ABSTRACT
The centenary of the ECMS offers us an opportunity not only to reflect on how the study of early medieval sculpture has developed and matured in the last 100 years, it also marks an appropriate point to look forward to how the recording and presentation of these monuments might develop in the future. The capture and use of three-dimensional (3D) digital records of early medieval sculptured stone is already beginning to take its place in the canon of archaeological and curatorial techniques. This chapter examines some of the nascent technologies that may represent the next stage in the evolution of 3D modelling, and which are likely to reach maturity even before the existing digital recording and modelling technologies are considered commonplace. Techniques discussed include those for controlling the lighting conditions under which models are seen or for changing the context in which they are displayed, as well as new techniques for recreating three-dimensionality from two-dimensional images.
