Recent improvements in laser rangefinder technology, together with algorithms developed in our research group for combining multiple range images, allow us to reliably and accurately digitize the external shape of many physical objects. As an application of this technology, we have embarked on a multi-year project to create a high-quality 3D archive of the sculptures of Michelangelo.

To accomplish this project, I and a team of Stanford students will spend the 1998-99 academic year in Italy, basing ourselves at the Stanford Overseas Studies Center in Florence. Our primary acquisition device will be an ultra-high resolution laser rangefinder mounted on a mobile gantry. The output of this process will be a set of 3D computer models, one per sculpture, each model consisting of about 100 million triangles. At certain sites, we will also employ a video camera mounted on a (different) mobile gantry. The output of this second process will be a set of light fields, which are dense arrays of images viewable using new techniques from image-based rendering.

The goals of this project are primarily scholarly and educational, although commercialization is also possible. In this talk, I will briefly outline the scholarly motivations, technical challenges, and possible outcomes of this project. I will also enumerate some of the problems posed by incorporating 3D graphics and image-based rendering techniques into interactive multimedia venues. Finally, I will mention some applications of these technologies to problems in art preservation and archeology.