APPLICATION OF THE 3D "WIRE - FRAME" MODEL ON THE ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITE TOMASANCI - PALACA

Since 2006 the Archaeological Museum in Zagreb has been involved in the excavation of six protected archaeological sites on the route of the highway BeliManastir - Osijek - Svilaj. Asurface area of about 178,000 m(2) was excavated. The localities of Pajtenica, Ivandvor, Franjevac, Palanka, Palaca and Stara Vodenica were surveyed. The plans of Pajtenica, Ivandvor, Franjevac and Palanka were shaped as two-dimensional models. Spacial three-dimensional wire frame modelling was used at Tomas anci - Palaca and Jurjevac - Stara Vodenica, and in some objects of the archaeological locality of Franjevac. All models were carried out by using the AutoCAD 2007 programme. Wire-frame modelling was used as a result of collecting data with the total station. The wire-frame model consists of points and lines drawn in a three-dimensional space. These however define the edge of the object, but not its surface, and can be used as a basis for other 3D shapes. One of the major preconditions for achieving wire-frame 3D modelling is to capture a larger number of points than it would be necessary for a two-dimensional model. When gathering data points for 3D models we must make sure that we have enough information so that the object can be thoroughly processed by the AutoCAD programme. In the archaeological sites surveyed not a single aboveground construction was found, only burial places. Points were measured both inside and outside the outer edges of the burial places and also all changes within the object were recorded in order to allow the 3D drawing of the objects in the AutoCAD programme. In the locality of Tomas anci on an area of 64,000 m(2) 2,188 stratigraphic units were noted and 43,191 points were gathered. The points measured by the total station were entered into the computer by means of the Leica Geo Office Tools software. These data has an ASC extension which can be read as text file. The information is transferred into AutoCAD by means of the EZYsurf software. The points in the model are connected on the basis of sketches made on-site. In order to obtain a 3D model, the lines of various height will have to be interconnected by means of the 3D Polyline tool.