Digitizing ancient Buddhist culture with 3D in Shenzhen, China
Buddhism is a religion followed in many parts of the world, and figures such as Avalokitesvara span beyond the religion. Avalokitesvara is known by different names in different cultures and beliefs, from Tibet’s Chenrezig to Japan’s Kanzeon and India’s Padmapani. In Chinese Buddhism, the figure is Gaunyin, the Goddess of Mercy.
These significant days are reserved for the representation of mercy on humankind. Buddhist communities around the world visit Guanyin statues bearing offerings, gifts, and prayers on February 19, the day she was born. They repeat this practice on June 19, the enlightenment, and September 19, her renunciation. They do this to seek blessings and spiritual guidance. The statues are found in Indonesian temples, caves, and at the top of a mountain in Shenzhen, China.
How 3D Scanning is Preserving Buddhist Culture Through Digitization
Like all others found in other parts of the world, the Guanyin statue in Shenzhen, China, holds considerable significance in the Buddhist communities who visit it during those special days. However, the statue of the Goddess of Mercy is under threat of being moved to a new home, which might leave it damaged or destroyed entirely due to the redevelopment.
This prompted Ivan Fung of JIE Technologies, Artec 3D’s Gold-certified partner in Hong Kong, to seek a way to capture the statue as is. He aimed to digitally preserve Guanyin in case any damages occurred during the transportation of the statue. He achieved this through the use of Artec Ray.
Artec Ray has the highest speed and accuracy among long-range 3D scanners, with technology ideal for capturing large objects in detail. Ray scans objects up to 110 meters away, while objects within 15 meters are scanned with submillimeter distance precision and rank best in class in angular accuracy. Fung had no prior experience with Artec Ray; he was more accustomed to Artec Eva, Leo and Space Spider. Because Artec Ray is easy to use, Fung and his team successfully scanned the whole statue in four hours. Ray allowed them to capture the large object quickly with all the necessary details included and without using any targets.
Final Thoughts
3D Scanners can help preserve and protect culturally significant objects, from statues to ancient artifacts. They accurately capture every detail in a process that is relatively fast and easy to perform. At My Engineering we provide 3D Scanners and 3D scanning services that will allow you to digitally capture anything, no matter the size.
For more information, reach out to My Engineering today!
*Original article and content were provided by Artec 3D