Scan the World and Artec 3D partner to digitize art collections

Since 2014, the Scan the World community project has been on a mission to make 3D printable art available to people around the world. Hosted on the Google Arts & Culture platform, it works to provide access to artifacts from around the world, making culture more accessible. Scan the World recently signed a partnership with 3D scanner and software manufacturer, Artec 3D. The project will now use the Artec Eva handheld scanner to more easily and quickly scan sculptures, paintings and other key world heritage works of art. They will start with a collection from the Museum of Arts and Crafts in Hamburg, Germany.

Unfortunately, access to culture and historical heritage is not a reality for everyone and many are deprived of this experience. 3D technologies can alleviate this problem in some cases by digitizing works of art. Therefore, culture no longer has borders and anyone can have access to paintings, sculptures and other artifacts no matter where they are in the world. This was particularly crucial during the pandemic, as many were unable to visit museums even in their own countries, let alone travel. In fact, Elisa D’Antona, deputy director of Scan the World, reflected, “In a world brought to a standstill by a global pandemic, we have been made aware of the importance of open digital collections.”

That’s the promise of Scan the World: opening up the culture by offering open source digital collections. By partnering with Artec 3D, the project is taking a step forward as it will be able to more easily scan all kinds of art objects. It will also be based on Artec Studio 16 software, which enables very realistic colors with very fine details. Jonathan Beck, founder and director of Scan the World, added: “Scan the World is delighted to embark on this partnership with Artec 3D to share 3D printable heritage with the world. By combining Scan the World’s strong community, storytelling and object archive with Artec 3D’s industry-leading hardware, this is a very exciting time for the future of high-quality 3D scanned artifacts.”

The Artec Eva portable 3D scanner is a professional solution capable of scanning all types of objects and surfaces (glossy or black). Its high definition mode allows reconstruction almost twice as fast, without forgetting the details and precision. Therefore, it is a 3D scanner of choice for capturing the intricacy of a work of art.

Artyom Yukhin, President and CEO of Artec 3D, concluded: “Artec 3D has always been committed to keeping our technology at the forefront of the industry and providing applications that can be used around the world. Today, we are delighted to take a bold step forward in building a heritage-focused digital community together with Scan the World, capturing precious artifacts in great detail and making them accessible to all.” You can find all the 3D printable artifacts HERE.

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