🧑‍🏫 3D Reconstruction in Archaeology

Here you will find all lessons concerned with 3D Modelling and Archaeological Scientific Reconstruction. The information is divided into different chapters, as we sequentially progress. Each chapter is either available as an article to read (📖), as a video to watch and go along (📺) or even both. Both formats are designed for you to go along, so have your free copy of Maxon Cinema 4D ready!

This course is packed with lectures, lessons and exercises, but it can't stand on its own. Please remember, that all the content is to be viewed in combination with the course, where I will explain way more than I can do here. This webiste is focused on repeating what you have already learned and to come back to when you need to remember something.

📰 Articles

Chapter 1: Introduction

In this chapter, we will learn the basics of this course and get a glimpse of the first definitions. What is a reconstruction and what is 3D software? Why do we use 3D software and what are the pitfalls we have to think about?
📖 Estimated reading time: 14 minutes -> Go to lesson!

Chapter 2: Basic functionalities of Cinema4D

Here, we will have a look at the basic functionalities of Maxon Cinema 4D to get a first impression on what this software can do and how to navigate with the graphic user interface (GUI).
📖 Estimated reading time: 14 minutes

Chapter 3: The theory of archaeological reconstruction

In this theory lesson, we will learn the theory behind a scientific archaeological reconstruction, which sources and methods to use and what kind of documentation is necessary. This chapter represents in essence what we are going through our theory session in class.
📖 Estimated reading time: 9 minutes -> Go to lesson!

🛠️ Basic Exercises

Exercise 1: Modelling a Doric Column

In this practical exercise, we will use the knowledge and tools of Chapter 1 to build a Doric Column with the help of Splines, Primitive Objects and the modelling tools. Before we do so, a short introduction into Splines are in order.
📺 Video length: 26 minutes

Exercise 2: Modelling the Crepidoma

We will make use of our knowledge from the last units and get to know two different ways of modelling. In the following, we will build a temple and this time, we begin building the Crepidoma, so literally the first steps.
📖 Estimated reading time: 12,5 minutes | 📺 Video length: 18 minutes

Exercise 3: Cloning is legal in Cinema4D

In this practical lesson, we will use the Cloner tool to proceed with our temple model. You'll see the basic functions as well as how we can utilize the Cloner in our work.
📺 Video length: 22 minutes

🧑‍🔬 Advanced Exercises

Exercise 4: Building the walls of the temple

In this exercise, we will start building the inner walls of the temple with the Box Modelling method. We will utilise what we have learned so far and complete our model just under the roof.
📺 Video length: 27 minutes

Exercise 5: Building the roof

This will be the last modelling exercise of this series, in which we will finalise our 3D model with the roof. We will learn yet again another techniquue in modelling.
📺 Video length: 45 minutes

Exercise 6: Texturing our temple and producing a nice render

In this last exercise we will use textures to “paint” our temple and will learn a bit about texture construction. At the end, we will talk about the render settings and how we can use them for a nice final result of our work.
📺 Video length: 42 minutes

➕ Additional Content

Cinema4D for students

This short article shows how to get a free license of Cinema4D for students to use the software at home. After paying a relatively small license fee you can use the full version as a student. -> Go to lesson!

Cinema4D shortcuts

This list will give you all the shortcuts that we will have learned throughout our class. Using shortcuts saves a lot of time, I therefore strongly suggest, that you learn and use them when working with Cinema4D. This will not only save you time, but makes you look super professional! -> Go to lesson!

Cinema4D tools

This list will give you a short description with example for every tool that we have used in Cinema4D. This list is for your reference and intended as a reminder of what you have learned in our course. You should be able to use all of these tools for your own modelling. They are not many, but they are very powerful and are all you need for your personal project. -> Go to lesson!

Reconstruction Protocol

Here, you will find a template for a very simple reconstruction protocol and a guideline on how to use it. It is a great tool while creating reconstructions, as you need to document your progress during your project. -> Go to lesson!

Extra: Incorporate maps, sections and drawings in Cinema 4D

This short article shows you, how to implement plans, sections or drawings as a background image in Cinema 4D with two different methods. The first one is quick'n'dirty and the second one more accurate. You will need this in order to model according to your researched plans and drawings. Make sure to be as accurate as you are able to be. -> Go to lesson!

Extra: Create textures, placing them and patterns

Here, I want to show what you need to do in order to create a texture from a photo, how to place that texture on an object and what you need to do in order to create patterns. This will be very basic, but enough for your tasks. -> Go to lesson!

Extra: Prepare your model for Virtual Reality

Ok, finally you are done right? But what needs to be done in order to load your models into Unity is just some steps more. In this article, I describe what steps to do. -> Go to lesson!

Sitemap

• Additional
  • Cinema4D Shortcuts
  • Cinema4D Tools
  • Cinema4D for students
  • Create textures, placing them and patterns
  • Incorporate maps, sections and drawings in Cinema 4D
  • Preparing your models for Unity
• Chapter 1: Introduction
• Chapter 2: Basic functionalities
• Chapter 3: Theory
  • Reconstruction Protocol
• Exercise 1: Modelling a Doric Column
• Exercise 2: Modelling the Crepidoma
• Exercise 3: Cloning is legal in C4D
• Exercise 4: Building the walls
• Exercise 5: Building the roof
• Exercise 6: Texturing our temple