As digital technologies continue to reshape our relationship with history and place, cultural institutions across Europe are increasingly exploring new tools that allow them not only to preserve but also to dynamically reinterpret and communicate their heritage. Within this context, the Horizon Europe SHIFT project hosted a timely and thought-provoking webinar titled “3D Digitization and Gamification – Powerful Tools for Preservation and Presentation of Cultural Heritage.” The featured speaker, Dr. Nikola Stojanović of the Faculty of Electronic Engineering, University of Niš, Serbia, provided a detailed and richly illustrated presentation on the potentials and practice of immersive technology in the cultural heritage sector.
Drawing on his extensive academic and applied experience, Dr. Stojanović introduced participants to the Serbia 3D platform (www.srbija3d.rs), a national initiative launched in 2017 with support from the Ministry of Culture. The project represents one of the most comprehensive efforts in the Western Balkans to digitize immovable cultural assets using advanced techniques such as photogrammetry, drone imaging, and 3D modeling. His approach not only reflects a rigorous technical methodology, but also a deeper commitment to ensuring accessibility, engagement, and public value in heritage work.
At the core of his presentation was a reflection on how the convergence of engineering, animation, and cultural storytelling can open entirely new pathways for how cultural institutions operate. Rather than relying on conventional static documentation, the Serbia 3D platform generates fully navigable, photorealistic models of cultural monuments that can be explored in virtual reality. These models are optimized for Meta Quest 2, making immersive experiences accessible to wider publics without the need for high-end technical setups.
Dr. Stojanović guided the audience through several standout examples, including the digitization of the medieval monasteries of Manasija and Ravanica. The technical processes underpinning these reconstructions were explained with clarity—beginning with drone-based image capture and proceeding through structure-from-motion workflows, dense point cloud generation, retopology, UV mapping, and texture optimization using physically based rendering (PBR) principles. He also addressed challenges related to lighting, framerate, and spatial resolution, all crucial for achieving both aesthetic fidelity and smooth user experience in VR.
What made the presentation particularly compelling was not only its technical sophistication, but its conceptual framework. Dr. Stojanović did not present 3D modeling as a goal in itself, but as a tool for engagement and education, particularly when enriched through gamification. On the Serbia 3D platform, users are invited to participate in heritage-themed quizzes and guided virtual experiences that transform passive viewing into active learning. With over 90,000 users to date, the platform demonstrates that well-executed digital heritage experiences can successfully reach and retain a broad audience.
The webinar also introduced participants to cutting-edge developments in 3D Gaussian Splatting, a technique for high-efficiency, photorealistic rendering that bypasses traditional polygon-based modeling. Unlike conventional workflows that require complex UV mapping and texture alignment, Gaussian splatting operates on view-dependent data—allowing for more fluid and visually rich representations with minimal processing load. The methodology, supported by open-access tools like Scaniverse, PostShot, SuperSplat, and Teleport, was positioned as a future direction for scalable, web-based heritage visualization.
These advancements were not presented in isolation. Rather, Dr. Stojanović framed them within an educational ecosystem—one in which engineers, designers, and cultural experts collaborate to create responsive, interactive heritage environments. His work exemplifies a rare blend of technical fluency and curatorial insight, offering a model for how institutions can integrate immersive technology into their interpretive strategies.
The broader implications of the webinar reach beyond the Serbian context. As museums, archives, and heritage sites across Europe consider how to attract younger, digitally fluent audiences, the lessons of Serbia 3D are especially relevant. Gamification, when thoughtfully applied, becomes not simply a tool for entertainment, but a catalyst for deeper reflection, emotional connection, and participatory knowledge-building.
Watch the recording of the webinar on BMN YouTube channel HERE.
For more detailed studding, download the presentation HERE.
The webinar is part of the SHIFT project (Metamorphosis of Cultural Heritage Into Augmented Hypermedia Assets for Enhanced Accessibility and Inclusion) that is being funded by the European Union Horizon Europe program.
More about SHIFT project on: https://shift-europe.eu/