The Valmod project: Historical and realistic 3D models for the touristic development of the Château de Chambord

Abstract

The VALMOD project is a French regional scientific program whose objective is to propose innovative scenarios for the tourist development of built heritage from the combined contribution of in situ 3D acquisitions, informatics, and history. This interdisciplinary approach aims to stage original historical content thanks to appropriate 3D models and the use of adequate media for the targeted public. This communication presents several examples selected among the applications developed during this program: the creation of a global model able to precisely describe the whole architecture of the Château de Chambord; a 3D print of the double staircase that can be unscrewed to separate the two stairways; replicas of pieces of the lapidary deposit to make them virtually easy to handle. The challenges concern both technical aspects such as the precise registration of thousands of multi-scale scans or the creation of manifold meshes from point clouds, and project management aspects such as making the interdisciplinary approach effective.