Phoenix reborn: Artec Leo helps preserve Drago di Vaia, the world's largest wooden dragon

3D render of the final Drago di Vaia digital model. Image courtesy of UnoArte.

Rising from the ashes

Truly creative artwork always emerges from a hurricane, whether physical or emotional: amidst the raging storm, something innovative is born as a reaction or a way to cope with what has happened. Marco Martalar, a globally acclaimed Venetian artist who works with wood, did exactly this with the creation of the Magré Dragon, an enormous sculpture made with remnants of a lost forest after a devastating Vaia storm in the Alpe Cimbra region of Trentino, Italy.

Martalar gave new life to what was left , which quickly became a cherished tourist attraction, symbolizing rebirth and hope – only to be destroyed by arson in the summer of 2023. The sculpture had been ready to withstand strong winds and lightning, but no one had imagined it would also need to endure human destruction. The local volunteers from the comune of Lavarone arrived on the scene and extinguished the fire, but all that was left of the Dragon were its ashes.

For the next ten months, Martalar worked tirelessly in his workshop, reshaping and reviving his creation. Less than a year later, Drago di Vaia was reborn from the ashes of that fire, even more majestic and evocative. Designed to serve as a reminder of the complex relationship between humans and nature, the new dragon, standing seven meters tall, kept the memory of its predecessor with a piece of the original sculpture inside. The recreated dragon, supported by a hidden steel structure, is made of six tons of charred wood, and measures sixteen meters long, making it the largest wooden dragon in the world.

The reconstruction, made possible by a great fundraising campaign, became an epitome of resilience, but it also prompted a disturbing realization of how fragile art can be and the importance of preserving it. This was a moment for innovative technology to shine, and UnoArte, Martalar's long-term partners and a top name in digitizing cultural heritage, came to the rescue.

Team UnoArte hard at work. Image courtesy of UnoArte.

Where moment, people, and tech all match

Since starting in 3D scanning in 1999, UnoArte moved into the cultural heritage sector by 2001, digitizing works from world-renowned galleries, such as the Vatican Museums, Castello Sforzesco, the Louvre, Bode Museum, and the National Gallery of Scotland, just to name a few. As resellers for industry giants like Dassault Systemes, 3D Systems, or Hexagon, the team has honed their expertise in all things 3D and earned an exceptional reputation.

UnoArte's devotion to portable non-invasive 3D scanning solutions took off over a decade ago with the introduction of Artec Eva to capture iconic works like Donatello’s sculptures in Florence. Two years ago, the team made a bold shift, fully committing to art and design, and embracing Artec Leo as their primary tool for preserving cultural heritage with its wireless functionality and unmatched precision.

"We now have Artec Leo: a new type of scanner that is completely different from the ones you saw in previous years."

UnoArte had a long history of digitization work with Marco Martalar. Although they first met through their projects with the Venice Biennale, it wasn't until they got their Artec Leo, that things really took off.

"Early on, we had to decline the opportunity to scan his works because our scanners couldn't capture every plank or detail," said UnoArte’s expert Dario Ambrosini. "The day after the fire, we immediately contacted Marco, saying, "We now have a new type of scanner that is completely different from the ones you saw in previous years."

Dario Ambrosini scanning the Dragon with Artec Leo. Image courtesy of UnoArte

Dragon power to meet the challenge

Ready, set, scan. Ambrosini and his team spent a total of ten hours, followed by two weeks of careful processing, before the digital Drago di Vaia was born. The immediate challenge with capturing the Dragon was its size: scanning specialists had to divide the sculpture into manageable sections, each no longer than three meters, and scan these parts individually. The good news was that Leo captures data at incredible speed, saving hours of work.

After scanning, the team processed each part, filling in any gaps and closing holes where needed. All this could seamlessly be done in Artec Studio, where the team aligned and combined all the scans into one comprehensive model.

Processing the model in Artec Studio. Image courtesy of UnoArte.

The team then needed to refine some parts of the 3D model. “The upper part of the sculpture is left partially open to prevent damage from snow accumulation during winter,” Ambrosini clarified. “For the digital model, we needed to ensure that these gaps were closed, so in some cases we use Geomagic Design X and manually correct the missing parts, consulting with Marco. We might work with Blender for the renders or to create some structures for the printer, but basically the main work is all done in Artec Studio.”

The final model the team has is entirely print-ready: the resulting STL file can be divided depending on the printer size and the final model's dimensions. “For larger models, we divide them into three or four sections and assemble the prints afterward. We use HP printers, each capable of printing up to 40 centimeters. So, for a one-meter model, we divide it into three or four parts, depending on the final design,” explained Ambrosini.

Every angle, every detail: precision scanning in motion

The next crucial advantage of using Leo was how easily you could scan with it. Most of Martalar’s works, including the Dragon, are located in remote mountainous areas across northern Italy, where access is barely possible and power sources are scarce. The team’s ability to move around the Dragon, approaching it from every possible angle with no cables getting in the way, made the process much easier.

3D model of Drago di Vaia. Image courtesy of UnoArte

Another tricky part is that the artist uses repurposed wood from the storm, resulting in sculptures composed of thousands of wooden sticks – around 5,000 in the Dragon’s particular case. With Leo, Ambrosini managed to capture every element of the enormous sculpture with all its roughness, holes, protruding and recessed parts. Finally, with a combination of the original burned fragments and new wood, which was also burned to match, the assembled piece was predominantly black: one more classic scanning challenge successfully tackled by Leo.

Dario Ambrosini, who did ninety percent of the scanning, admitted that the workflow was quite exciting – not only to him and the team, but to everyone around them. "The most beautiful part is seeing how amazed people are by the technology,” he remembered. “For example, the Drago attracts anywhere from 2,000 to 5,000 visitors per day. While we were scanning, a lot of people were watching and asking questions. You can tell this technology still feels futuristic to many – it’s like they’re watching an alien at work! Of course, we end up spending time explaining what we’re doing, but it’s always nice. And scanning with Leo makes it even better, because it’s so seamless, almost like taking a photo."

Guardians of heritage treasures

UnoArte's success in safely digitizing heritage extends far and wide. "Most of the work we get comes through word of mouth. Restoration centers or museums that collaborate with us usually spread the word. We've never directly reached out to museums ourselves; they typically contact us. If you try to do things on your own, you often hit a wall. So, you really have to let your work speak for itself, and eventually, people will come to you. We've seen that over time, more and more people have been reaching out," shared Ambrosini. Looking at the amazing collection of work the team has done over the years, this certainly rings true.

Drago di Vaia watching over the valley while being scanned. Image courtesy of UnoArte

Ambrosini and his colleagues are excited about the future: with Marco Martalar, the plan is to continue scanning every new sculpture he creates, following the artist for every project he works on. Another major project UnoArte is working on involves creating digital twins of timeless art for blind people. "We're working on creating 3D-printed replicas to allow blind people to touch the artwork. Our focus is on this area, as well as developing replicas and augmented reality experiences for those who are visually impaired or unable to physically visit museums. Essentially, we’re bringing the museum experience to their homes."

Making art accessible is not only about aesthetic pleasure, it is also about delivering powerful messages. Now that Drago di Vaia is back, it guards its land and brings multiple revelations and layers of meaning to the very concept of cultural heritage preservation. The reborn Dragon is not only a memory keeper and a symbol of starting anew, but it is also a reminder for humans to stay humble, respectful, and non-violent. UnoArte fully embodies this principle in their work by using the safest, most non-invasive, and intuitive 3D scanning technology there is.