Combining LiDAR, Sonar, underwater laser scanning, and photographs, Autodesk and the NPS along with other partners are creating a virtual representation of the entire USS Arizona.
Autodesk, in partnership with the National Park Service and other vendors, has begun an incredible survey of the historic USS Arizona. The purpose, to create a 3D representation of the site in order to 1) monitor the state of the ship and memorial and 2) bring pieces of history up to the surface for visitors to interact with.
No, Autodesk is not retrieving the actual artifacts from the ship. They are digitally scanning the entire ship, the most comprehensive survey ever done and the first survey done in over 30 years. Being careful not to disturb the resting place of many shipmates, Autodesk is using state-of-the-art 3D scanning technology to virtually model the remains of the ship, all the way down to the Coke bottle sitting in the galley.
In addition to creating 3D virtual (CAD) models of the scans, a few articles are going to be 3D printed. Doing so will allow guests of the memorial to become more immersed in the display. There is no word yet on when visitors will be able to experience the virtual or 3D printed models, but the NPS is hoping to have the survey complete by the end of this year.