"Advanced 2D presentation techniques" is a combination of two types of products. The first is high-resolution photographic documentation, called gigapixel documentation of the entire surface of the documented object. The second is RTI documentation files (.ptm extension). These files appear to be ordinary digital photos, however, they allow the person viewing them on the Internet (via one of the free .ptm file viewers) to freely manipulate the lighting of the viewed scene in real time.
At the beginning of the "www.muzeach" project, we wrote about the technical side of the work being carried out. Now, after its completion, it is time to look at the effects and explain our reasons for selecting specific technological solutions for the planned applications of the finished products.
Viewer decides
We made RTI documentation mainly for fragments of easel paintings with a particularly interesting texture of the paint layer or other objects whose surface is covered with complex reliefs. With this technique it is the viewer who decides how to illuminate the object being viewed. He or she can decide whether the image of a given work of art, e.g. a bas-relief or a coin, will be viewed in diffused light or in very contrasting side light.
For all objects for which even small changes in lighting have a huge impact on the visual perception of their surface, the RTI technique allows us to enter a completely different level of immersion and contact with a work of art.
Virtual reality
In addition to the ability to freely control lighting, some .ptm viewing programs offer additional visualisation functions called rendering or documented image display modes. One of them allows, for example, presenting the viewed surface (including its reaction to changing lighting conditions) as if such a surface were fully mirrored, even if the documented object does not have such features in reality. What is the viewer’s advantage? Studying the surfaces of objects that are in fact matt (such as, for example, wall paintings on limestone), one notices all the nuances of the surface, small scratches, breaks never noticed before, even if one knows the work of art perfectly.
The RTI technique works best for showing texture on fairly flat surfaces of objects. Therefore, it is not suitable for visualising entire sculptures. However, where it is important to show the nuances of the surface or its texture, it works perfectly. It also has much lower technical requirements than the corresponding three-dimensional documentation.
The project “www.muzeach” is co-financed from European Funds and from the funds of the Ministry of Culture and National of the Republic of Poland. The project is implemented under the Operational Programme Digital Poland for the years 2014-2020, Priority Axis 2 “E-government and open government,” Action 2.3 “Digital availability and usefulness of public sector information,” Sub-action 2.3.2 “Digital availability of culture resources.”
