Objective

The curator at Nostell Priory was looking for a way to enhance the storytelling experience of an 18th-century dollshouse being restored and exhibited within the Priory. He wanted a way to show how the doors of the dollshouse slid open and closed since the object would now be displayed behind glass with the doors in a fixed position. A digital animation of this motion would be added to a wider video presentation exhibited along with the dollshouse to help illustrate this.

Approach

To create this animation, photogrammetry was chosen as the best option for creating a life-like digital copy of the object. Photography of the main structure as well as its detached doors commenced. Because of the size of the dollhouse and its fragile nature, photography could only be taken from three sides with the back to be reconstructed in 3D modeling software. Furthermore, because of the needs of the project, detailed photography was not taken of the interior of the house as this would have added more time in photography and post-production than was required.

Once photography was completed, it was processed through Agisoft Metashape, creating three models to be later combined- the main structure and each of the two doors. These models were cleaned and combined using 3DS Max where the final product was then animated and rendered using VRay.

Outcome

The final product was a short animated video that highlighted the sliding motion of the two dollshouse doors and that showcased the object from multiple sides. It was incorporated into a longer video talking about the history of the object which now appears next to its exhibition case on the ground floor of Nostell Priory.

Innovation

This project utilised photogrammetry as a technique for heritage storytelling. It is a specialism that is great for objects that are behind glass and cannot otherwise be engaged with physically. It is also great for showcasing objects that can no longer function in the way they were originally intended. A simple animation, like the one in this case, can be done quite affordably and is a great way to engage audiences.

If you have a similar storytelling experience you’d like to create, get in touch and find out how we can help!