Archaeological Site Reconstruction with AutoDesk\u27s 3D Studio

3D Studio is an IBM-compatible computer modelling program that enables users to create three-dimensional renderings of a variety of objects. In its ability to import a wide variety of maps and other images, 3D Studio allows for the realistic rendering of models created within AutoCAD or other 3D CAD packages. Over the past year, the Homol'ovi research program has been utilizing this software to create near photo-realistic renderings of conjectural site models. My own interests in three-dimensional computer modelling developed out of work at the site of Homol'ovi IV, a 150-room pueblo site located near Winslow, Arizona. The site was situated upon a steep 30-meter bluff with a bedrock cap. Approximately 24 rooms were located on top of the bedrock cap, with another 125 rooms situated on the slope of the butte. During the 1989 field season five structures were excavated, while a separate crew worked clearing and mapping the tops of walls. Mapping was accomplished with a Topcon EDM/theodolite station, and a standard map was created from this process. (See Fig. 3.) While the map was sufficient to show the general layout of the site, I remained unsatisfied, a 2D plan view simply did not convey the vertical dimension of the pueblo. At this point the Homol'ovi Research Program purchased a copy of AutoCAD in order to begin exploring three-dimensional mapping and modelling.