Artec3D & Threeding 3D Scan Artifacts at Stara Zagora Museum, Make 3D Models Available to Public

The incredible innovations offered by 3D scanning, digital design, and 3D printing have launched us into the future in many areas, from the world of art and design to manufacturing and industry as a whole.

We’re able to make things now via 3D printing that would not be possible otherwise, and a wide range of options haven’t just made the world of innovating more exciting–they’ve launched us into the stratosphere–quite literally. But as swiftly as we move into the future, embracing one new invention after another, ironically, 3D printing is just as instrumental in the safekeeping of our past.

The archiving potential offered by this powerful technology is enormous in terms of our considerations to posterity. And both Artec3D and Threeding have previously been responsible for helping multiple museums tap into the art of 3D scanning, design, and 3D printing for saving entire catalogues of artifacts and various works.

Their latest project for using 3D printing both to protect and highlight the past focuses on the catalog of works at Bulgaria’s Historical Museum of Stara Zagora. Threeding and Artec3D refer to this as a ‘reality capture project.’

Meant to preserve artifacts dating as far back as ancient Greece, Rome, and Thrace, their combined endeavor will not only be a major part of the archival organization of one of the largest Eastern European historical museums but also helps them to open up a new stream of income for the museum in that they will receive royalties from sales of the 3D models in the Threeding online marketplace.

Opened in 1907, the Stara Zagora Regional Museum of History is one of the largest in Eastern Europe, acting as caretaker for 100,000 different ‘cultural valuables.’ The museum boasts many unique items that are of great significance to the entire world, including priceless figurines, helmets, swords, jewelry, coins, and much more.

So far, the team has finished up the first phase of this comprehensive project, which included the use of the Artec Spider 3D scanner and the Eva 3D scanner, in combination with Artec Studio software. The high resolution equipment was used to capture ethnography exhibits, as well as all of the ancient artifacts, and offers a great demonstation of the invaluable, real world use for the technology produced by Artec 3D, a world market leader in the development and manufacturing of professional 3D scanning hardware and software.

During September and October, the folks from Threeding and Artec will be busy taking on the capturing of some fascinating–and substantial–history from the prehistoric times, to the Middle Ages, and all the way back to contemporary reality with modern history.

“The ability to capture these artifacts in digital form and make them available via Threeding.com has given students and educators access to pieces of history previously unknown,” said Artyom Yukhin, president and CEO of Artec 3D. “Artec’s professional handheld scanners can capture even the most intricate artifacts with extreme precision and detail to create exact replicas, which, through efforts like this one, are becoming available to the masses.”

We’ve followed the ongoing partnership between Threeding and Artec3D as they have used 3D models to preserve the catalogue at the National Museum of Military History in Sofia, Bulgaria, as well as the 3D scanning of eastern orthodox religious artifacts for the Eastern Orthodox St. Alexander Nevsky Cathedral–also in Sofia, Bulgaria. With this latest museum project, they will be adding the following, and more, to the list of 3D artifact models on Threeding:

• Votive tablets
• Marble capitals
• Many architectural pieces
• Sculptures

“It was a great honor and privilege to work with the Historical Museum of Stara Zagora,” said Stan Partalev, a co-founder of Threeding. “The museum is one of the best organized and well established organizations we have ever visited. Working with such an institution is another step forward in our aim to become the leading repository for 3D printable models of historical artifacts.”

Founded in 2013 by a group of students from the Bulgarian National Academy of Art, led by Tzveta-Maria Partaleva and Stan Partalev, Threeding is a popular 3D printing marketplace which currently has over 500 museum objects available as files to be 3D printed. The 3D models available from Stara Zagora will be available soon.

Discuss your thoughts on Artec3D and Threeding’s latest project in the Stara Zagora Regional Museum of History forum over at 3DPB.com.