The datasets, source code and the binaries that are found in this website are products of research and can be downloaded for free as long as they are used for research purposes. The zip files though, are password protected for monitoring reasons :-). Please sent me an email at akoutsou AT ipet DOT gr and I will reply with the appropriate password asap.

3DICONS - Google Cardboard VR
Take me there...

In this 3D model repository you can experience stereoscopic VR (interactive 3D visualisations of Unesco listed monuments that we have digitised within the framework of the EU funded 3D-ICONS project using your Google Cardboard enhanced mobile phone or any other device.
Watch a video-demo of using Google cardboard with an Android smartphone here

RETRIEVAL - Online content based retrieval evaluation tool
Take me there...

RETRIEVAL is an online retrieval algorithm benchmarking service that enables registered users to perform evaluation tests on both custom and popular benchmark datasets. A versatile upload data management system offers a user friendly GUI with the user-level based parameterisation. The graphs and scalar tables that are generated by the tool are available for downloading. Retrieval works and looks best on Chrome browser.

BMP2OBJ - A depthmap to 3D mesh Converter
Download Executable

This software converts a BMP depthmap image (A openGL Z-Buffer render equivalent) into a canonical triangulated 3D mesh. The mesh can be exported in RAW XYZRGB, XYZ, OBJ and the STL (Ascii) 3D file formats. Smoothing filters can also be applied on the depthmap.
Watch a video-demo of the software running here

Shape-from-Silhouette 3D Scanner
Download Executable
Download Image Dataset

The software includes a basic shape-from-silhouette algorithm implementation and generates 3D colour point clouds and triangulated meshes based on the marching cube algorithm using a set of images that depict the object from different viewpoints.

qp: A 3D Vessel Modeller and Random 3D Vessel Generator
Download Executable Greek Pottery Dataset

The software can be used to model 3D vessels with or without handles based on profile images. It contains implentations of the Dauglas-Peuker Simplification algorithm, a cubic Hermite Spline (supported by a 2D GUI editor) and a custom triangulation algorithm.
Watch a video-demo of the software running here

Algorithm for the automated scale,position and orientation normalisation of complete and nearly complete 3D vessels


The software can used to automatically normalise complete or nearly complete 3D pottery replicas in terms of scaling, position and orientation. The algorithm detects the axis of symmetry, appendages and mouth positioning. It can be used for: the calculation of the intra-class shape variation of a vessel's shape category, the extraction of 3D shape descriptors for content based retrieval (shape matching) applications or as a supplamentary tool in pottery research and analysis.
Watch a video-demo of the software running here

Voxelize - 3D Triangular Mesh to Colour Voxels
Download Executable
Download Vessel Example

The software can be used to transform a triangulated mesh (VRML 1.0, Wavefront OBJ and 3D Studio) into a coloured volumetric (voxels) cloud. Each voxel is discribed by as a vector with integer values indicating descreet spatial coordinates and RGB colour space components. The voxelisation is based on the classic Z-Buffer plane intersection technique. The software uses the GLScene library. The voxelized object can be exported as RAW or VRML 2.0 file.
Watch a video-demo of the software running here

Decimate - Triangular 3D Mesh Simplification
Download Executable

The software uses the VTK library in order to decimate (simplify) a 3D mesh model. It uses OBJ files as an input and outputs in OBJ.

Delaunay Triangulate 3D Mesh
Download Executable

The software uses the VTK library in order to triangulate a point cloud using the Delaunay algorithm. It uses OBJ files as an input and outputs in OBJ.

3D Pottery Content Based Retrieval Benchmark Dataset (Ver.1.0)
Take me there...

The 3D pottery benchmark dataset allows the evaluation of 3D content based retrieval shape descriptors or shape matching methods. The dataset contains a total of 1,012 3D models that are classified into several generic shape categories such as Ancient Greek (Alabastron, Amphora, Hydria, Kantharos, Lekythos, Psykter, etc), Native American (Jar, Effigy, Bowl, Bottle, etc), modern pottery and others. Each category has a different number of models thus some are more populated than others. Those that fall into the last two categories (modern pottery,other) are considered as noise and are used to enhance the objectivity of any evaluation experiment.

3D Pottery Content Based Retrieval Search Engine
Take me there...

The search engine allows the performance of queries by-example, by-sketch as well as keyword-metadata based on a repository of 1,012 digitized 3D pottery replicas. The search engine uses both pottery specific as well as generic 3D shape descriptors in order to perform shape matching. It is MPEG-7 compatible and it is based on open technologies such as PHP and the native XML database eXist.

Content based retrieval engine which operates within a real time 3D virtual reality environment - Old City of Xanthi
Take me there...

Enhancing the experience of a virtual tour with the ability to perform queries-by-example within the graph-based structured 3D scene. The virtual visitor can perform queries to the system like 'Where else in this 3D scene can I find objects similar to this?'. It is an attempt to combine the functionality of a content-based retrieval search engine within a real time 3D enviroment.

Content based retrieval engine in a Virtual Museum of Pottery
Take me there...

An interactive virtual museum of 3D pottery artefacts has been used as a case study. The virtual visitor can perform queries to the system like 'Where in this 3D scene I can find vessels similar to this'. Again an attempt to combine a content-based retrieval mechanism within an interactive real time 3D enviroment.

3DSSE x3dom - Exploring 3D scenes with keywords
Take me there...

3DSSE is an experimental search engine that allows the user to explore 3D scenes using keywords. The engine is based on the annotation of 3D scenes in order to identify and describe specific ontologies within that scene. The metadata that follow each 3D scene contain information about each ontology (e.g. building, statue, artefact) as well as a viewpoint vector that enables the virtual visitor to be placed directly infront of a specific ontology within the 3D scene. This approach not only shifts the virtual visitor from the time consuming manual exploration of a complex 3D scene into a more efficient and user-friendly approach to identify areas-of-interest but it allows the performance of complex queries related to properties such architectural attributes, construction dates, topological relationship and other. A new version is now supports WebGL for the visualisation of the 3D content based on the x3dom.

A demo on WebGL technology - May 2012 (Update June 2012)
Take me there...

This is a demo of five 3D digital replicas of artefacts that you can examine in your WebGL enabled browser. It uses the X3DOM script to exploit the WebGL functionality in order to visualise real time 3D graphics without the need of any additional plug-ins in a Web page.

Explore Stereoscopic High-res 3D models of monuments on your mobile phone (Google Cardboard support)
Take me there...

HD videos of our 3D digitisation projects on YouTube
Take me there...

The old city of Xanthi
Take me there...

A 3D reconstruction of one the biggest traditional settlements of Greece which has the speciality to exhibit mixed traditional Greek, European and Oriental architectural features. The 3D reconstruction has been created using photogrammetry and Blender.

The Byzantine Castle of Kavala
Take me there...

The castle (Acropolis) of Kavala is located on the top of the Panagia (Virgin Mary) peninsula where the old town is built. The equipment used for the digitisation of the castle included, apart from a typical 6MP dSLR camera and a time-of-flight 3D colour range scanner (Optech ILRIS-3D).The raw scan data composed of 36 millions 3D points.

The old city of Kavala (Direct VRML link)
Take me there...

It is a picturesque town with an intense eastern character. The 3D reconstruction has been created using photogrammetry and Blender.

Saint Barbara's springs in the city of Drama (Direct VRML link)
Take me there...

Saint Barbara's springs in city of Drama are surrounded by water mills, monuments, mansions and imposing complexes of tobacco warehouses.The 3D reconstruction has been created using photogrammetry and Blender.

Virtual Argostoli (Direct VRML link)
Take me there...

This reconstruction covers the urban area of Argostoli in Kefalonia, Greece, which was completely destroyed by an earthquake during 1953. Using all kinds of information involving the town, a part of the urban area has been reconstructed in three dimensions and a virtual tour is now available.

Roman fortress southern gate - Hissar,Bulgaria
Download VRML file 32MB(rar)

This is a 3D triangular mesh of the southern gate's facade. It is one of the four gates that allowed the entrance to the Roman fortress located in Hissar, Bulgaria. The gate is also known as "The Camels" due to the fact that it had broken in the middle and looked like two camels facing each other. The texture is vertex painted while the 3D model has been reconstructed from five images using the ARC 3D Webservice. A colour 3D point cloud (ASCII RAW format X,Y,Z,R,G,B,) of the gate's facade can be downloaded from here 20MB (rar).

DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES IN CULTURAL HERITAGE & TOURISM, Delphi, Greece

The following documents compose the syllabus of the lectures performed by the Athena Research Centre digitisation team.

i. Presentation Summaries
ii. 3D Digitisation Case Studies Presentation
iii. Structure From Motion - DIY
iv. QR-CODE based Online Information System
v. Practical Implementation of a Web-based virtual museum
vi. All as a zip file (including source code examples)
vii. Supplemental material as a zip file (including datasets)