JUN HUANG

Digital art · Design · Research

Reconstructed temple exterior within the surrounding landscape

2022

Re-envisioning Khirbet et-Tannur

Cincinnati Art Museum

Re-envisioning Khirbet et-Tannur is a digital reconstruction of a Nabataean temple created for museum-facing interpretation. The project aims to restore spatial understanding, how architecture, carved fragments, and landscape context work together—through a model designed to be explored in motion as well as in still views.

Company
Unified Field
Type
Public Screening / Digital Heritage
Role
3D Artist
Scope
Modeling / LookDev / Animation /Real-Time Visualization
01

Viewing Experience

The work is structured to be read at multiple scales. Close shots emphasize carving, breakage, and material history; wider moves re-establish overall massing, orientation, and the temple’s relationship to the surrounding plateau and drop-offs. Camera and lighting are treated as interpretive tools—guiding attention from fragment to structure to site, so viewers can understand both detail and placement without needing specialist background.

Wide terrain view around the reconstructed site
Wide — site context
Temple entrance with reconstructed columns and carved pediment
Mid — temple entrance
Close view of the eagle and serpent sculpture in the reconstructed exhibition
Detail — carved sculpture
02

Craft Highlights

Evidence-forward surface treatment: erosion, breaks, and wear are preserved so damage remains legible rather than cosmetically “fixed.”

Scale legibility: assets and materials are tuned to hold up in close detail while still reading coherently at architectural distance.

Stylized context for clarity: landscape and atmosphere are simplified to support spatial comprehension and reduce visual noise.

Continuity across outputs: stills and moving views are designed to share the same lighting logic and material cues for consistent interpretation.

Collection of reconstructed architectural fragments and sculptures
3D Collection
03

Temple Reconstruction

The temple model is built from surviving fragments, excavation documentation, and museum-held references. Missing portions are reconstructed through constrained comparison—using related Nabataean sites and regional stylistic patterns to propose plausible continuations without overstating certainty. Select areas remain simplified or fragmentary to preserve the reading of what is directly supported versus what is interpretive reconstruction.

Reconstructed temple facade
Reconstructed temple exterior and terrain
Reconstructed columns and entrance relief
Reconstructed temple interior
04

Archaeological References & Site Landscape

The surrounding terrain is recreated as a contextual stage rather than a literal, survey-accurate duplicate. Broad landform cues and elevation relationships support wayfinding and viewpoint logic, helping the viewer understand why the temple reads as elevated and how the site “sits” within the regional geography.

Stone remains at the archaeological site
Archival photograph of fallen architectural fragments
Archival photograph of an architectural doorway
Photographed carved face fragment
Photographed carved architectural relief
Museum-held carved pediment relief
Architectural plan reference
Architectural elevation reference
Doorway and carving reference drawings
Monochrome site terrain study
Rendered site terrain and surrounding landscape
05

Original Footage & 3D Scan

Original Rotation Footage
3D Scanned Model
06

Production Pipeline

  1. 01

    Reference capture

    RealityScanRotation footage

    Use rotation footage and site photographs to capture the fragments from multiple angles. Build scan references in RealityScan, treating captured lighting as reference rather than final surface color.

  2. 02

    Modeling

    MayaZBrush

    Build and clean base geometry in Maya, then refine carved forms in ZBrush. Restore only details supported by the surviving fragments and archaeological references.

  3. 03

    Texturing

    Substance 3DPhotoshop

    Normalize and patch photo-derived textures in Photoshop, then develop materials in Substance 3D. Preserve erosion, breaks and wear so the original surface history remains visible.

  4. 04

    Context & rendering

    HoudiniUnrealQuixel

    Generate lightweight terrain and vegetation with Houdini heightfields and scattering. Assemble the temple, lighting and cameras in Unreal, using Quixel assets for environmental materials and context.

  5. 05

    Finish & outputs

    NukeAfter Effects

    Composite rendered shots in Nuke and finish the sequences in After Effects. Prepare high-resolution stills and animation for museum projection and digital interpretation.

07

Making Uncertainty Visible

  • DIRECT EVIDENCE

    Evidential

    Directly supported by fragments and documentation

  • CONSTRAINED REASONING

    Inferential

    Extended through constrained reasoning: symmetry, pattern logic and close comparanda

  • REVISABLE PROPOSAL

    Speculative

    Proposed where evidence is insufficient, kept intentionally revisable

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