DanqingScan: Low-cost 3D scanning for traditional Chinese painting analysis
Yunhao Li, Xing Liu, Yuchen Wu, Mingyang Xu, Wei Zhang, Yi Zhang, Wei Chen · Visual Informatics · 2026
With the progress of 3D scanning technologies, these is a growing demand on low-cost, high-quality 3D scanning solutions for cultural heritage preservation. Specifically, accurate 3D surface detail acquisition can significantly support researchers and conservators in assessing the surface damage and restoration conditions of Chinese paintings. This, in turn, facilitates further conservation efforts as well as related tasks such as digital documentation, brushstroke analysis, and other forms of technical examination. However, existing 3D scanning solutions for cultural heritage preservation are often suffer from high cost, lack of user-friendliness, and relatively low accuracy. To address these limitations, in this paper, we propose a robust and low-cost structured light 3D scanning system specifically designed for traditional Chinese paintings. The system is built entirely from off-the-shelf consumer-grade hardware components. Based upon the gradient illumination, it enables high-quality surface scanning and produces high-resolution surface normal maps of scanned paintings. These normal maps can be further transferred into detailed 3D surface models. To enhance user friendliness, we also developed an interactive user interface that allows users to observe, analysis and annotate key features such as brushstrokes, damages and trace of previous restorations. To validate the effectiveness of our method, we conduct extensive experiments by scanning the real ancient Chinese paintings. Experimental results show our system’s potential to support a wide range of cultural heritage applications, including brushstroke analysis, damage assessment, and painting restoration.