Transforming computed tomography scans into a full-immersive virtual museum for the Antikythera Mechanism

Abstract

The extended research of the Computed Tomography (CT) scans of the fragments of the Antikythera Mechanism was the cornerstone for revealing the structure and functions of the first mechanical computer. In this article we present a unique methodology for the transformation of CT-scans files into photorealistic three-dimensional (3D) objects where other techniques, such as photogrammetry or 3D scanning, cannot be applied due to specific obstacles. These digital assets were reconstructed in the Lab, by using the CT-scans dataset for mesh generation, and only two high-resolution images for applying the textured materials. A quantitative evaluation from 62 volunteers’ testers of the Virtual Museum that hosts the digital representations of the fragments of the Antikythera Mechanism, confirms the high level of the achieved photorealism, in addition to usability, usefulness, and level of satisfaction.