3D Reconstruction and Presentation of Cultural Heritage: AR and VR Experiences at the Museo d’Arte Orientale di Torino

For years, virtual reconstruction in the figurative arts, and sculpture, in particular, has been developing and consolidating. The workflow from the acquisition to three-dimensional modelling and to the integration of missing parts, has been optimized through processes entirely implemented in the digital dimension. The most recent developments in augmented reality and virtual reality technologies, together with the possibility of using low-cost and widely available devices, have made it possible to establish new links between the real and the virtual. The experiences presented in this paper comes up within the agreement between the Politecnico di Torino and the Museo d’Arte Orientale (MAO). The workflow set up for this research involves: structure from motion (SfM) survey, 3D modelling, and 3D philological reconstruction, then develops a proposal to implement augmented and virtual reality experiences aimed at the communication and fruition of the exhibits. The case study concerns two Japanese statues, and proposes their visualisation with the respective weapons virtually reconstructed, and through VR, involving the reconstruction of the interior space of a temple recognised as philologically compatible with the location of the statues within a statuary complex.