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Tangible Heritage: Production of Astrolabes on a Laser Engraver
Author(s) -
Zotti G.
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
computer graphics forum
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.578
H-Index - 120
eISSN - 1467-8659
pISSN - 0167-7055
DOI - 10.1111/j.1467-8659.2008.01193.x
Subject(s) - usable , astrolabe , computer science , variety (cybernetics) , multitude , production (economics) , brass , epoch (astronomy) , computer graphics (images) , set (abstract data type) , visual arts , multimedia , artificial intelligence , art , astronomy , computer vision , epistemology , programming language , physics , philosophy , chemistry , stars , organic chemistry , copper , macroeconomics , economics
The astrolabe, an analog computing device, used to be the iconic instrument of astronomers during the Middle Ages. It allowed a multitude of operations of practical astronomy which were otherwise cumbersome to perform in an epoch when mathematics had apparently almost been forgotten. Usually made from wood or sheet metal, a few hundred instruments, mostly from brass, survived until today and are valuable museum showpieces. This paper explains a procedural modelling approach for the construction of the classical kinds of astrolabes, which allows a wide variety of applications from plain explanatory illustrations to three‐dimensional (3D) models, and even the production of working physical astrolabes usable for public or classroom demonstrations.