Industry

Heritage 3D scanning: sculpture, ornament and historic fabric

We record ornament, sculpture and historic fabric at high resolution, so restoration, replication and archive start from measured data instead of notes and photographs.

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Common problems in art and heritage work

Historic fabric is one of a kind, and the record of it is often thin. The usual problems:

Ornament and sculpture have no drawings, so restoration and replication start without dimensions.
Carved, curved and complex surfaces are hard to measure by hand.
Condition records are notes and photographs, not measurable data.
Fragile or hard-to-reach fabric limits how much hand measuring is possible.
Sites in use leave little time for repeat visits.

How 3D scanning helps restoration and archive teams

Heritage 3D scanning records the object as it stands today. Scanning is non-contact: a terrestrial laser scanner measures from a distance and does not touch the surface. The scans are registered into one dataset, and everything below is built from it. See our 3D laser scanning survey.

Art and heritage documentation

A scan gives a complete, measurable record of a piece, a façade or a room. We deliver it as a mesh, dimensioned profiles and an archive set, so one capture serves study, restoration and the long-term record.

Restoration

Dimensioned profiles are drawn from the scan, so restorers and craftspeople work to measured shapes, not estimates.

Replication

Where a piece has to be replicated, the mesh carries its form, and we rebuild it as clean, dimensioned CAD where needed. See 3D scanning for reverse engineering.

Typical deliverables
for heritage teams.

One capture, three uses: study and replication, restoration drawings and a long-term record.

Mesh

OBJ · FBX · STL · GLB

Replication and study

Dimensioned profiles

DWG · PDF

Restoration drawings

Archive set

E57 · RCP · RCS · LAS

Long-term record

Questions

For restorationand archive.

Straight answers on deliverables, handling and formats. Anything else, ask the capture lead directly.

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What is heritage 3D scanning?

Scanning records ornament, sculpture or historic fabric as a measurable 3D dataset. It supports restoration, replication and archive without hand measuring every surface.

What do you deliver for restoration and replication?

A mesh for replication and study, dimensioned profiles for restoration drawings and an archive set for the long-term record. Tell us what the work needs and we scope it in your quote.

Do you touch the object when scanning?

No. Scanning is non-contact: the scanner measures from a distance. Tell us about the object’s condition and access when you request a quote.

Do you scan occupied or live sites?

Yes. We scan occupied and live sites, scheduled around operations, with nights and weekends on request. We sign an NDA on request, and your data is retained and shared on your terms.

What file formats do you deliver?

Point clouds come as E57, RCP, RCS or LAS. Drawings come as DWG, DXF or PDF, BIM models as RVT, IFC or NWD, and meshes as OBJ, FBX, STL or GLB. Imagery comes as a 360° panorama or an orthomosaic, and digital twins are web-hosted and measurable. Tell us what your team opens when you request a quote.

Show uswhat’s real.

Send the address, the object or the drawing set. A capture lead replies within one business day with the method, the deliverable and a fixed price.