Review of digital technology methods for grottoes cultural relics in China

doi:10.11996/JG.j.2095-302X.2025030479

Abstract

Abstract:

As a brilliant pearl in China’s historical and cultural heritage, grotto art embodies rich historical and cultural information and possesses immense historical, artistic, and scientific value. China’s digital conservation of grotto artifacts began in the 1980s; with the advancement of social science and technology, technical methods for digitizing these relics were continually updated and improved. However, comprehensive reviews on the technical methods for digitizing such grotto cultural relics remain scarce. In order to address this research gap and support the digitalization of grotto artifacts, relevant research papers and typical cases were collected, organized, and summarized according to the general workflow of grotto cultural relic digitalization. The three-dimensional data collection technology and corresponding collection cases for grotto cultural relics were systematically categorized; various digital restoration methods and reproduction technologies of grotto cultural relics were outlined; transformation cases of grotto cultural relics in digital display were introduced. Finally, the future application of artificial intelligence in cultural relic protection were discussed, thereby envisioning the future development trend of the application.

Key words: grottoes cultural relics, digitalization of cultural relics, three-dimensional data acquisition, digital restoration of cultural relics, digital display

CLC Number:

TAN Bingyu, XUE Yanmin, QIN Song. Review of digital technology methods for grottoes cultural relics in China[J]. Journal of Graphics, 2025, 46(3): 479-490.

Figures/Tables 12

References 56

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研究机构/团队	研究对象	主要测量方法	研究内容
敦煌研究院	敦煌莫高窟壁画、雕塑	数码相机摄影测量	采用近景测量技术，精确记录壁画雕塑的细节，生成高分辨率的三维模型，保存文物数据用于学术研究、文物虚拟展示^[7]
北京大学考古文博学院	古建筑、文物遗址	数字近景摄影测量	利用近景测量技术对多处历史遗址和文物进行三维建模和数字化记录。例如，在长城、古墓葬和历史建筑的保护中，该技术被广泛应用，以捕捉文物的详细信息和损坏情况，并辅助后续的修复工作^[8-9]
清华大学建筑学院	古建筑保护	数字近景摄影测量	利用近景测量技术对复杂建筑结构的三维数字化进行记录和分析，帮助更好地理解和保护古建筑遗产^[10]
中国科学院遥感与数字地球研究所	古遗址保护和考古研究	近景测量技术+遥感测量技术	结合近景测量技术和遥感技术，开展多项关于文物遗址的保护项目工作，通过详细的地面和空中测量，建立精确的数字模型，为遗址的保护与修复提供科学依据^[11]
秦始皇帝陵博物院	秦始皇兵马俑坑	数码相机+无人机摄影测量	利用非测量数码相机获取现场多航带序列影像；通过多种数字近景摄影测量方法，总结出一种文物数字近景摄影测量方法^[12]
西北大学文化遗产学院	秦始皇兵马俑坑、汉长安城遗址	数码相机+无人机摄影测量	在陕西地区的考古发掘和文物保护项目中，广泛使用近景测量技术。包括对秦始皇兵马俑坑、汉长安城遗址等重要文化遗址的三维数字化记录和保护^[13-14]
西安理工大学	唐代帝陵石像生	数码相机+无人机摄影测量	对唐帝陵石像生进行数字化信息采集、整理归纳，利用互联网媒体技术建立文物数字化展示平台，将文物信息转化为数字旅游资源^[15-16]

研究机构/团队	研究对象	主要测量方法	研究内容
敦煌研究院	敦煌莫高窟壁画、雕塑	数码相机摄影测量	采用近景测量技术，精确记录壁画雕塑的细节，生成高分辨率的三维模型，保存文物数据用于学术研究、文物虚拟展示^[7]
北京大学考古文博学院	古建筑、文物遗址	数字近景摄影测量	利用近景测量技术对多处历史遗址和文物进行三维建模和数字化记录。例如，在长城、古墓葬和历史建筑的保护中，该技术被广泛应用，以捕捉文物的详细信息和损坏情况，并辅助后续的修复工作^[8-9]
清华大学建筑学院	古建筑保护	数字近景摄影测量	利用近景测量技术对复杂建筑结构的三维数字化进行记录和分析，帮助更好地理解和保护古建筑遗产^[10]
中国科学院遥感与数字地球研究所	古遗址保护和考古研究	近景测量技术+遥感测量技术	结合近景测量技术和遥感技术，开展多项关于文物遗址的保护项目工作，通过详细的地面和空中测量，建立精确的数字模型，为遗址的保护与修复提供科学依据^[11]
秦始皇帝陵博物院	秦始皇兵马俑坑	数码相机+无人机摄影测量	利用非测量数码相机获取现场多航带序列影像；通过多种数字近景摄影测量方法，总结出一种文物数字近景摄影测量方法^[12]
西北大学文化遗产学院	秦始皇兵马俑坑、汉长安城遗址	数码相机+无人机摄影测量	在陕西地区的考古发掘和文物保护项目中，广泛使用近景测量技术。包括对秦始皇兵马俑坑、汉长安城遗址等重要文化遗址的三维数字化记录和保护^[13-14]
西安理工大学	唐代帝陵石像生	数码相机+无人机摄影测量	对唐帝陵石像生进行数字化信息采集、整理归纳，利用互联网媒体技术建立文物数字化展示平台，将文物信息转化为数字旅游资源^[15-16]

类别	构成	特点
地面型激光扫描系统	由激光扫描仪及控制系统、内置数码相机等构成	近景高精度测量
手持型激光扫描系统	手持型激光扫描仪一般配合柔性机械臂使用	小型物体快速、简洁、精确扫描
特定环境型激光扫描系统	如洞穴、石窟中应用的激光扫描仪	狭小、细长型空间扫描

类别	构成	特点
地面型激光扫描系统	由激光扫描仪及控制系统、内置数码相机等构成	近景高精度测量
手持型激光扫描系统	手持型激光扫描仪一般配合柔性机械臂使用	小型物体快速、简洁、精确扫描
特定环境型激光扫描系统	如洞穴、石窟中应用的激光扫描仪	狭小、细长型空间扫描

优点		缺点
高灵活性和适应性	数控铣削能够处理极为复杂的三维曲面，包括自由曲面和数学模型定义的曲面	加工精度控制难度大	在铣削复杂曲面时，刀具频繁变换方向需保持精确的移动轨迹和连续高速切削，在实际操作过程中易出现走刀误差，影响加工精度
多轴联动加工能力	五轴及以上的数控铣削加工中心能实现多轴联动，使得刀具可以从各个角度接近工件，尤其适合复杂曲面的一次性成型，减少了多次装夹带来的累积误差，提高了整体加工质量和效率	存在加工盲区	在对复杂形体文物复制加工时，模型存在深度空间上受遮挡的加工区域，铣削刀具刀头无法到达该区域进行铣削作业，只能在复制后期通过手工处理完成加工
材料适用范围广	无论是塑料、泡沫材料、铝合金还是硬度极高的钛合金等材料，数控铣削都能提供有效的加工解决方案，以应对不同加工需求	特殊形体加工成本高、效率低	在特殊形体的文物定制化复制加工时，往往需要进行大量的前期设计工作和定制铣削刀具，使得整个复制过程的成本效益相对较低