Built Heritage Challenge

3D printing or “additive manufacturing” has fast become an important method of research visualization. Here in LEADR, we have 3 different types of 3D printers (MakerBot Z18, Ultimaker Extended 2+ and PRUSA mini) and a total of 4 printers in the main lab space. Historians and Anthropologists have manufactured visual representations of their research whether that be a 3D terrain map representing a specific area, a historical object, or heritage buildings and objects to create effective arguments that explain phenomena.

Sign up here: https://forms.gle/F3jo9cMWP8M9YSmS9

Challenge:

Your task as part of LEADR10 is to build and 3D print a UNESCO World Heritage site. Using SketchUp and any of the 3D printers in the lab, we challenge you to create a 3D model of one of the sites in this list: https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/.

Guidelines:

The challenge is designed for individuals to become more familiar with the digital methods and tools involved in public history and digital heritage. The outcomes for the challenge must include:

  1. A 3D model of your chosen UNESCO site.
  2. A 3D print of your UNESCO site.
  3. An explanation for why you chose that site and its importance.

Schedule:

The challenge will run alongside LEADR10 from September 3, 2024, until April 9, 2025. Winners will be selected at the closing event of the year. We encourage you to join this challenge! We will also run a few dedicated workshops on how to use both SketchUp and the 3D printers you see in the main lab area.

Evaluation:

Evaluation will be based on four things:

  1. Process
  2. Design
  3. Quality
  4. Explanation

FAQ:

  1. Who can take part in the challenge? Anyone can take part in the challenge whether that be faculty, grad students, or undergrad students.

  2. Who judges the challenge? The challenge will be judged by those in attendance at the closing event in April.

  3. How big does the 3D print have to be? The print itself can be as big as you want it to be. It needs to be big enough to be recognizable. You can also print in parts meaning it can be quite large.

  4. Where do I print the model? In the main LEADR lab. We have four printers available. Please do bear in mind that printing takes quite a long time and you will need to plan ahead for this.

  5. Will there be guidance for beginners who have never used the tools? Yes! There will be dedicated workshops on how to use the tools.

  6. If I find an stl file of my site online already can I use that? No, you can use measurements or guidelines but you cannot reproduce a model that has already been created. You have to build the 3D model yourself in SketchUp.