Hi everyone,
Lately, I’ve been working on a scientific paper regarding one of our past projects from 2023: the 3D documentation of the Similaun Mummy (Ötzi) via SfM (Structure from Motion). The project was carried out on behalf of the South Tyrol Museum of Archaeology and was presented on August 14, 2025, in Peru at the XI World Congress on Mummy Studies in Cuzco, as you can see in the official post of the Museum. For those interested, I’m including links to some news coverage regarding our presentation below (RAI-TGR, Archaeologie on line, Der Standard).
As part of this project, once we obtained the 3D model of Ötzi, we decided to integrate it with DICOM data from the latest CT scans. To achieve this, I used the open-source software InVesalius to automatically extract the 3D model of the skeleton, and 3DHOP to visualize both 3D models (mummy and skeleton) together.
To allow the skeleton model to be viewed within the mummy model in 3DHOP, I utilized the excellent existing "Plane Sections" tool, but I also developed a new tool called "x-ray". This tool manipulates the transparency of the upper layer (the mummy) to reveal the internal layer (the skeleton).
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| The 3DHOP x-ray extension I developed for the project. |
I realized that, due to time constraints, I had never shared the code for this tool. I’ve now corrected that by creating a small GitHub repository, which you can find here: https://github.com/lucaarcteam/3dhop_x-ray_extension.
I hope this post proves useful to the community.
Have a nice day!
