Teaching 3D acquisition for cultural heritage: a theory and practice approach.

The paper presents the experience of a course (3D Graphics for Cultural Heritage) in the context of Humanistic Informatics degree. The goal of the course was to present an overview of the techniques for the acquisition of 3D models of real objects. The focus was put on freeware/open source solutions that could give the students the possibility to experiment directly on the data, and possibly apply them in their future activities. The acquisition techniques were divided in three groups: 3D scanning, Dense Stereo Reconstruction and Re-Lightable Images. Moreover, general concepts about 3D Graphics, remote visualization, and planning of projects were part of the subjects. The final project for each student consisted in a practical acquisition of a real objects, using one of the proposed techniques. The results of the projects showed that high quality 3D acquisition is now possible even with low-cost devices and freeware tools, and that it can be a strongpoint for the career of future young CH professionals.