NextEngine 3D scanner- recording carved rock sites
The Discovery Programme recently purchased a NextEngine 2020i scanner specifically designed for scanning small objects at higher resolution.
This is a different type of laser scanner than the Mensi GS101 time of flight scanner, operating over much shorter ranges, and to a much higher resolution. The scanner is approx a tenth of the cost of comparable systems and part of our resesearch interest is to establish what, if any, is the compromise in performance level. It works on a laser triangulation principle, and can be set to two modes of operation:-
(NextEngine Inc. is a US company and as such its scanners are designed to operate in empirical system).
Although designed to be used indoors for scanning objects or artefacts our first experiments with the scanner were on a number of rock carved sites – megalithic art at Hill of Tara and Knowth; medieval ship graffiti at Moyne Abbey, Co Mayo; and graffiti and medieval tomb detail at Roscommon Abbey. These projects were undertaken with a number of interested parties, including the Underwater Archaeology Unit of DoEHLG, who funded the Moyne Abbey work. We are currently investigating a number of processing options to register and merge the individual scans, and looking at ways of analysing and distributing the resultant models.
This page shows some images taken during the data capture stage of the project, and some of the preliminary results of the modelling process. A more detailed report examining the processing methodologies, software used, outputs and an assessment of the models will follow as further work is completed.
Mound of the Hostage, Hill of Tara
Detailed 3D models of the orthostat in the passage of Mound of the Hostages, processed in Geomagic, varying the lighting position to emphasise different features of the stone.
Knowth, Sat Tomb 14
Scanning underway in satellite tomb 14 at Knowth, Photograph courtesy of Ken Williams (www.shadowsandstone.com)
The Geomagic model of the section of the stone scanned on this first visit. Given the high quality of the resulting model it is hoped a return visit can be scheduled to complete the scan in the near future.
Moyne Abbey, Co Mayo
The NextEngine scanner in operation scanning a section of one of the ship carvings at Moyne Abbey
The resultant 3D surface for the ship carving, after the registration of 23 individual scans.
Roscommon Abbey
Scanning one of the fifteenth-century carved figures of gallowglasses (mercenaries of Scottish origin) on the tomb of Felin O'Conor, Roscommon Abbey.
The registered and merged scans (in ScanStudioHD software) of one of the fifteenth-century carved figures of gallowglasses.