A 3D scan of Michelangelo’s David, captured in Hexagon scanners. It serves as the foundation for the 3D-printed and hand-finished replica of the artwork sent to Expo 2020 Dubai. Image courtesy of Hexagon.

Michelangelo’s David Gets a Digital Twin

3D Scanning a classic artwork

Hexagon's technology helped create a digital replica of Michelangelo's David

In the Italy Pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai, Michelangelo's Renaissance sculpture David made appearance. The David that went to Dubai wasn't the original marble artwork in Florence. Rather, it's a 3D-printed replica based on a digital scan. 

The scanning was done with the hardware from Hexagon: an AICON StereoScan neo structured light scanner and a Leica Absolute Tracker with handheld scanner, according to the company's press release.

We present here a series of photos (courtesy of Hexagon) revealing the complicated 10-day scanning process to capture David's anatomy in high resolution.

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About the Author

Kenneth Wong's avatar
Kenneth Wong

Kenneth Wong is Digital Engineering’s resident blogger and senior editor. Email him at [email protected] or share your thoughts on this article at digitaleng.news/facebook.

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