Priceless Spanish artifacts digitized for virtual exhibition with Artec Point & Micro II

Project lead Paula Suarez Ramirez processing scan data captured with Artec Micro II. Image courtesy of the Archeological Museum of Asturias

The Archeological Museum of Asturias is home to some of Spain’s most interesting and precious archeological finds, including coins, statues, weapons, and a whole lot more.

Aiming to make its artifacts accessible to new audiences, the museum recently tasked engineer Paula Suarez Ramirez, working on behalf of local IT service provider Digital Fiber Planners, with digitizing some of its collections. Though digital heritage preservation is already taking off around the world, achieving this would be no mean feat.

Ramirez would be handling specimens over 100 years old, dating back to the First World War. It would therefore be vital to minimize the risk of breakage – and she would need to travel from the Canary Islands to the Spanish mainland for the project, as shipping would be too risky.

Speed, realism, and accuracy would also be of the essence. Previous experiments with another 3D scanner and photogrammetry turned out to be time-consuming. Generating 3D models with sufficient geometric accuracy would be equally important, as the plan was to 3D print true one-to-one replicas that allow visitors to get closer to artifacts than ever before.

Ramirez capturing a small object with Artec Point on a turntable. Image courtesy of the Archeological Museum of Asturias

That’s why Ramirez reached out to Global Geosystems, Artec’s Ambassador in Spain, who supported the project with Artec Point and Artec Micro II: one scanner for ensuring peak accuracy and another for capturing small objects in full color with fine surface details.

Capturing artifacts for a virtual exhibition

Tasked with digitizing over 150 objects of all shapes and sizes, Ramirez needed an adaptable solution. Many of the specimens were scanned with Artec Point due to its high accuracy and portability. Artifacts were placed on a turntable covered in scanning targets designed to boost scan tracking. Adding them to the table rather than the object reduced any risk of damage.

According to Ramirez, Point’s speed was particularly impressive here. The scanner’s high frame rate also helped ensure that tracking wasn’t lost, even when scanning at speed – a significant advantage while working through a collection of this size and diversity. Even tiny scratches on bones, ceramic pieces, and sculptures were picked up, ensuring no detail was left behind.

For smaller items with tiny etchings like coins, Ramirez switched to Artec Micro II. Its automated platform minimized the need to physically handle objects. Micro II also delivers full-color models with even higher accuracy, so it’s ideal for maximizing realism. Artec Spider II could have done the job as well, but when it comes to capturing tiny items, Micro II really is best-in-class.

3D model of a coin scanned with Artec Spider II

“Micro offers much better texture (color). It also delivers better results when capturing small items, for example, coins or very tiny needles,” explained Ramirez. “With Micro, I can affix the piece, so there’s minimal risk of it falling down or breaking. Otherwise, you’d need to manually manipulate into several positions to get all the information. I prefer to do all the small pieces in Micro, saving it directly – and the museum is also happy with this method.”

Refining results in Artec Studio

Once scanning was complete, Ramirez processed data in Artec Studio. Achieving complete 3D models meant capturing objects from all angles. Artec Studio’s advanced alignment and fusion tools later made stitching scans together quick and easy. The software also allows for mesh simplification, a reduction in the polygon count that yields lighter, easier-to-modify files for export.

This approach allowed Ramirez to adjust the level of detail for different use cases. The museum requested one edition featuring 1 million polygons for maximum fidelity, alongside lighter 200,000-polygon versions optimized for web viewing. With 150 models to deliver, keeping file sizes manageable was essential to avoiding the accumulation of an enormous dataset.

Where required, additional texturing was done in Adobe Photoshop. But the results were well worth the extra layer of polish, as models turned out to be incredibly lifelike. Geometry was also captured with sufficient detail for 3D printing – and the museum has already managed to create replicas of objects with complex surfaces and holes (which are traditionally difficult to digitize).

“Artec Studio was very surprising to me, because it was so fast processing all the models,” added Ramirez. “With photogrammetry, you have to align all the photos, it’s not so easy, not so fast. Artec Studio was nice and user-friendly, exactly what I was looking for!”

Kicking-on: Pursuing greater realism

Resulting 3D models are now being prepared for an online platform where visitors will be able to explore the Museum of Asturias collections virtually. Select pieces are also destined for 3D printing, with plans to create tactile replicas for educational workshops where children can handle and study the reproductions freely – bringing history to life in an entirely new way.

The Archeological Museum of Asturias. Image courtesy of AdelosRM, Wikimedia Commons

Ramirez sees enormous potential for this technology across Spain’s cultural heritage sector. While mainland institutions have already begun adopting 3D digitalization, she’s eager to bring the same capabilities to the Canary Islands, where she is based. “I would like to buy some scanners and try to implement these kinds of things,” she said. “People here don’t see the potential yet… but I think it’s just a matter of time.”

Looking ahead, the integration of photogrammetry in Artec Studio could streamline future projects. Rather than jumping between multiple software packages, the ability to combine scan data with photo textures in a single environment would save significant time and simplify the digitization workflow, so Ramirez is open to exploring these new capabilities soon.

From ancient coins to centuries-old ceramics, the Museum of Asturias project demonstrates how Artec 3D scanning is making cultural heritage more accessible than ever – preserving the past in breathtaking detail, while opening it up to new audiences around the world.