Poster describing the Digital Michelangelo Project

graphics by Dana Katter
text by Marc Levoy
January 21, 1999
Updated January 15, 2000

During our year in Italy, this poster was on display wherever we were scanning.

What did we scan?

In poster shown above, the list of objects "we are scanning" is not accurate. In particular, we were originally planning to scan the Moses (in St. Pietro in Vincoli, in Rome), but like many monuments in the eternal city, we found on our arrival in Italy (in September, 1998) that the statue was under restoration in preparation for the Year 2000 Jubilee. Due to the Jubilee, we also couldn't scan the Pieta (in St. Peter's Basilica). Finally, we didn't scan the Laocoon, partially because we ran out of time, and partially because we frankly thought it was too geometrically complicated to scan using our technology. Here is a photographic list of the objects we really did scan:

In the Accademia, Florence:

David Youthful slave Bearded slave Slave called Atlas Awakening slave St. Matthew Amati Violin

In the Medici Chapel, Florence:

Tomb of Lorenzo di Medici Tomb of Giuliano di Medici

In Rome:

Forma Urbis Romae

Our goal in scanning violins was to investigate whether computer models are useful for characterizing the subtle differences in body shape between different violins.

In addition to these objects, we also scanned several architectural spaces using our time-of-flight laser scanner. In particular, we scanned the Tribune del David in the Accademia and the New Sacristy in the Medici Chapel. The architecture of latter was designed by Michelangelo. These scans will provide virtual settings for some of our virtual statues.

Finally, in addition to our 3D scanning projects, we also acquired a high-density, high-resolution light field of Night, one of the two statues that grace the tomb of Giuliano di Medici. She is highly polished, so specular highlights and reflections dance splendidly across the statue as the camera moves.

Computer renderings of our 3D models

In the same order as the photographs above.

David Youthful slave Bearded slave Slave called Atlas Awakening slave St. Matthew Amati violin

Dusk Dawn Night Day Forma Urbis Romae

Click on the word "David", "St. Matthew", or "Forma Urbis Romae" above to see more images of those models. Or click here to see our catalog of 3D models, which includes other renderings.

© 1999, 2000 Stanford Computer Graphics Laboratory
webmaster@graphics.stanford.firenze.it