3D Program Recaptures Beauty Of Old Summer Palace In Beijing
- 12 years ago
A 3D restoration project is now being carried out to recover the vanished grandeur of the Old Summer Palace in Beijing.
The Old Summer Palace, where the emperors of the Qing Dynasty resided and handled government affairs, was burned down by British and French troops in 1860 during the Second Opium War.
Since then, the Old Summer Palace has been in a state of dilapidation and disrepair.
The main Bridge of the palace used to be an elegant stone archway over a flowing stream. However, after the palace was destroyed, the Bridge was reduced to a field of rubble.
Using modern three-dimensional laser scan technology, researchers are able to retrieve the appearance and outline of each stone, creating a fully-formed virtual image of the bridge's original structure.
The same method can be used to virtually reconstruct the original layout of the entire palace.
According to specialists, the volume of data needed for virtual restoration is massive.
The amount of information needed to reconstruct each scenic zone of the palace, is the same as the amount needed for an entire city in modern GPS-type navigation systems.
The idea of restoring the Old Summer Palace with virtual mapping technology came about in 2002, and made great breakthroughs in 2005.
The Old Summer Palace, where the emperors of the Qing Dynasty resided and handled government affairs, was burned down by British and French troops in 1860 during the Second Opium War.
Since then, the Old Summer Palace has been in a state of dilapidation and disrepair.
The main Bridge of the palace used to be an elegant stone archway over a flowing stream. However, after the palace was destroyed, the Bridge was reduced to a field of rubble.
Using modern three-dimensional laser scan technology, researchers are able to retrieve the appearance and outline of each stone, creating a fully-formed virtual image of the bridge's original structure.
The same method can be used to virtually reconstruct the original layout of the entire palace.
According to specialists, the volume of data needed for virtual restoration is massive.
The amount of information needed to reconstruct each scenic zone of the palace, is the same as the amount needed for an entire city in modern GPS-type navigation systems.
The idea of restoring the Old Summer Palace with virtual mapping technology came about in 2002, and made great breakthroughs in 2005.