Three-dimensional osteometry: A comparative study of 3D model generation techniques for cranial osteometry

Summary

The recent proliferation of three-dimensional scanning devices and model generation techniques has made the use of 3D models in bioarchaeological research a reality. Despite the numerous applications of 3D modeling both in the field and in the lab, the existing body of research and published literature about constructing, analyzing, and sharing these models within archaeology is slim. The primary goal of this study is to test the accuracy of two of the most popular techniques for digital osteometry. A sample of crania was digitized using a NextEngine 3D Laser Scanner and 3D models were created with the accompanying ScanStudio HD software. The same crania were then modeled with a photo capture/photo stitching technique using Agisoft PhotoScan Professional software. Standard measurements were taken from each of the models after generation according to major osteometric cranial measurements and subsequently compared to results taken from the original crania using traditional osteometric instruments. We present the results of these comparisons and discuss the relative utility and efficiency of each technique.

SAA 2015 abstracts made available in tDAR courtesy of the Society for American Archaeology and Center for Digital Antiquity Collaborative Program to improve digital data in archaeology. If you are the author of this presentation you may upload your paper, poster, presentation, or associated data (up to 3 files/30MB) for free. Please visit http://www.tdar.org/SAA2015 for instructions and more information.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 80th Annual Meeting, San Francisco, CA (2015)

Keywords

Spatial Coverage