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Jun 25, 2026

3D Model Metadata & Paradata

This guide explains how to record and view the technical, capture and rights metadata that travels with a 3D model in Heratio.

Overview

A 3D model is both a surrogate of a physical object and a record in its own right. Beyond the viewer, Heratio captures what the model is (format, geometry, scale), how it was made (capture method, device, processing) and what may be done with it (licence, attribution). Some of this is filled in automatically; the rest you add.

What is captured

Technical / structural

  • Real-world dimensions and units (mm/cm/m/in/ft) and a scale note
  • Coordinate system / up-axis, model-space bounding box (auto)
  • Format and version, compression (none / Draco / meshopt / KTX2), lossless-master flag
  • Vertices, faces, textures, animations, materials, rig, PBR map set, level-of-detail

Capture & processing (paradata)

  • Capture method (photogrammetry, laser scan, structured-light, CT, CAD, procedural, manual)
  • Capture device, date, operator; number of source items; point density; accuracy (mm)
  • Processing software + version, processing notes, georeference

Provenance & rights

  • Model author / creator; derivation note (raw scan -> master -> access copy)
  • A licence for the 3D model itself, distinct from the physical object's rights; licence holder; attribution

Automatic extraction

When a 3D file (glTF/GLB, OBJ, PLY, STL) is uploaded or attached to a record, Heratio reads its header and fills in what it can automatically: format version, compression, bounding box, vertex and face counts, texture and animation counts, materials/rig flags and the PBR map set. This happens for both models uploaded through the 3D module and 3D files attached as ordinary digital objects.

To backfill existing models, an administrator can run:

php artisan ahg:3d-extract-metadata

Adding the human-judgement fields

  1. Open the record and click Edit 3D metadata (or open the model from the 3D admin list and choose Edit).
  2. In the Technical, capture & rights metadata panel, complete the dimensions and units, capture method and device, accuracy, processing software, author, licence and attribution as known.
  3. Save. The controlled lists (units, coordinate system, capture method, compression, licence) are managed in Settings -> Dropdown Manager and can be extended or localised.

Where it appears

  • A 3D technical metadata panel shows beside the model on the record page (archival, DAM, gallery and museum show pages).
  • The full table is on the dedicated 3D model page.

Standards

The model aligns with CIDOC-CRM / CRMdig (digitisation provenance), CARARE / 3D-ICONS and the Europeana 3D recommendations, and the London Charter / Seville Principles for paradata and transparency.

References

  • Source: packages/ahg-3d-model/
  • Issue: GH #1178
  • Companion: 3D Model viewer guide; 3D viewer tools