21:19, 23-Dec-2017
3D-Printed Stone Cave: Zhejiang University replicates stone caves of Yungang Grottoes
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We've heard of 3D-printed cars, chocolate, and clothes. And now there is a 3D-printed STONE CAVE, duplicated from the Yungang Grottoes, with all its gorgeous Buddhist stone sculptures. The technology continues to achieve new depths.
A complete replica of the west rear chamber of the No. 3 cave of the Yungang Grottoes is now on display in a plaza of port city Qingdao. The Yungang Grottoes, built in the Northern Wei dynasty some 1,500 years ago, is a World Cultural Heritage site. The replica is part of a project carried on by the Cultural Heritage Research Institute, affiliated with Zhejiang University.
The 1:1 replica is 17.9 meters long, 13.6 meters wide and 10 meters high. The latest technology in the field of 3D laser scanning and 3D reconstruction were used to build the model for the 3D printing. Nearly 10 thousand pictures were taken. The team developed a larger 3D printing machine for this project.
DIAO CHANGYU, DIRECTOR'S ASSISTANT CULTURAL HERITAGE RESEARCH INSTITUE OF ZHEJIANG UNIV. "The model was divided into 824 pieces. It took 20 3D-printing machines working non-stop for six months, to complete printing all these pieces."
Then the pieces were put together, and sprinkled with grit to achieve the sand-like surface. Then the whole chunk was colored to make it look like the original.
After two years of hard work by developers and workers, the cavernous replica is opening to the public. It signifies that China is among the leading countries in digital holograpy & 3D imaging for use with relics. The next step of the project is to 3D print caves No. 12 and No. 18 of the Yungang Grottoes.