Notre Dame de Paris is about to be "reborn", and this "wall-climbing" game has a role to play in this?

Audit expert: Wang Shengwei

Beijing Municipal Engineering Design and Research Institute Co., Ltd.

Senior Engineer

On March 24, 1163, under the auspices of Pope Alexander III, the construction of Notre Dame de Paris officially began, and this iconic French building officially entered the historical stage.

Source | Baidu Encyclopedia

However, a fire on April 15, 2019 caused more than two-thirds of the top of Notre Dame de Paris to be burned , and the iconic spire collapsed completely. Many people were regretful that before they had a chance to see the charm of Notre Dame de Paris, it collapsed in the fire.

Source | The Paper

In 2024, the Paris Olympics will be held as scheduled, and there is another thing that makes the French excited: in December 2024, the restored Notre Dame de Paris will reopen, allowing the world to see its cultural charm again.

The successful restoration of Notre Dame de Paris was inseparable from the unprecedented "overtime" of French workers and the support of digital technology. The addition of a game also made this restoration legendary.

Digital technology restores Gothic art from 800 years ago

How to restore the hundreds of delicate reliefs and gorgeous rose glass windows on the gate, which originated from the Gothic art style in the Middle Ages through modern technology, is a major challenge in the restoration process.

Fortunately, with the development of science and technology, there is still hope for the reconstruction of Notre Dame de Paris: in 2015, art historian Andrew Tallon used a terrestrial 3D laser scanner to collect spatial data of Notre Dame de Paris, accurately recording the overall appearance of Notre Dame de Paris. At the same time, Andrew's team also used digital modeling technology to create a relatively perfect and accurate 3D model of the cathedral .

Source | "Discussion on the Application of Digital Technology in the Protection and Utilization of Cultural Relics - Focusing on the Lessons from the Notre Dame de Paris Fire"

If there had not been this fire, this digital archive of Notre Dame would probably only be found every few years for measurement work. However, people later discovered that this "digital archive" became the biggest reliance for rebuilding this art palace.

In addition to Andrew's team's 3D model, Notre Dame's more famous "digital archive" is hidden in the players' computers.

Every eaves you walk by is based on reality

The fifth installment of the well-known game IP "Assassin's Creed" series , "Assassin's Creed: Unity", is set during the French Revolution in 1789. Players can also wander the streets of Paris in the late 18th century in the game world, including Notre Dame de Paris.

Source | "Assassin's Creed Unity"

Assassin's Creed has always been loved by players for its high degree of freedom and highly restored environment. It is reported that during the internal development of Assassin's Creed Unity, Ubisoft designers spent two years restoring the original appearance of Notre Dame in the game, claiming that the restoration level was "detailed to every stone".

Comparison between Andrew's team model and the game model

Source | "Discussion on the Application of Digital Technology in the Protection and Utilization of Cultural Relics - Focusing on the Lessons from the Notre Dame de Paris Fire"

Perhaps the players themselves did not realize that the corners they squatted in and the eaves they lay on were all based on data and measurements from the real world.

Although some adjustments have been made to the Notre Dame in the game and the real Notre Dame in Paris for reasons of gameplay and other aspects, this "digital archive" cannot be used for restoration work. However, the heated discussion it has sparked has also focused everyone's attention on the great role of digital technology in the restoration of cultural relics. This technology also plays an important role in the restoration of cultural relics in China.

Digital technology brings cultural relics back to life

China is known around the world for its "infrastructure maniac" and its cultural relics restoration is also well-known around the world. According to Xinhua News Agency, Chinese experts will participate in the restoration of Notre Dame de Paris, and China and France will also carry out technical and scientific exchanges and training programs on the protection of the Terracotta Warriors and Horses of the Qin Shihuang Mausoleum in Shaanxi. This is not the first time that China has used digital technology in the protection and restoration of cultural relics.

From the restoration of the Anyue Grottoes after the Wenchuan earthquake to the digital modeling of the main hall of the Baoguo Temple in Ningbo, digital technology has added a long "digital life" to these historical treasures, allowing them to be more "long-lived" in the real world.

For example, the Beijing Central Axis, which has a history of more than 700 years, has a clearer grasp of the "health status" of the cultural relics through digital technology, providing support and basis for the refinement of cultural relics protection and repair. On the other hand, through digital surveying and mapping, three-dimensional scanning and other means, the entire process of cultural relics protection and repair is preserved, accumulating rich "digital assets" for scientific research and display, and also providing a "digital insurance" for China's largest and best-preserved urban central axis.

Source | "Here we go! Beijing's Central Axis"

These "digital archives" not only create beautiful and realistic game worlds, but also create a new dimension of knowledge for us. Perhaps one day we can really use technological equipment to stroll through the cultural relics and buildings in the digital world, see their charm "with our own eyes", and learn the knowledge contained in them.