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Preparing your Digital Material

Besides setting up, preparation is required for both documenting crafts and documenting buildings. 

Setting Up

Documenting Crafts

Documenting Buildings

 

To make the most of the documentation features in the RETOLD system, it's advisable to organize your digital materials beforehand. Review the appropriate forms to identify the information you need to have on hand.

Here is a checklist of what you need to have ready for each form:

Setting Up

Before completing the forms, it’s a good idea to review all the fields in advance, possibly save them as a PDF, and collect the necessary information.
https://retold.eu/features/setting-up

  1. The Documenter: 
    No uploads needed. 
    https://retold.eu/features/setting-up/documenter
  2. The Craftsperson: 
    Gather the information needed in a pre-interview with the crafter. 
    Files and information to be prepared in the correct size and file format: Photograph of the crafter, Website URL of the crafter if it exists. 
    https://retold.eu/features/setting-up/crafter
  3. The Tool: 
    Gather the information needed in a pre-interview with the crafter.  
    Files and information to be prepared in the correct size and file format: Photograph of the tool. 
    https://retold.eu/features/setting-up/tool
  4. The Installation: 
    Gather the information needed in a pre-interview with the crafter. 
    Files and information to be prepared in the correct size and file format: Photograph of the installation.
    https://retold.eu/features/setting-up/installation
See samples of added Crafters, Tools and Installation to the RETOLD Platform:
Crafters at RETOLD.eu
Tools and Installations at RETOLD.eu
 

Craft Activity Documentation

Before completing the forms, it’s a good idea to review all the fields in advance, possibly save them as a PDF, and collect the necessary information.
https://retold.eu/features/craft-form

  1. Summary:  
    Setting Up: The crafter (needs to added beforehand). 
    Photograph introducing the craft.  
    Short description of the craft.  
    https://retold.eu/features/craft-form/craft-summary
  2. The Crafter and this Craft: 
    Setting Up: The Craftsperson (needs to added beforehand), adding extra information in this section related to this Craft activity. Gather the information needed in a pre-interview with the crafter.  
    https://retold.eu/features/craft-form/crafter-extra
  3. The Documenter and this Craft: 
    Setting Up: The Documenter (needs to added beforehand), adding extra information in this section related to the documentation of this Craft activity. 
    https://retold.eu/features/craft-form/documenter
  4. Materials:  
    Photograph of each relevant material.  
    https://retold.eu/features/craft-form/materials
  5. Process:  
    Setting Up: The Tool (needs to added beforehand). 
    Setting Up: The Installation (needs to added beforehand). 
    Photograph of each phase of the process of the craft Photograph(s) of decoration, where relevant.  
    https://retold.eu/features/craft-form/processes
  6. Reflection:  
    Gather the information needed in a pre-interview with the crafter.  
    Prepare relevant literature references about the sources for this craft activity.  
    https://retold.eu/features/craft-form/reflection
  7. Outcome:  
    Photograph(s) of the final product(s) or outcome(s). 
    https://retold.eu/features/craft-form/outcome-product
See samples of added Craft Activities to the RETOLD Platform:
Sample Craft activity at RETOLD.eu
 
 
Sample Craft video added to the Craft activity

Craft video

The video is an important part of the craft activity documentation. The structure of the video and the craft documentation form complement each other and are a combined approach. Please check more information about creating a video and guidelines for craft documentation video.
https://retold.eu/features/craft-video

 

Building Documentation

Before completing the forms, it’s a good idea to review all the fields in advance, possibly save them as a PDF, and collect the necessary information.

  1. Summary:  
    Photograph introducing the object.  
    Photographs of the object from all sides and inside for the gallery. 
    Link to the 3D model, if present.
  2. The Documenter and the Building in the Museum:  
    Setting Up: The Documenter (needs to added beforehand). 
    No uploads needed. 
  3. Original Building - Source material and documentation:  
    Information about the place of origin/excavation / in-situ location including GPS coordinates.  
    Information on the institution/company/person organising the in-situ documentation, research/excavation.  
    Documents and images connected with the original documentation as well as literature. 
  4. Original Building - Inhabitants, Type & Role:
    Information on the dating of the original building.  
    All possible historical or archaeological data (documents, photos, plans connected to the original building/features).  
    Plans or aerial photos of the original site showing the location of original building or archaeological feature within the site/settlement.  
    Photos, oral testimonies and other information on the buildings function and inhabitants Information on the surroundings of the source material including climate during time of use, soil type, vegetation etc. 
  5. Original Building - Historical buildings only:  
    Who dismantled the building and when?  
    What was left behind / not translocated?  
    Digital versions of the documentation of the process, plans and photos. 
  6. The Building in the Museum - Basic facts:  
    Images to show where the object is located within the museum and if applicable within a homestead. 
  7. The building in the museum - Construction process:  
    Experimental or technical reports on the (re)construction process. 
  8. The Building in the Museum - Detailed technical description: 

a. General Information: 
Digitised version of floorplan(s),  
Digitised drawing of cross section(s),  
Drawings/photographs of different views of building.  
b. Construction and Foundation: 
Photographs, measurements and material description of all foundation/groundworks below and above the floor level.  
c. Walls: 
Photographs, measurements and material description of the walls.  
d. Flooring and Ceilings: 
Photographs, measurements and material description of all floors and ceilings.  
e. Roof: 
Photographs, measurements and material description of the roof truss and roof covering.  
f. Fittings Part 1: 
Photographs, measurements and material description of all fittings (doors, stairs, windows, wells).  
   Fittings Part 2: 
Photographs, measurements and material description of all fittings (fireplaces, smoke exhaust system, chimneys, Lighting systems).  
g. Decorations: 
Photographs, measurements and material description of all decorative elements and or inscriptions.

See samples of added Buildings to the RETOLD Platform:
Sample Buildings at RETOLD.eu
 
 
Sample 3D model at RETOLD platform

3D model

We encourage you to include a 3D model in the building description, if available. Additional guidance is provided on creating 3D models and finding suitable hosting platforms. Alongside the Image Gallery, a 3D model is an excellent way to showcase building details and can also be utilized in the Walkthrough feature later.

 

3D model - WalkThrough

This feature was tested in the initial version of the app and proved to be highly effective. However, it is not currently available within the RETOLD platform. We plan to develop this functionality in the future and aim to integrate it later. For more details on how we intend to incorporate 3D models into the building form, visit https://retold.eu/features/walkthrough

Extra help

The most challenging media to produce are the videos for your craft form and the 3D models for the buildings.

  1. Our website provides detailed information on creating videos, including guidelines for craft documentation videos and other 2D media, such as photography. 
  2. Additionally, we offer resources on how to create 3D models, as well as guidance on hosting and integrating them.

We understand that not all museums have the resources or expertise to create these materials at the highest quality. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to reach out to us.

Since we also need to manage the efficiency of RETOLD, there are limits to the quality of media you can upload to this platform:
  • The videos are to be placed on your own Video platform (Youtube, Vimeo etc) and you can embed them on RETOLD.
  • The 3D models are to be placed on a 3D sharing platforms (Sketchfab, Ariadne etc) and you can embed them on RETOLD.
  • The Images: maximum file size 2MB, however we are working on increasing the limits (Allowed types: gif, jpg, png, svg - more will be added).
  • The Documents: maximum file size 5MB (Allowed types: pdf, doc, docx, odt, ppt, pptx).