3D Scanning in Mountmaking

3D scanning and printing technologies have become an invaluable tool for the design and fabrication of seismic mounts (used for earthquake protection) for artworks loaned to Getty. 3D scans provide a highly accurate representation and are used as models to prepare the mount and display prior to the arrival of the artwork from the lending institution.

The same process has been recently used in several ornate frame conservation projects where missing elements were replaced with 3D printed scans of existing parts.
The technology is also being developed as an analytical conservation research tool. Scanned artworks can be precisely overlayed to better understand variations between versions of cast sculptures.

The use of 3D technology at Getty began with a 2010 joint research project with the University of Wisconsin investigating a low-cost simulation-based engineering software. This project introduced conservation staff to 3D CAD (computer-aided design) and modeling software and eventually led to the use of 3D scanning and technologies as a conservation and mountmaking tool.

We are continuing efforts to refine the use of 3D data for conservation research, potential artwork treatments, and mountmaking. We are also investigating further uses of 3D printing materials for temporary mounts as well as software that can aid with structural analysis.

The conservation departments primarily use Artec 3D scanners and software for their work; however there are a number of other useful programs including Rhino 3D and Meshmixer that are utilized. For printing, standard additive 3D printers and plastic filaments are being used, but new filament materials are being investigated.

3D printing is also now being utilized in the creation of internal supports for certain exhibited objects. In the past, making internal supports required extra handling of the artwork and was a time-consuming process that required casting epoxy to create conformal fitting supports. Now those interior artwork surfaces can be scanned and the conformal supports can be 3D printed, which is safer for the object and faster to produce. The use of interior mounts designs allows artworks to be discreetly secured to their display furniture without any visual distractions to the viewer.

In 2007, the remains of three wooden tripods, with a veneer of intricate ivory carvings, were unearthed at the Villa dei Papiri in Naples. The fragments traveled from Parco Archeologicodi Ercolano to Getty as a loan for the exhibition After Vesuvius: Treasures from the Villa dei Papiri in 2019. Before the arrival of the objects, the team needed to design a mount that would act as a scaffold to support the fragments. A mount design was created using estimations provided by archaeologists. Then, 3D scans of the fragments were used as a guide for cutting away material on the mount to accommodate the irregular profile of the tripod’s legs. All of this was achieved without the danger of damaging the original fragments.

Conservation staff use 3D scanning and software as an analytical tool to better understand how different versions of a sculpture are made and relate to one another.

For example, in the mid-1800s, French artist Antoine Louis Barye created several bronze casts depicting a python killing a gnu (or wildebeest). By comparing 3D scans of the plaster model in the Getty collection to related bronze casts at other institutions, we can investigate whether the Getty plaster was used in the creation of the bronzes.