3D Graphics - Making The Site Come Alive

One of the ways in which Time Team help you to imagine, or visualise, how the site would have looked in the past, is by creating moving pictures and 3D graphics using computers.

The pictures on this page show the different stages involved in making an animation.

This shows four views of the first 'wireframe' stage of a picture being built up, or modelled. Can you tell what the picture will be?

Raysan, along with a chap called Neil, is in charge of the moving pictures you see on the screen when you're watching Time Team. He's been working with Time Team for six years. He calls the pictures he creates '3D visualisations'.

We had a chat with Raysan to find out more about his job.

What sort of objects do you work on?

"All sorts of things, from small finds, pots, brooches and metal finds to large-scale buildings and whole environments."

Here's the second stage, still using wireframes. The parts of the plane are shown in different colours. They're all created and animated individually, so the colours help Raysan keep track of all the seperate parts.

What do you do on site?

"I go along to gather information, so I can appreciate what's gone on, how the site works and recording and talking to the various experts from different departments.

For instance, if a piece of Bronze Age pot is found I find out what the profile of the pot would have been and take that information back to the office with me."

This stage is called 'solid modelling', now the model is beginning to look more like the final version.

How long does it take to finish the programme once the dig is over?

"The filming goes on for three days, then it goes on to 'offline', where they produce the programme, which is about four to five weeks, then we have a couple of weeks where we can finish off things like graphics for it, all the bits and pieces. It's about seven or eight weeks duration for each programme."

Time Team have worked on all sorts of digs. Have you had a favourite?

"Two stick out for me. One was my first, Coventry Cathedral. I used to be an architect so that kind of building really appealed to me. I could really get my teeth into it, it was so large scale and so intricate… I really enjoyed that, it was a wonderful place to be."

The final stage before animation is 'texturing' the model, which is just like painting or colouring-in the different areas. The circular markings you can see on the plane's wings are called 'roundels'.

"The other one was digging up a spitfire in France, possibly the first spitfire shot down during the war. We had the brother of the pilot with us who had been an infantry officer. He had such a philosophical attitude towards death.

We were uncovering this thing, as it had fallen, surrounded by the French populace in this sleepy little village. We had someone flying a spitfire overhead during the dig, doing demo runs, so we had the sound of the spitfire as well, and all the stories. It was so moving… and such a different attitude towards archaeology, that was wonderful."

The finishing touches are making the model move and adding in the background.

Raysan also adds in a light source, in this case it looks like the sun, with shadows, which makes the picture even more realistic.

These pictures are photos of some of the stages Raysan goes through when he makes a moving image - these ones don't move. To see the 3D, moving versions you'll have to watch the programmes! Programme details are on the Time Team website.

All pictures on this page © Channel 4, with thanks to Time Team.