Image Formation on the Holy Shroud—A Digital 3D Approach

Abstract

This study investigates the origin of the image imprinted on the Shroud of Turin, a linen artifact displaying the frontal and dorsal figures of an adult man with marks of physical violence, using 3D digital simulations. Through free and open-source software, parametric modeling of a human body, fabric dynamics simulation, and contact area mapping were performed. Two scenarios were compared: the projection of a three-dimensional human model and that of a low-relief model. The results demonstrate that the contact pattern generated by the low-relief model is more compatible with the Shroud's image, showing less anatomical distortion and greater fidelity to the observed contours, while the projection of a 3D body results in a significantly distorted image. The accessible and replicable methodology suggests that the Shroud's image is more consistent with an artistic low-relief representation than with the direct imprint of a real human body, supporting hypotheses of its origin as a medieval work of art.