SpectraMesh

DiAuViS SpectraMesh

About SpectraMesh

SpectraMesh provides precise, adaptable analysis and high-quality 3D visualization tools specifically designed for cultural heritage and Digital Humanities research.

SpectraMesh is an innovative software environment for analyzing, measuring, and visualizing 3D meshes in the Digital Humanities. Whether in digital archaeology, art history, museum documentation, conservation research, or experimental studies, SpectraMesh supports your work with precise analytical tools and interactive, high-quality visualizations.

The software emerged from the practical challenges encountered by the DiAuViS team while working with museums, research institutions, and conservation professionals. Existing tools from industrial 3D workflows often fall short when applied to cultural heritage data, which require flexibility, interpretability, and a humanities-driven perspective.

SpectraMesh bridges this gap by combining rigorous scientific functionality with accessible interfaces and adaptable modules. Each feature is designed and tested directly within real research projects, ensuring that the software responds to genuine academic needs rather than abstract design principles.

New collaborations and ideas are always welcome - every researcher, conservator, craftsperson, or artist can contribute to shaping the future of SpectraMesh.

DiAuViS SpectraMesh

How We Develop SpectraMesh

SpectraMesh evolves through real research problems, ensuring that every module is both scientifically robust and broadly applicable across disciplines.

The development of SpectraMesh is driven by genuine research needs and carried out in close collaboration with our academic and museum partners. Based on an internally developed core concept, we implement new modules and functions in direct response to specific questions or challenges raised by our collaborators.

We follow a dual approach: each tool is tailored to solve a concrete problem within a project, while at the same time we generalize and extend it so it can be applied to other contexts within the Digital Humanities. In parallel, we develop foundational features for working with scientific 3D data, allowing SpectraMesh to grow steadily into a comprehensive environment for visualization, measurement, animation, and analysis.

This development model ensures methodological transparency, long-term adaptability, and a tight connection between technical design and humanities research practice.

DiAuViS SpectraMesh

Development Status

SpectraMesh is built on a Vulkan-based rendering engine and an expanding suite of analytical tools designed for Digital Humanities and cultural heritage research.

Rendering Engine

SpectraMesh uses a modern Vulkan render engine with full interactive control of camera, lighting, and loaded meshes. It currently employs classic Phong shading with a customizable solid-color background. Physically Based Rendering (PBR) is planned as one of the next internally developed steps.

Analysis Modules – Current Implementation Status

Alignment (core complete, ongoing optimization): Manual alignment, predefined viewpoints, Mesh-to-Mesh alignment (manual + algorithmic refinement), and automated descriptor-based methods.

Meshing (partial): Smoothing, simplification, and hole filling are implemented; Poisson and BPA meshing are in internal long-term development.

Repair (partial): Non-manifold repair is complete; broader mesh repair depends on the meshing module. Texture repair is planned.

Measure (core complete): Geodesic and linear distances, volume and surface measurements (entire meshes or regions), and sectional analysis are fully operational. Minor usability optimizations are ongoing.

Compare (core complete): Distance maps, density comparisons (local densities, Hausdorff, Chamfer), and topology comparison are implemented. Boolean operations are in internal development; volume-based comparisons already possible.

Analysis (core complete): Heightmaps, slopemaps, densitymaps, and curvature analyses for full meshes or selected regions. Current work focuses on usability.

Detection (core complete): Detection and visualization of non-manifold structures, edges, surface features, and primitive shapes. Minor usability refinements ongoing.

Segmentation (partial): Segmentation based on detected features, curvature, density, height, slope, reliability scoring, materials, and related parameters. Developed closely alongside analysis and detection modules.

Current Research-Driven Development Focus

• Tools for generating construction plans for experimental archaeology (with Greifenberger Institut für Musikinstrumentenkunde)
• Analysis and detection tools for toolmarks and object damage (with Greifenberger Institut für Musikinstrumentenkunde)
• Scientific mesh-to-mesh comparison methods for deformation studies (with Greifenberger Institut für Musikinstrumentenkunde)
• Feature detection based on (photo)texture properties (planned with scientists of the Institute of Classical Archaeology, Heidelberg, 2026)
• Physics simulation of liquid and curd flow in prehistoric cheese strainers (planned with PhD-students LMU Munich, 2026)
• Semi-automated animation tools and templates for museum and university visualization (planned for University of Trier & Studio Nowhere Mannheim, 2026)

Hardware-Driven Developments

• Prototype development of a miniature endoscopic 3D stereo-scanning system

(with Greifenberger Institut für Musikinstrumentenkunde)

We are designing a compact endoscopic stereo-camera system supported by motion tracking to capture point clouds inside narrow or inaccessible object regions (e.g., the internal structures of historical instruments). Hardware evaluation is underway; software integration will begin shortly.

• Integrated micro- to nanometer feature scanning workflows

(planned with scientists of the Institute of Classical Archaeology, Heidelberg, 2026)

Development of a combined hardware–software workflow for digitizing extremely fine surface details (micro- to nanometer scale) on very small objects or selected areas of larger objects. The workflow integrates data from multiple sensors into a unified high-resolution mesh.

Additional Modules in Concept Phase

• Specialized analysis tools (e.g., typology grouping, construction-plan generation)
• Scientific annotation tool and database

Supported File Formats

s3msh (proprietary), OBJ, PLY, STL, GLM, JPG, PNG.

DiAuViS SpectraMesh

Use SpectraMesh - Help Shape It

By working with us, you gain tailored 3D tools for your project - and contribute directly to the growth of a shared research platform.

SpectraMesh grows through the practical requirements of humanities research. Instead of offering rigid, standardized toolsets, we design flexible modules that can be combined and adapted to the unique demands of individual projects. Your questions and workflows play an active role in shaping the software.

If you are planning a research project or are exploring a scientific or conservation question involving 3D data, we invite you to get in touch. Together, we can identify possible solutions and develop suitable tools. When the resulting modules are of general value, DiAuViS covers the development; only a small service contribution is requested for using the software. Highly specialized tools with a very limited target group can be arranged individually.

While the core of SpectraMesh is still in development and testing, we encourage you to explore its potential together with us. Early versions are already available upon request, and future updates can be added seamlessly. Once the system has reached a sufficient level of maturity, SpectraMesh will be released as an independent product.