Virtual 3D registration of anatomic wax sculptures

This study presents the symbiosis between science and art through the analysis of anatomy and the wax-modelling technique. For this purpose, an eighteenth-century anatomical wax model showing the gestation process was selected. This model belongs to the collection of the Javier Puerta Museum of Anatomy (Complutense University of Madrid, Spain). The work has attempted to analyze, interpret and disseminate the process of producing the anatomical wax model using the latest 3D registration technologies. The methodology was established in two phases: a first phase of data collection using a GO! SCAN50 laser scanner from CREAFORM and VXelements software, and a second phase of post-processing of the collected data. The result was a very high resolution 3D virtual model that allowed the analysis and interpretation without the need to manipulate the original. The animated 3D model is viewable at 360o via interactive virtual platforms and under multiple angles and textures. This has made it possible to locate signs and proofs about the process of making the anatomical model, confirming the hypothesis that it seems to have been carried out by the artists during the elaboration of the piece. In short, 3D recording has proved to be a non-destructive and very graphical analysis method, allowing data collection, real-time monitoring and visualization without any manipulations.