Expedition Overview
In the spring of 2010, CyArk and the National Park Service collaborated to digitally preserve San Antonio Missions National Historical Park. The first phase of the Digital Preservation Project of the five sites included field documentation, during which laser scanning and photography were used to create a digital record of the missions. CyArk partner Critigen performed the laser scanning and panoramic photography completed during the field documentation. The digital information gathered during the field documentation phase was then used to assist conservation as well as produce outputs for educational and promotional activities.
History of the Missions
Located along the San Antonio River in Texas, the San Antonio Missions National Historical Park encompasses four 18th-century Spanish Colonial missions. The San Antonio Missions represents the largest collection of Spanish Colonial missions in the United States. The missions were designed to be defensive residences and were centered around grand churches and convents. Their elaborate façades were designed in Spanish Colonial, Late Baroque, Moorish, Renaissance and Romanesque architectural styles.
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Mission Concepción
Mission Concepción is the oldest unrestored stone church in the United States. It is the northernmost of the San Antonio Missions and is located along the east bank of the San Antonio River. The church was designed in the Spanish Colonial architectural style and took nearly twenty years to build. The church is cross-shaped in plan, with a vaulted roof and dome. It is constructed of limestone, the stonework exhibits a strong Moorish influence. The main façade of the Mission Concepción church was once covered in painted frescoes much like the ones preserved inside the church and convento.
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3-D point cloud scan overlaid with a photo of a San Antonio Mission by CyArkCyArk
CyArk created a variety of conservation drawings including sections and elevations for the ongoing preservation of the site. Further, virtual tours and web models were also created for site promotion.
Open Heritage 3D by CyArkCyArk
Data from this project is now freely available through Open Heritage 3D.
Download the data from this project.
About Open Heritage 3D
The mission of the Open Heritage 3D project is to:
● Provide open access to 3D cultural heritage datasets for education, research and other
non-commercial uses.
● Minimize the technical, financial and legal barriers for publishers of 3D heritage data.
● Promote discovery and re-use of datasets through standardized metadata and data formats.
● Foster community collaboration and knowledge sharing in the 3D cultural heritage community.
● Share best practices and methodologies for the capture, processing and storage of 3D cultural heritage data
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This project was made with the following partners:
Critegen
Los Compadres de San Antonio Missions
National Park Service
