Another day, another piece of heritage restored with 3D printing. It is impossible to deny the positive impact 3D technology is forwarding on to the museum industry with historical artefacts from dinosaur skeletons to 6th Century swords being replicated for the world to see.
Now one of the largest museums of military history in Eastern Europe, the National Museum of Military History in Sofia, Bulgaria, has announced a partnership with Threeding.com for the 3D digitalisation of military artefacts.
Military uniform 3D scan.
In a bid to take part of the museum’s exhibits online, Threeding will 3D scan various items using leading scanning hardware and software from Artec and present the models in 3D printing friendly format on its file sharing portal. All 3D models will be available for free viewing on the museum’s website.
In a brand new revenue opportunity, the museum will receive royalties from the sales of 3D models and will be provided with free digital copies of all scanned exhibits, which can then be used for scientific and educational purposes.
Marking the anniversary of World War One, Threeding will also work with the museum to create an online 3D gallery to bring these important artefacts to people all over the world in 3D format on the museum website.
The partnership builds on successful cooperation between Threeding and Bulgaria’s regional history museums in Varna and Pernik. Currently, there are over 150 models of museum objects, such as ancient sculptures, reliefs, architectural fragments of Ancient Greek and Roman origin, medieval weapons, icons and tools, available to 3D print at Threeding.com.
“The National Museum of Military History is certain that the majority of its visitors will be excited by this new form of museum interaction,” says director of the National Museum of Military History, Associate Professor Sonya Penkova. “The ambition to create a virtual museum is coupled with the wish to mark the anniversary of World War One using a novel approach for Bulgaria and the Balkans – acknowledging the cost of the war, its human and social ramifications. We hope that our joint efforts will accomplish this ambitious goal.”
The first models are already available online and include different weapons, military equipment and soldiers’ art from WW1.
