"OUT THERE" SCULPTURE TRAIL

Our lab is currently collaborating with Charlie Brouwer, a Southwest Virginia artist, to digitize a sculpture trail located on his property in Floyd, VA. This project aims to preserve his wooden sculptures, which are vulnerable to natural degradation, and to create an immersive virtual experience that makes the trail accessible to those who may be unable to visit in person.

​

Workflow
On site, we used a Canon EOS R5 Mark II with a Godox AR400 ring flash and cross-polarized filters, mounted on a monopod for stability. A marked three-foot perimeter around each sculpture ensured consistent distance and even exposure. A ColorChecker Passport was used to achieve accurate exposure and color calibration. For each sculpture, we captured approximately 250 images at multiple heights to ensure complete coverage.

​

In the lab, the image sets were processed in Agisoft Metashape, with high-resolution meshes decimated for efficiency. The models were then imported into Substance Painter to bake mesh maps and apply realistic textures.

​

To support the virtual experience, we also captured 360° video datasets using an Insta360 X5 camera. These were processed in Jawset Posthot to generate Gaussian splat models, creating an immersive and photorealistic digital environment.

​

Below are renders of three of the sculptures digitized in this project. Click on the images to view rendered videos of the 3D models and Gaussian splats.