not only allows for multiple scans using different orientations; but, in most cases, easily merges those scans into a single 3D virtual object.  And, you don't even have to do those scans in the same session.  We can come back to a saved scan project at any time and add additional scans as we learn more and get better at it.  In fact, all of the sample scans I am going to use in this article represent a single scan just to show scan quality.  And, in every case, we plan to return to the each of the projects to add additional scans using different orientations to complete the project by adding the top and bottom to the scan list.

We can choose any of the scans or a mix of scans to produce our final result.

Why Our Selected Test Objects Are Important

At this point, I should point out why we are beginning our exploration of all of our scanners with the particular objects we have chosen.  After all, tobacco tins aren't exactly an obvious choice.  And, neither are the upcoming Sponge Bob Square Pants fish tank ornaments.  As unlikely as it may seem they do have two things in common.  First, both groups of objects can form 'curated collections'.  We will not only scan one tobacco tin; but, multiple tobacco tins dating from the early 1900s.  Here is just one example:

Santa Tobacco Tin from Cheinco Industries - Pass One

And, while Sponge Bob Square Pants fish tank ornaments are still being sold; they, too, form a historic collection, albeit a modern one, that will eventually pass away as the future moves on to other cultural icons.

History is a continuum.  So, like the visionary Dr. Henry Chapman Mercer, we want all of our students to understand that what is common today may become VERY rare in the not-to-distant future.

The other thing they have in common, although for different reasons, is that they are difficult to scan.

In fact, I suspect that none of the handheld scanners will be able to capture the tobacco tin sample above.  That is because the underlying shape of these uniformly round tins are too smooth.  Distinctive features work best for hand held scanners.

The Sponge Bob figures present their own challenges that will require multiple scans using different orientations and locations on the turntable to derive a complete capture with the Matter and Form 3D scanner and should be a challenge for our handheld scanners as well. 

Highly Recommend Considering a Matter and Form

This was not intended to be a 'review'.  It's simply an introduction to the scanner I will be using in our initial 'Virtual Museum' articles.  Even so, I cannot conclude this article without issuing a hearty recommendation for the Matter and Form 3D scanner and hope that you will continue to follow our progress to see why I like it so much.

2020 Promises to be an Exciting Year for Classroom 3D Visualization

It's the last day of 2019 and I am noticing a LOT of new Depth Cameras coming into the marketplace.  Admittedly, the hot market for depth cameras is going to be something known as SLAM (“Simultaneous Localization and Mapping”) used for things like robots and drones.

But, one of the applications for depth cameras is 3D capture in a form that can be used in a Virtual Museum and printed with a full color 3D printer.  We will be testing some of these new products on this blog and adding them to our arsenal of tools to help students come to really appreciate in 2020 that observation as an essential skill.

OBSERVATION IS FOUNDATIONAL

I was discussing this very fact with a maker of a 3D scanning system today.  Not all students are going to become scientists or historians.  But, we should expect that all students can come to appreciate the skill of observation as a core life value.

The reason why we are so committed to using 3D visualization in the classroom is that the processes required to do so inevitably demand gaining observation skills.  Let's suppose we try to scan an object and we simply cannot obtain a successful scan.

Is that a failure?

Absolutely not.  The mere attempt requires a student to observe, in depth, many things, like orientation, color, shape and size.  Things that could have been overlooked in a casual context.

Choosing an object for scanning is, in itself, an exercise in observation.  Why does this object even exist?  Why did someone want this or need this object?  What does the object say about the person who make it?  The focus required to select a historic inherently increases one observational abilities.

And, it is hard for me to imagine ANY student who cannot benefit by stimulating and growing their observational skills.

THE CHOICES FOR THE BEGINNING OF 2020

Based on what I'm am seeing in terms of new 3D visualization products being announced, I believe this list will become much bigger.  But, for now, here is the list of 3D scanners and 3D photogrammetry applications that we immediately have available for our Virtual History capture initiative.

     3D SCANNERS

•      Matter & Form V2
•      Sense 1 & 2
•      xyzPrinting
•      Einscan
•      HP Z 3D Camera
•      Intel RealSense (Several)

     PHONES & APPS

•      Sony Experia XZ1 - 3D Creator
•      iPhone -  Qlone

     PHOTOGRAMMETRY

•      3D Zephyr

We are actively testing each of the above offerings with the goal of being able to give teachers a wide variety of options for beginning their own Virtual Museum projects.   If you happen to have a 3D scanner not in this list, by all means, please let us know. 

As we close out 2019 and move into 2020, we look forward to more and more museums, schools, teacher and students embracing 3D visualization as a powerful motivator to improve all of our observational skills.

This is My Kind of Teacher!

I posted a review on Amazon for the Matter and Form 3D scanner and decided to see what others had to say about it. I was extremely pleased by one review in particular.  What struck me was not the high marks in the review. It was why this particular teacher wanted a scanner in the first place!  And, how they have expanded their vision to include other teachers.

I have no idea who this teacher is or where they teach.  But, whoever they are.. they have my undying respect!  They "Get it!"  I hope, some day, to get to know them personally.

H.S.A

March 25, 2019

First off, I want to say I love this scanner. As a social studies teacher, I’ve been working to integrate my curriculum with STEAM (as opposed to STEM) concepts, and I wanted a tool that would help students maximize cross-disciplinary learning. For example, if I’m teaching about Roman Empire architecture, instead of having kids throw a poster together, or build an arch bridge out of balsa wood, I can use this scanner to get them involved with a real tech-tool (that’s actually used by Industrial Designers and engineers) which they can use in conjunction with a 3D printer (and/or, as I found out, with Photoshop). That way we can bring history into the science room, and vice-versa. (I can also share this scanner with the art teacher, science teacher, and anyone else who can find an application to maximize cross-departmental collaboration.)

Second – I do want to note that it takes a little practice to get down a good method for scanning. Once you get the concepts, tips and tricks down (how to properly set the laser for good geometry capture, how to clean and combine scans, etc), it’s easy to get great results. Even though that stuff is in the manual, Matter & Form offers live tutorials (I’ve never encountered another company that does this) which is perfect for people like me who aren’t big “user manual guys”. Getting personally walked through a couple things was a big help. (I highly encourage M&F to pop up a couple videos on the nuances.)

So, all in all, it’s a great piece of equipment, and has really helped bring other disciplines into my classroom. Students LOVE working with it, and I get to bring my pedagogy into the 21st century. Thanks, M&F!

Helping Teachers and Students to Obtain The Optimal Capture Results

While we have not been actively creating daily posts about capturing historic objects to create virtual museums, it does not mean that we have not been VERY active in moving this concept forward.  Behind the scene we have been and are laying the groundwork to be the most helpful we can be to teachers and educators that would like to do exactly what John Zingale has done at iTech and we have done at YouthQuest Foiundation.

There is no one-size-fits-all magic bullet when it comes to capturing objects in 3D.  Some things capture well using a handheld 3D scanner.  But, others do not.  They are captured best using photogrammetry.  Therefore, teachers and students might find that they need more than one tool to accomplish the task.

And, coming up with the best possible results does not always rely on the scanning device or the photogrammetry device being used.  The type of platform or the color of the platform on which an item is placed might make quite a difference in the outcome.  How we handle lighting is also an important factor.

And, finally, the tools we apply to the original scan to come up with a completely finished virtual object can make a tremendous difference in the final outcome.

It all sounds so complicated.  But, it is not.

Knowing a few simple tricks that apply to the combination of each individual capture device, shooting platform and lighting requirements can help immensely.  And we have been devoting a lot of time, energy and thought about how to present those tricks in an organized and helpful way.

THE STRATEGY: DYNAMIC ONLINE COURSEWARE

By "Dynamic" I mean a low cost, lifetime, online course (Under $20) that is expanded, at no additional cost to a subscriber, as developments warrant and the means and capabilities of our being able of doing so are available.

A lesson will be created for each capture device or application along with tools that enhance that device's capabilities in positive ways.  These lessons will NOT be reviews.  Whatever the capabilities or limitations of any given device might be, we will address how to capitalize on the capabilities and, as much as possible, overcome the limitations.  We do this because we know teachers aren't always in control of the buying process.  They are simply provided with the device and must make do with what is at hand.

When it comes to creating 3D capture opportunities for deeper student engagement with history, any capture technique or device is way more useful than no technique or device.   The key is to get the most out of whatever tools we have.

INITIAL LESSONS

The initial lessons will follow two tracks, 3D scanners that have been on the market for a while and no-cost or low-cost photogrammetry applications for smart phones and computers.  The 3D scanners to be presented will include standalone devices like the Matter and Form scanner.

Matter and Form Scanner

And, well-known hand-held scanners like the Sense1, Sense2 and xyzPrinting scanner along with their RealSense counterparts.

Sense1 or Sense2 Handheld scanner

xyzPrinting 3D Scanner

With each of these devices we will also cover additional tools, like 3D printed parts that allow better mounting or operation,  And we will include various scanning platforms and lighting devices or techniques that enhance their capabilities.  These might include both manual and programmable turntables.  Anything that we find provides the best result.

HAVING REALISTIC EXPECTATIONS

None of the scanners and/or photogrammetry tools will ever deliver results comparable to $35,000 scanning devices.  But, they don't cost $35,000 either!  Nothing will discourage you or your students more than having unrealistic expectations for any of these devices and applications.  The xyzPrinting scanner has limited resolution; but, it is also one of the easiest to use for a complete beginner.  This make it very useful for learning the skills required for using ANY 3D scanning device. 

The Matter and Form scanner has limitations as to the size of object it can scan.  But, it is a WONDERFUL device for creating virtual museum objects that fit into its scanning parameters.  The ability it provides to quickly and easily combine multiple scans into a single result is pretty amazing.

Our focus is on moving forward and getting better with whatever device you happen to be able to obtain.  It is the process of evaluating, researching, planning and capturing that provides a rich learning experience no matter what the tool.