To develop the virtual museum of Byzantine heritage MuByz, the Ariseum specialists’ team developed a series of 3D models of architectural monuments.

Customer' background

The Association of cities-heirs of Byzantium (ACEB) unites small and large cities of Russia and Italy where the Byzantine culture left a mark. The community strengthens cultural ties between European and Russian cities.

Task

To develop 24 unique 3D models of Byzantine heritage monuments located around the world. The models’ textures should be of photographic quality, exactly simulating all of the details of the real structures. Models and textures need to be optimized to demonstrate different levels of performance on mobile devices.

What we have provided

• Carried out an extensive search of source materials for each attraction
• Held long negotiations with historians, architects, and researchers on the Byzantine heritage.
• Analyzed and processed the photos provided by the customer
• Based on materials, we developed low poly geometry, including statues, sculptures, grids and other details of each object.
• For all models we have made unique textures based on photos, exactly simulating all the details of each sight.
• Added environment elements to each model, for better composition
• Optimized the models and textures for mobile devices

Solution

In order to recreate 24 architectural objects located all over the world, exactly simulating the originals, Ariseum specialists have found and analyzed thousands of photos, plans, drawings, and documents from different centuries and text descriptions. For missing materials we addressed to professional Byzantines - historians, architects and researchers from a series of institutes. The customer organized large-scale surveys of architectural objects from all sides, including aerial surveys, where it was permitted. 

Once having collected all the materials, the modellers started to study the geometry of each object, repeating all the bends, bricks, arches, and domes. 3D sculptors recreated exact copies of sculptures and moldings that decorate the architecture. Based on photos, the texture designers simulated unique texture maps for each object, restoring some details almost manually, such as cracks, frescoes on building facades, patterns on domes and adjusted countless properties of materials, like brick, glass, old metal, moss, plaster, oil painting, and many others. No texture was taken from the Internet or used on models twice.

As a result, 24 high-quality low poly models of Byzantine heritage architecture were recreated, which are on the UNESCO list:

1. Basilica di Santa Maria Assunta di Torcello in Venice.

2. Duomo in Cefalù

3. Chiesa Santa Maria in Lison Portogruaro

4. Santa Maria dell'Ammiraglio (La Martorana) in Palermo

5. Duomo di Monreale or Santa Maria Nuova

6. Basilica of Santa Maria della Roccella in Borgia

7. Oratorio di San Marco in Rossano

8. San Giovanni in Porta Latina

9. Basilica di San Marco in Venice

10. La Basilica dei Santi Felice e Fortunato in Vicenza

11. Basilica di S.Maria Maggiore

12.Sanctae Mariae in Domnica, La Navicella

13. Cattolica in Stilo

14. Duomo in Caorle

15. Mausoleum of Constantine

16. Ponte Milvio

17. Santa Maria della in Visitazione

18. Arco di Costantino

19. Santuario di Santa Maria delle Armi in Chiara di Calabria

20. Saint George Cathedral

21. Cathedral of St. Sophia in Novgorod

22. Church of the Transfiguration on Ilyina Street in Novgorod

23. The Volotovo Church or the Assumption Church in Volotovo

24. Church of the Theodore Stratelates at the river

All created models have passed professional historians’ and critics’ revision and have been laid out in the mobile app developed in Ariseum. 

The models were presented at multimedia exhibitions of the Russian Museum, Novgorod, Italian cities, and they are covers for audio guides and discs distributed around the world.

12 modellers and 6 texturers have been working on the project, while all members of Ariseum team were involved in the collection and analysis of materials.

Links to resources:

Veliky Novgorod Administration https://www.adm.nov.ru/page/26114

Russian Ministry of Culture https://culture.gov.ru/press/news/russkiy-muzey-predstavil-3d-modeli-velichayshikh-s/