If you are interested in using these models in your class, would like to discuss models for a specific object, or want to arrange a time for students to attend a workshop on building digital object models using the museum collection, contact Beth Fischer, Assistant Curator for Digital Learning & Research.
Photogrammetry
The photogrammetry process creates a three-dimensional model of an object that viewers can manipulate in an internet browser.
These models allow people to see angles and views of an object that would be impossible to see when the art is installed in a gallery. Take a look inside the pot above, or see what it’s like to look through the eyeholes of the mask (just click on the model and use your mouse or touchscreen to drag and zoom — you’ll have the best experience if you view each model full screen).
These models can help us explore different viewing angles for sculpture or architectural fragments, see traces of the artist’s process, or explore the medium in more depth. We can use the resulting models in virtual tours, embed them in virtual environments like video games, see them in VR headsets, and even use them as the source for 3D printing.
We collaborate with the Williams College MakerSpace to make 3d prints of some things in our collection. Many things we have were originally intended to be touched and held, and being able to access some of this tactile quality while looking at the original work can help us understand how these items might have been experienced in the past. We also use 3d printing as a way to make our collection more accessible. Recently we printed a tactile model of a screenprint. The work of art is two-dimensional, but by printing each color at a different height, we can make it more accessible to visitors who learn best through touch or have limited vision. We can also encourage visitors to think about the process of screenprinting, where each color is deposited separately by a stencil. Learn more about this project in the storymap below!
Reflectance Transformation Imaging (RTI)
Reflectance Transformation Imaging, also known as RTI, is also a computational model made up of multiple photographs, but RTI models are all about light and texture.
An RTI model allows the user to manipulate and mathematically enhance the light and reflectivity of the surface of an artwork, making it possible to see details that are invisible in person. If you’ve ever held a flashlight at an angle over a surface and seen the way small marks suddenly become noticeable, you’ve got the right idea. While a photo taken under raking light can only show one lighting angle at a time, an RTI model allows the end user to change the lighting in the moment to see specific features, and to change the size of the beam reflecting off the surface.
In the model here, we see the indistinct inscription on the bronze become visible, which has allowed WCMA staff to seek out expertise that helps us find out new information about the origin and complicated backstory of this work. Other models allow us to see details of materials like stone that can help us identify their origin. RTI models have also been used to study painting techniques in Indian miniatures for an art studio class and to examine characteristic textures of pigments and binders with a chemistry class.
RTI models require minimal equipment to make, so they are an especially accessible method to use with students. By participating in making models using specialized imaging, Williams students get to work closely with art in WCMA’s collection and learn skills that they can repeat on their own in their research.
Explore an RTI image yourself
This is an RTI model of a small Mughal painting. The whole page is only 7 inches high, so the individual flowers are tiny. We used the RTI model to understand how the pigments were layered and blended, and to see how the artist employed different brushstrokes to make different parts of the flower.
How to use the viewer:
The RTI viewer is easiest to use on a desktop computer, or at least a large tablet. If you’re stuck using a phone, make sure you’re in landscape mode, and open the model in a new tab.
Zoom in on a point of interest. Click and drag your cursor to change the angle of the light. Click the icon of three stacked diamonds in the lower right to turn on enhanced options. Try using the “diffuse” setting to see the work without color, so that the texture of paper and paint really pops out. The “specular” setting enhances the texture of the painting so that you can see the variation in the surface. Move the slider bar about halfway, then click and drag to adjust the lighting. Do you see how the pollen grains are made of circular strokes, almost like a donut? Notice how the veins of the flower petals are raised just a bit.