Dancing Buddhas: new graphical tools for digital cultural heritage preservation

We discuss the use of a mathematically based tool, function representation (FRep), for modeling complex 3D objects such as sculpture, showing an improved dynamically modifiable viewing and presentation. FRep uniquely allows smooth metamorphosis between structurally dissimilar objects, even with different mathematical connectivity. We apply FRep's modeling and metamorphosis capabilities to the multimedia presentation of a transformation of the kanji from a twelfth-century Japanese text of the Lotus sutra (one found in the Aizu region) into moving 3D Buddha-images, accompanied by synchronous sounds of chanting. We demonstrate some of the basic steps showing the concept and approach. Our approach gives an object at any point in its metamorphosis a mathematically accurate representation of the object at that stage of the process. We achieve this by using HyperFun, a high level geometric modeling language, for the FRep based modelling.