The project set out to create a practical, generic framework for the digital replication of movement books—dynamic objects such as picture books, pop‑up books, and other movable book forms. The core technical challenge was to adapt established 3D‑scanning techniques—computed tomography, laser scanning, endoscopy, and structure‑from‑motion—to the highly articulated and often fragile material of these books. Each technique required object‑specific calibration, and the resulting digital models had to be rendered with physics‑based or game engines, which inevitably introduced a degree of interpretative abstraction. The team therefore proposed a complementary workflow that combines high‑resolution scans, video capture, and interactive game‑engine visualisations. By overlaying image, film, 3D model, and interactive layers, the approach aims to preserve the visual fidelity, colour and dimensional accuracy of the original while providing an engaging user experience. The concept was tested on three prototype interactive 3D replicas of historical picture books, demonstrating that the integrated workflow can produce convincing digital twins without the need for prohibitively expensive, dedicated 3D‑digitisation infrastructure. The project leveraged existing facilities such as the Preußischer Kulturbesitz’s Digital Cultural Heritage Centre and the Technical Information Library of Hannover’s video portal, thereby keeping resource demands manageable. Funding covered personnel costs of €49,593.60, of which €47,004.72 were spent, while planned travel expenses of €1,500 were not required because the academic assistant relocated to Berlin, enabling cost‑free meetings at the State Library. The project’s outputs include a concept paper, a set of best‑practice guidelines, and a series of open‑access publications and conference presentations that disseminated the methodology to the wider heritage and digital humanities communities. The team also outlined commercial scenarios, such as augmented‑reality applications and interactive games, and established a partnership with the Museum 4.0 consortium to explore gamified museum experiences based on the 3D visualisations.

Collaboration was central to the project’s success. The scientific partner, Dr. Christian A. Bachmann, and his academic assistant provided expertise in movement book research and coordinated the project’s research agenda. A technical partner supplied scanning equipment and IT infrastructure, while the Preußischer Kulturbesitz contributed institutional support and access to its digital heritage platform. The project also engaged with the Excellence Cluster Topoi and the 3D Lab at the Technical University of Berlin, fostering interdisciplinary dialogue and potential future collaborations. Outreach activities included a workshop on virtual, augmented, and mixed reality in humanities research (Berlin, November 2017), a poster presentation at the DHd2018 conference (Cologne, February–March 2018), and a lecture at the 107th German Library Day (Berlin, June 2018). These events helped raise awareness of the project’s findings and positioned it within the broader European efforts to standardise 3D digital heritage, such as the Europeana task force and the IIIF consortium’s discussions on 3D model interoperability. The project was funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG) and supported by the BMBF eHeritage programme, aligning with national priorities to enhance digital preservation and accessibility of cultural artefacts. Through its pragmatic, resource‑efficient approach, the project delivered a reusable framework that can be adopted by small to medium‑sized libraries, museums, and archives worldwide, thereby advancing the field of dynamic book digitisation and opening new avenues for interactive cultural heritage experiences.