The texture of Chinese garden rockery stones: based on 3D point cloud and 3D printing technology

Research on the surface texture of traditional Chinese garden rockeries focuses mainly on painting and photography, which significantly limits archeological research. This study proposes the use of a three-dimensional point cloud combined with a 3D printing method to obtain and analyze the surface texture of Chinese garden rockeries of different scales and sizes. Compared with traditional painting and photo recording methods, 3D point clouds can indiscriminately record the changes in surface roughness and texture of objects and are not affected by light and shadow interference. Simultaneously, modeling was conducted based on the scanning results of the 3D point cloud, and attempts were made to use 3D printing to print the models at different scales. To accurately restore the surface texture, this study used model segmentation combined with local structural reinforcement for printing and stitching large-volume models. Small-volume models were printed using integrated printing, and different materials were used for printing attempts. This study explored a new approach to heritage research regarding the recording and reproduction of the surface texture of rockeries through a combination of 3D point clouds and 3D printing, providing possibilities for heritage protection and sustainable research.