The church of Meryem Ana new life in Prototyping and Augmented Reality_Short paper

C a r lo G i r a

carlo.gira@gmail.com

Architecture Digital Heritage Computer Grafics

UNIVERSITÀ DEGLI STUDI

FIRENZE

Scuola di Architettura

THE CHURCH OF MERYEM ANA IN GÖREME, TURKEY New life in prototyping and Augmented Reality

Tutor

Prof. Arch. Giorgio VERDIANI Author

Carlo GIRA

Assistant supervisors

Dott. Andrea ALIPERTA Arch. Filippo SUSCA

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he submitted study case is about the rupestrian church of Meryemana in GÜreme (Cappadocia, Turkey), a small church with mural paints representing valuable heritage at risk due to poor stability of the rock where it’s excavated in. The real risk is due to the fact that all the bema and its lower rooms are beyond the crack dividing the church in two parts, the whole crack develops all along the vaults and the vertical walls,

and interests the pavement too. Only a length of half a meter separates the two extremes of the crack on the pavement. So any walk done on this side can be considered dangerous for the structure as well for the visitor. The survey work was planned in three main solutions: photographic survey, laser scanner survey, panoramic photos survey. The results coming out from the scans are quite impressive, because they allow to read even more clearly how dramatic is the condition of the crack and to read the extension of this imminent disaster.

This work represent an important database of a no longer accessible cultural heritage, an helpful mean for the development of research projects and restauration interventions for enhancement. The whole set of pointclouds was optimized, simplified and used as a base to create a surface model of this rupestrian architecture.

Even if the 3D Laser Scanner has been used to take also the pictures in almost all the scans, to reach a better and more descriptive result it was preferred to remap the surfaces using high resolution images taken with professional Digi-

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Cover: Render image of the project idea.

1.1 Panoramic views of the Kiliçlar Valley (pag.6).

1.2 Church of Meryemana, exterior view of the southern side (pag.6).

tal SLR cameras. In this way it was possible to create very good quality surfaces and apply on them the images, using the classical workflow offered by the software based on the definition of corresponding points between the image and the surface. The need to produce a lightweight 3D digital model for multimedia and dissemination purposes was faced using common procedures based on the extraction of a normal map from the high resolution model, applying the procedures of decimation and optimization on this same

model and then using the normal map over the simplified model to create a virtual enhancement of the level of detail according to the original, not simplified surface.

This documentation came out to be a great choice to “freeze” the state of the monument (with 2D draws, 3D models and virtual reality application), but an even more interesting solution can be evaluating the possibility to create a physical clone of the church with 3DPrint techniques. A scale model (1:25), build from 3D data with SLS technology (Se-

lective Laser Sintering), and an augmented reality application, developed with Unity 3D and Vuforia, are the way to achieve the main aim of the project, which is a “multimedia space”, using the physical clone as the space to receive the “interactive projections” of the paintings. This solution can be considered very experimental and can bring to the limit the sense of “copy”, creating a clone loosing something because its nature of copy, but acquiring a lot in its nature of extremely new and digitally oriented solution.

1.3 The Church of Meryemana (snapshot from the point cloud) (pag. 6).

1.4 Plan and Longitudinal Section of the Church (snapshot from the point cloud) (pag.7).

1.5_1.6_1.7_1.8 Retopology (pagg.8_9).

1.9_1.10_1.11_1.12 Mapping (pagg.10_11).

1.13_1.14_1.15 3D Printed Model (Selective Laser Sintering Technology) (pagg.12_13).

1.16 Augmented Reality Application for Android (pag.14).

1.17 Real Time Sectioning Web Apllication (pag.15).

1.18 Virtual Reality Tour Application for Android (pag.15).

1.19 Augmented Reality Application for Android - 3D Printed Model Mapping (pag.16).

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Click on QR-Code for LINK Virual Tour Interno Chiesa QR-Code_1:

QR-Code_2:

QR-Code_3:

QR-Code_4:

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Point Cloud (61 Milion Points; 3,5 GB)

1.5 Hi-Poly Mesh - Points triangulation (37 Milion Polygons; 2,7 GB)

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Mid-Poly Mesh - Optimization (6,8 Milion Polygons; 270 MB)

1.7 Low-Poly Mesh - Decimation (57’000 Polygons; 8,4 MB)

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Click on QR-Code for LINK

QR-Code_5 Augmented Reality App (Android)

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QR-Code_6 Real Time Section (Web App)

QR-Code_7 Real Time Section (Video)

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QR-Code_8 Virtual Reality Tour Application (Android)

Click on QR-Code for LINK

QR-Code_9 3D Printed Model Mapping (Video)

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The digital musealization researches, prototyping/3D printing and multimedia extraction of the Meryemana church came from the Carlo Gira’s work in his Architecture degree thesis (Tutor: G.Verdiani, co-tutor: A. Aliperta, F.Susca).

The research mission in Cappadocia of the University of Tuscia “Rock paintings in Cappadocia. For a project of knowledge, conservation and enhancement”, directed by Maria Andaloro, is composed by multiple research units.

The group working on this research from the DIDA (Department of Architecture, Florence) is composed by: C. Crescenzi (coordinator), M. Scalzo, G. Verdiani, S. Di Tondo, A. Pasquali, C. Giustiniani. The Digital Survey of Meryemana was operated by: G. Verdiani, C. Giustiniani.

The data treatment and the post processing phases on the whole dataset from the digital survey campaign were operated together with the PRIN by: G. Verdiani, S. Di Tondo, C. Crescenzi, C. Gira, T. Pignatale, A. Charalambous.

The mission in Cappadocia was supported by the General Direction of Monuments and Museums of the Turkish Republic and Murat Gulyaz director of the Archeological Museum of Nevsehir. For the 2012 survey, in particular, we are greatly indebted to the two Cultural Ministry Deputy, Metin Çakar from the Archaeological Museum of Çorum, and Gultekin Yanbeyi from the Department of Archaeology of the General Direction of Monuments and Museums.