Digital Twin Reconstruction of Musical Instruments in Dunhuang Murals: an Engineering Workflow Grounded in Physical Replicas
Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: The Mogao Caves murals at Dunhuang preserve a dense iconography of music and dance from medieval times, yet the two-dimensional carrier and age-related degradation hinder quantitative understanding of instrument morphology. This paper proposes and validates a replica-based, 3D-capture-centered, visualization-oriented workflow for digital twin reconstruction. Using historically reasoned physical replicas as targets, we perform multi-sensor acquisition (structured light, photogrammetry), accurate registration, and high-fidelity meshing; we then conduct semantic retopology with lightweighting in parallel to physically based texture repainting. Representative samples—including the gourd lute (huluqin), large gourd lute, petal-edged ruan, guqin, bent-neck pipa, stick pipa, and round-bodied large ruan—are used to establish a traceable data lineage and metadata schema, demonstrating portability and dual effectiveness for exhibition and teaching. Results indicate that the method preserves mural-style cues while markedly improving geometric consistency and interactive legibility. The workflow provides an engineering-grade, reusable path for digital conservation, scholarly comparison, and public outreach of Dunhuang instruments.
DOI: 10.61784/jtah3047
Authors: ZiLe Liu, JiaYang Du
Institution: Lanzhou University of Arts and Science
Language: English
Subfield: Geology
Field: Earth and Planetary Sciences
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
OpenAlex ID: W7081983154
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