Anthropology

Cultural resource management (CRM) and heritage preservation are among the newest and most exciting applications of 3D scanning technology. Universities, state and local governments, CRM firms, and private researchers are embracing the most modern portable, ultra-precise, and long-range terrestrial scanning technologies in the field.

By creating exact digital replicas of cultural artifacts, schools and museums have been able to share items of incredible historical significance with a wide audience without compromising the original objects. Precise metrology has allowed researchers to conduct faunal, ceramic, and lithic analysis—sometimes from opposite ends of the planet.

3D systems have been assisting archaeological excavation for years. Context and provenance have never been easier to accurately illustrate—long-range terrestrial scanners are beginning to replace the total station as a site mapping and recreation tool. Meanwhile, handheld scanning solutions like the Artec Space Spider are being added to traditional photography to really bring archaeological site recreation to life.