Pompeii
New Secrets Revealed
x330 Case Study 04
ScanLAB Projects
scanlabprojects.co.uk
Pompeii: New Secrets Revealed
With unparalleled access to Pompeii and featuring cutting edge 3D
scanning technologies, Mary Beard guides us through this amazing
slice of the ancient world.
Client and Team
Pompeii: New Secrets Revealed for Lion Television
ScanLAB Projects:
Matthew Shaw, William Trossell, Julia Schuetz, Luca Veronese, Soma
Sato
Lion Television:
Presenter: Mary Beard
Director - Ian Hunt
Producer - Elena Mortelliti
Executive Producers - Richard Bradley and Caterina Turroni.
About the Program
Pompeii New Secrets Revealed uncovers the final mysteries of Pompeii.
Presenter Mary Beard, renowned classicist and TV historian, explores
what life was like in one of the world’s most extraordinary and iconic
archaeological sites.
Undoubtedly one of the most tragic gems of the Roman world, Pompeii
has laid deep beneath the volcanic ashes of the Mount Vesuvius
since the eruption of 79 AD. Utilising the latest in CT, laser and
photogrammetric 3D scanning techniques we’ve finally been able to
peer inside the casts of Pompeii, reveal the position of slaves quarters
hidden underground and examine in unprecedented detail the recently
restored frescoes.
Mary unpicks the human stories behind the tragic figures: gladiators,
slaves, businesswomen and children who’s remains are famously
preserved at Pompeii. With help from expert Estelle Lazer and her team
from University of Sydney the CT data and x-rays have allowed forensic
archaeologists to challenge previous assumptions about their lives and
discover the real identities behind the people unable to escape the
eruption.
Captured in forensic detail, the scans of Pompeii represent one of the
most comprehensive digitisations of Pompeii to date. Covering the
whole archaeological site the scans allow it to be explored like never
before.
The CT data, terrestrial laser scanning and aerial photogrammetry
was captured on location in Pompeii over 10 days in September 2015.
ScanLAB Projects completed all data processing and graphics for the
60 minute documentary which is a Lion TV production for BBC ONE.
First screen BBC ONE, 9:00pm, Thursday 3rd March 2016.
ScanLAB Projects
scanlabprojects.co.uk
Mithras Temple
The Bambino found near his
assumed family
ScanLAB Projects
scanlabprojects.co.uk
Julia Felix
The extensive estate of Julia
Felix, one of the wealthiest
inhabitants of Pompeii
Roman Baths
A view from within mens public
baths reveals the seperate
and less ornate womens baths
hidden behind.
Championet Residence
Transitioning seamlessly
between live action footage
and scan data, Mary appears to
wander through the pointclouds.
Technique and Workflow
On location:
The ScanLAB team & drone pilot travelled to Pompeii in September
2015 with a traditional film crew and presenter Mary Beard. A CT
scanner and technicians were provided from Phillips and housed onsite
for the duration of the shoot.
Julia Felix House & Estate:
2 days on site
¼ resolution scans
120 Scans above ground
External colour by Nikon D7000
The entire estate of Julia Felix was scanned in just over 2 days using
two scanners two faro focus 330x’s at ¼ resolution quality. Including
outdoor and indoor spaces all currently under going conservation work.
Referencing was completed with 145mm spheres and Double sided
A5 Paper Targets. GPS locations of spheres were taken to aid global
alignment.
Championnet House:
1 day on site
¼ resolution scans for both above and below ground.
52 scans in total
External colour by Nikon D7000
The Championet was captured using two faro focus 330x’s at ¼
resolution quality. Working in separate parts of the house both above
and below ground a combined reference set allowed for the 2
scanners to link up without any overlap in scan locations. Referencing
was completed with 145mm spheres and Double sided A5 Paper
Targets. GPS locations of spheres & natural references were taken to
aid global alignment.
Forum Baths:
1 day on site
¼ resolution scans above ground
27 scans in total
External colour by Nikon D7000
The Roman Baths were captured using two scanners working in
tamdem to cover ground as quickly as possible before members of
the public intrupted scans. Referencing was completed with 145mm
spheres and Double sided A5 Paper Targets.
House of the Venus in the Shell:
½ day on site
¼ resolution scans for both interior and exterior scans.
20 scans in total
External colour by Nikon D7000
Completed in half a day onsite with two scanners working in tamdem.
Rooms, courtyards and street context were all captured. GPS locations
of spheres and references pegs left in from the Julia Felix location
allowed the datasets to be combined and all aigned together.
Referencing was completed with 145mm spheres.
ScanLAB Projects
scanlabprojects.co.uk
CT Data - Bambino
To reveal the secrets hidden
inside, the casts of Pompeii are
CT scanned.
Amphitheatre & Casts :
1½ day on site
¼ resolution scans for both interior and exterior scans.
35 scans in total
External colour by Nikon D7000
The Amphitheatre and Cast Exhibition was scanned using 2 Faro
Focus 330x’s. The limited amount access required both scanners to be
present in the same room simultaneously. Referencing was completed
with 145mm spheres and the alignment of data was improved with
additional scan to scan alignment in scene.
Garden of the Fugitives:
½ day on site
¼ resolution scans for interior spaces
½ resolution scans for context
25 scans in total
External colour by Nikon D7000
Approaching the location from opposite ends, two scanners were used
to capture this location. 1/2 Resolution scans from high vantage points
were used to a capture the location context, whilst the other team
captured the fugitive figures and gardens. Referencing was completed
with 145mm spheres.
Mosaic House:
½ day on site
¼ resolution scan Interior.
1 Interior Scan, 27 Exterior Scans
External colour by Nikon D7000
The Mosaic House was captured in a half day. Two scanners were
used, the first circling the external spaces of the property whilst the first
concentrated on the mosaic floors. Referencing was completed with
145mm spheres.
Aerial Photogrammetry
Sensefly - ebee
Pix4d & Agisoft
1250 colour images & 24 DGPS locations
To provide a graphic overview of the archaeological site, our pilot flew
a fixed wing survey drone over Pompeii. The images captured were
processed in photogrammetry software (agisoft) to create a pointcloud
which was merged with the datasets from the Focus x330. 1250 images
were taken in 6 separate flight paths over Pompeii.
Processing:
All locations were aligned using FARO Scene 5.4 (at the time the latest
version of Scene available). Following filtering and automatic target
detection and successful target based alignment was completed for
all locations. The locations were then globally aligned via csv to DGPS
survey points. Colour processing was completed in PTGui before
application to the scan data in FARO Scene.
Visualisation and Rendering:
For the documentary ScanLAB Projects completed the rendering of
the pointcloud using both Bentley Pointools v8i alongside a series of in
house rendering plugins developed for larger data sets.
ScanLAB Projects
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CT Data - Beggers Head
Overturning previous stories and
assumptions the CT provides
new insights into the lives of
those who lived at Pompeii
The Cast Court
The casts were also scanned
within the exhibition space,
before being CT scanned.
Pompeii - Areial
Photogrammetry
Merged into one complete
dataset the LiDAR and Areial
photogrammetry combine to
create a comprehensive map of
Pompeii
The Success of the x330
Working in one the world’s most extraordinary and iconic
archaeological sites posed difficult problems for the team. The
schedule provided only limited access to locations which at times were
also shared with both conservationists and members of the public. The
x330‘s rapid capture, lightweight construction and extensive range was
key to meeting the demands of this shoot.
The x330 enables new opportunities for film and broadcast
programming. Revising old stories in ways never imagined and
uncovering new, hidden evidence for unproven theories. In doing so
x330 is establishing a new graphic standard for documentary making,
whilst also providing an invaluable digital record for cultural heritage.
About ScanLAB Projects
ScanLAB Projects are one of the UK’s leading providers of large scale
3D scan data. They specialise in visualisation of pointcloud data for
film, tv, advertising and the creative industries. Their work has been
broadcast internationally and exhibited at leading cultural institutions
across the world. They are currently working with leading architects,
scientists, broadcasters and artists on a portfolio of projects worldwide.
ScanLAB Projects
scanlabprojects.co.uk
Estate of Julia Felix
An image from one of the map
sequences combining the
survey drawing and pointcloud