The Digital Humanities Internship is a paid yearly offering for Art History and Studio Majors by the VRC.  It features an 8-week course, focusing on digital imaging across several platforms.  After a brief introduction to the history of digitization and cataloging, we dive into 2D imaging with Photoshop.  Beginning with slide digitization, we progress to editing and correction on modern digital images, using masking, color correction, and Photoshop's proprietary toolset. 

In the following weeks, our focus shifts to 3D modeling.  We begin with photogrammetry using Agisoft Metashape, and tackle increasingly complex forms, learning the Creaform Academia laser scanner and often combining multiple scans.  The intern then refines and corrects in Meshmixer prior to printing.  Tangible results are a priority for this project, and we are able to generate prints on several different machines, including the VRC's own Prusa i3 MK3S, the Fablab's Stratasys, and our Formlabs Form2 and Form3 resin printers, with excellent results.

Alongside a greater familiarity with photogrammetry, the internship also integrates digital exhibition and real world spaces. Sketchup is used to simulate an experimental museum layout, after which the same exhibition is recreated in ArtSteps as a virtual walkthrough.  Lastly, the intern chooses a physical space on UVA grounds to photograph and convert into a virtual space using Matterport. 

Finally, we explore Rhino 7 to create scale architectural models.  Our last several weeks are spent on a building or built environment chosen by the intern, which is then researched and mapped.  The intern translates their found or created floor plans and elevations into a complex 3D model in Rhino 7 and then selects which format from our previously explored outputs fits their project best, ultimately producing a classroom quality scale model.

Throughout the Digital Humanities Internship, the VRC emphasizes familiarity and expertise with a wide variety of 3D software, and collaboration with the UVA maker community at large, including Theater, Studio Art, Art History and Architecture.  

Our internship alumni include Shelby Lawton (Summer 2021) and Ruoxuan "Roxie" Yuan (Summer 2022).

We would also like to thank the UVA Fine and Decorative Arts Collection for allowing us to scan many of their historical artifacts, and the Jefferson Trust for funding our Creaform Academia scanner.