3D Digitization of cultural monuments of technology as a source of technology history

The Department of History at KIT and the Baden-Württemberg State Office for Monument Preservation in Esslingen , as project partners in the BMBF's eHeritage funding programme, have processed cultural monuments of technology into virtual 3D models using SfM digitization methods. The project continues to be carried out by Erika Érsek, M.A.

The aim of the eHeritage project was the 3D digitization of historical power machines to promote object research. Since the function of technical equipment is particularly crucial for historical classification and evaluation, the representation of the mechanical functioning plays an important role in the transfer of the original into the digitized version. This makes it all the more important to use a process that is based on physical values and enables scientific questions to be asked.

In animation technology, individual processes are positioned manually. Movement is generated by calculating the interpolation between the individual images. As there is no connection and therefore no knowledge between the various components, analyses are not possible. In simulation, the kinetics are based on mathematical models that are calculated using the object parameters. In this way, even the functional sequences of machines that are out of operation can be reconstructed. Questions about capacity and load limits can be answered. Further query options are being determined.

Initial results on the simulation of the mechanics were presented at the Gyrolog conference of the University of Stuttgart on January 4, 2021. The procedure and results of the simulation at the water pumping station (1762) in Schwetzingen in the video:

Source: KITopen Medienportal

Source: KITopen media portal

Purpose

The collection makes new objects of study available to researchers. Inaccessible facilities and areas can be viewed, inspections can be prepared and followed up. In this way, location-independent studies are possible on a national and international level. An expansion of the collection of facilities beyond Baden-Württemberg should facilitate comparative studies. For monument conservation, the 3D digital copies offer a new way of inventorying technical cultural monuments, and the collection can also raise public awareness of technical cultural monuments, and the collection can also raise public awareness of technical cultural monuments - see a short video by the Baden-Württemberg State Office for Monument Conservation:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sdnEfBuwXUM

Example object

The Lower Waterworks of Schwetzingen Palace from the 18th century was scanned as an example object - a cultural monument of particular importance.
The Lower Waterworks (built between 1762 and 1765) used to supply the watercourses and water features of the palace gardens alongside the Upper Waterworks. Both facilities were built by Nicolas de Pigage, the director of gardens for the Electoral Palatinate at the time. The irrigation technology of the Versailles Palace Gardens served as a model. Following the digital documentation, the waterworks were renovated and opened to visitors.

The viewer below shows the textured 3D model of the pump room based on SfM images .

Publications on the project:

Bibby, D. / Steffen, C. / Steffen, M.: Virtuelle 3D-Modelle als Dokumentationsgrundlage: Laserscanning und SfM, In: Humpis: Ein Stadtquartier wird Museum. Darmstadt 2015, pp. 313-317.

Érsek, Erika: 3D digitization of cultural monuments of technology. New possibilities for object research, In: Bienert, A. / Emenlauer-Blömers, E. and Hemsley, J. R. (eds.): Conference volume EVA Berlin 2017. Electronic Media & Art, Culture and History: 24th Berlin event of the international EVA series Electronic Media and Visual Arts, Heidelberg: arthistoricum.net, 2018 (EVA Berlin, Vol. 24), pp. 96-99. https://doi.org/10.11588/arthistoricum.443.c5691

Érsek, Erika: Digitale 3D-Modelle als Quellen der Objektforschung, In: Seidl, E. / Steinheimer, F. and Weber, C. (eds.): Junges Forum für Sammlungs- und Objektforschung, Gesellschaft für Universitätssammlungen e.V., Vol. II, pp. 55-60. https://doi.org/10.18452/19739

Hascher, Michael and Martin, Petra: Die Sanierung der technischen Ausstattung des Unteren Wasserwerks, In: Ministerium für Finanzen Baden-Württemberg (ed.), Schloss und Schlossgarten Schwetzingen: Bauen von 2007 bis 2018, Heidelberg 2018, pp. 98-105 (PDF: https://fm.baden-wuerttemberg.de/fileadmin/redaktion/m-fm/intern/Publikationen/Broschuere_Schloss_Schwetzingen_web.pdf).

Hascher, Michael: Waterworks goes 3D, In: Erforschen und Erhalten, Jahresbericht der Bau- und Kunstdenkmalpflege in Baden-Württemberg 1/2018, Landesamt für Denkmalpflege im Regierungspräsidium Stuttgart (ed.), Ostfildern 2019, pp. 102-105.

Érsek, Erika / Chizhova, Maria / Hascher, Michael and Kopanitsak, Clarissa: Matschoss 2.0 - Virtual machine collections as the missing link between museums and historic monuments, In: it - Information Technology, vol. 66, no. 6, 2024, pp. 221-231. https://doi.org/10.1515/itit-2023-0113

Schönwetter, Tim: Wasseralfingen, Tiefer Stollen visitor mine, In: Gassmann, G. / Haasis-Berner, A. / Hascher, M. / Schönwetter, T.: Montandenkmale des Metallwesens, Wiesbaden 2025, pp. 148-152.

Érsek, Erika / Häfner, Victor / Benedix, Anne-Christine and Hascher, Michael: Out of order! Virtual reconstruction of historical machine mechanics through simulation (in print).