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Show HN: I 3D scanned the tunnels inside the Maya Pyramid Temples at Copan

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Re: Show HN: I 3D scanned the tunnels inside the Maya Pyramid Temples at Copan

#41

Post by lukehollis »

programd wrote: post #35

I'm glad to hear you're working on getting an Unreal environment for these scans. I find the movement in the web version to be incredibly clunky. This really needs to have a game like environment to do it justice. In general we clearly have the technology to capture 4K-8K environments and turn them into very realistic virtual worlds. Is anybody even doing such work? For example capturing a neighborhood in San Francis…

You can download or test the Unreal version pixel streaming here: https://mused.com/netherworld-ancient-egyptian-afterlife-sim...

Or here's the trailer for the project in Unreal: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hlNgpG9X7mc

I have a lot of work keeping up with games, it's true--games are expensive to build and aiming at photorealism art style continually looks dated quickly while stylized graphics, less so. I'm trying to fundraise to build this game currently, but it's a tough sell. Educational games don't do well on Steam, so right now, I'm just distributing through my website as I build. The small income this provides helps me contribute back to the modern Egyptian Egyptologists that are excavating and documenting their own culture though.

The latest Game Science title, Black Myth Wukong, does an awesome job with 3d captures of Chinese monuments and bringing the mythology and history to life.

Re: Show HN: I 3D scanned the tunnels inside the Maya Pyramid Temples at Copan

#42

Post by seabass-labrax »

volk45 wrote: post #37
jofla_net wrote: post #32

This is great use of the technology. There should be scans of all our national monuments, world wonders, etc. So much better a use for the tech than just Redfin.

Popping my comment cherry here! I’m a 3D artist that is currently encountering staunch resistance of generating 3D models from drone captured photogrammetry of historically protected sites in Pennsylvania, USA. I’ve had resistance from the state and county level in pursuing take off and landing permission at historical sites. Communicating my intentions of digital historic preservation with photogrammetry has been a…

Have you looked to see whether there is a local archaeology or social history society in your area that you could join? They will have individuals involved who are already used to dealing with property owners to arrange research projects, and you might be able to accompany them on the trips they organize. For reference, the archaeological society in my region serves around 400 square miles and typically organizes a low two-digit number of digs every year. There are also some other societies in the same region who focus on preserving and documenting recent history where excavation isn't required.

Another idea: if you don't already have any formal education in history, you could study for some qualifications in the subject. It would probably do much to reassure landowners that you are not going to harm the sites in any way (although I struggle to think of a way you could do so with a UAV!) In any case, good luck; I'd love to see the models!

Re: Show HN: I 3D scanned the tunnels inside the Maya Pyramid Temples at Copan

#43

Post by lukehollis »

gerdesj wrote: post #40

Superb! I expect whoever coated the remains with that red cinnabar stuff died rather early, probably with tooth and hair loss and severe mental issues. Perhaps this fate was expected but given that "mad hatters" were a thing until fairly recently, people can be a bit strange when it comes to dealing with poisons. The guide notes point out that only the most sacred rituals involved this red mercurial stuff. I'm not su…

It's something we have to be careful of while working on site! We're really careful around the rooms that have mercury in them--there are few that I didn't put in the guide also.

I was wondering about this too: they've found high levels of mercury in the water supply at Maya cities and believe now it contributed to the eventual collapse: https://arstechnica.com/science/2020/06/mercury-and-algal-bl...

Re: Show HN: I 3D scanned the tunnels inside the Maya Pyramid Temples at Copan

#44

Post by lukehollis »

smusamashah wrote: post #33

This is great. I think you shared 3d scan of some other pyramid sometime ago here on HN. I think you should try processing this data through a Guassian Splatting software. I have no idea how many images Guassian Splats require to work well or the CPU/GPU requirements but I have seen very very cool Guassian Splatting demos on twitter where you can absolutely freely fly around the scene and view it from any angle.

Hey, yeah that was me. I spent quite a bit of time last year using pre-existing scanner positions to train nerfs/splats and didn't get anything that was usable, unfortunately. I ended up shifting to Unreal for a higher graphics tier, so if you want to see the Great Pyramid of Giza interior in the highest quality level, you can here: https://mused.com/netherworld-ancient-egyptian-afterlife-sim...

For Unreal I used a few methods but mostly conventional photogrammetry incorporating the lidar.

Ultimately, I'm hoping that downloading the file or some type of pixel streaming for web until the nerfs or splats -- or whatever follows them -- works out.

Re: Show HN: I 3D scanned the tunnels inside the Maya Pyramid Temples at Copan

#46

Post by nh2 »

lukehollis wrote: post #15
nh2 wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If you like smooth transitions, check my startup's: https://benaco.com/go/k4-green-hn-2024

These look great! What strategy did you use to do the transitions?

It works as you described: Texturing the mesh "live" as you move through it. It does use Three.js as a base, but needs custom shaders to make it 60 FPS.

Re: Show HN: I 3D scanned the tunnels inside the Maya Pyramid Temples at Copan

#47

Post by AStonesThrow »

voodooEntity wrote: post #16

The fact that people carved this tunnels with simple tools and their bare hands into the underground is so freaking amazing i cant find better words for it Edit: also very nice tool :)!

> The fact that people carved this tunnels with simple tools and their bare hands

I'm confused, mate: why and how would 21st-century professional archaeologists avoid using modern powered tools and techniques? That's absurd, dangerous, and not cost-effective.

Re: Show HN: I 3D scanned the tunnels inside the Maya Pyramid Temples at Copan

#48

Post by revscat »

volk45 wrote: post #37
jofla_net wrote: post #32

This is great use of the technology. There should be scans of all our national monuments, world wonders, etc. So much better a use for the tech than just Redfin.

Popping my comment cherry here! I’m a 3D artist that is currently encountering staunch resistance of generating 3D models from drone captured photogrammetry of historically protected sites in Pennsylvania, USA. I’ve had resistance from the state and county level in pursuing take off and landing permission at historical sites. Communicating my intentions of digital historic preservation with photogrammetry has been a…

> staunch resistance

Why?

Re: Show HN: I 3D scanned the tunnels inside the Maya Pyramid Temples at Copan

#49

Post by yard2010 »

lukehollis wrote: post #43
gerdesj wrote: post #40

Superb! I expect whoever coated the remains with that red cinnabar stuff died rather early, probably with tooth and hair loss and severe mental issues. Perhaps this fate was expected but given that "mad hatters" were a thing until fairly recently, people can be a bit strange when it comes to dealing with poisons. The guide notes point out that only the most sacred rituals involved this red mercurial stuff. I'm not su…

It's something we have to be careful of while working on site! We're really careful around the rooms that have mercury in them--there are few that I didn't put in the guide also. I was wondering about this too: they've found high levels of mercury in the water supply at Maya cities and believe now it contributed to the eventual collapse: https://arstechnica.com/science/2020/06/mercury-and-algal-bl...

> “The drinking and cooking water for the Tikal rulers and their elite entourage almost certainly came from the Palace and Temple Reservoirs,” wrote Lentz and his colleagues. “As a result, the leading families of Tikal likely were fed foods laced with mercury at every meal.”

This makes me think: what if today's rulers are being poisoned by something making them act like idiots?

Re: Show HN: I 3D scanned the tunnels inside the Maya Pyramid Temples at Copan

#50

Post by lukehollis »

yard2010 wrote: post #49
lukehollis wrote: post #43

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's something we have to be careful of while working on site! We're really careful around the rooms that have mercury in them--there are few that I didn't put in the guide also. I was wondering about this too: they've found high levels of mercury in the water supply at Maya cities and believe now it contributed to the eventual collapse: https://arstechnica.com/science/2020/06/mercury-and-algal-bl...

> “The drinking and cooking water for the Tikal rulers and their elite entourage almost certainly came from the Palace and Temple Reservoirs,” wrote Lentz and his colleagues. “As a result, the leading families of Tikal likely were fed foods laced with mercury at every meal.” This makes me think: what if today's rulers are being poisoned by something making them act like idiots?

Ha! that's the best theory yet
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