The fire at Notre-Dame Cathedral was a global tragedy, one especially painful for the people of France, who faced the prospect of losing this most iconic symbol of beauty, faith and tradition located in the heart of one of the world’s most beautiful cities. When its iconic spire collapsed, an urgent question arose: How could this masterpiece of Gothic architecture be restored faithfully? The answer lay in combining traditional craftsmanship with advanced digital tools.
Immediately after the fire ravaged Notre Dame in 2019, Dassault Systèmes was quick to lend support. “Dassault Systèmes offers its 3DEXPERIENCE platform, 3D robotic simulation modeling and collaborative 3D project, to restore the beauty of this most admired symbol of our values,” Bernard Charlès, our then-CEO and current Executive Chairman, said at the time.
The 3DEXPERIENCE platform was instrumental in the restoration effort by compiling decades of research, including laser scans and architectural drawings integrated into creating a comprehensive virtual twin of the cathedral. The dynamic, data-rich model enabled seamless collaboration among architects, engineers, scientists, and artisans worldwide.
In another example of our support of restoration efforts, Dassault Systèmes participated in the Eternal Notre Dame exhibit at the Cite de l’architecture et du patrimoine in Paris, created in collaboration with teams from the French National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS), Ministère de la Culture and the public institutions overseeing Notre Dame’s conservation and restoration.
Dassault Systèmes worked with project partners, holding workshops with experts from the restoration project featuring the Teleport System, which allows people to virtually explore the cathedral through a virtual twin. This digital replica was created using detailed 3D scanning, lasers and AI to build a precise virtual model of the building, enabling immersive virtual tours of the cathedral. These sessions showed how simulation tools and virtual reality accelerate research, enrich collaboration, and document the restoration process.
“Virtual reality gives us superpowers,” said Mehdi Tayoubi, vice president of Global Digital and Experiential strategy at Dassault Systèmes, describing how researchers can teleport through time and space to deepen our understanding of Notre-Dame’s medieval origins. The goal of the teleport experience is that a researcher, scientist or someone with no engineering or development skills can create a scenario as easily as an office presentation, said Tayoubi.
Virtual twins act as living models. They’re comprehensive repositories of knowledge, collaborative workspaces for experts, and platforms for restoration and simulation. Through this technology, stories originally etched in stone and crafted in wood can be preserved with accuracy and care, ready to inspire and serve generations yet to come.
Dassault Systèmes has a proud history of supporting projects similar to Notre Dame, including the digital revival of historically valuable Ukrainian architecture, a reimagination of ancient historical sites that no longer exist, a virtual reconstruction of the Lascaux Cave location in France and the digitalization of parts of the pyramids at Giza.
Bringing Lascaux Cave to life
In a similar example to what was done for Notre Dame, Dassault Systèmes created a VR experience of the Lascaux Cave, a UNESCO World Heritage site in France. Lascaux is one of the most valuable discoveries of ancient cave paintings ever discovered. The physical location was closed to the public in 1963 to safeguard these treasures, severely restricting researchers’ collaboration.
This experience is a collaboration between the French Ministry of Culture and Dassault Systèmes, which transformed 3D scans of the cave into a virtual tour, allowing for a safe exploration of its intricate passages. The cave houses approximately 1,900 paintings from 18,000 to 20,000 years ago, often referred to “as the “Sistine Chapel of prehistoric” times.”
The virtual tour invites multiple users to interact and explore the caves simultaneously, enhancing group dynamics and learning opportunities. Guided by a virtual expert, participants can closely examine details otherwise inaccessible in the physical cave, fostering deeper understanding and real-time discussion among researchers. This innovative approach not only preserves the original artworks but also revitalizes interest and engagement with prehistoric art, making Lascaux’s remarkable heritage available for future generations.
Rebuilding Ukraine to preserve a vision for the future
War not only devastates lives but also destroys priceless historical, cultural and urban landscapes. Preservation in support of future reconstruction presents an opportunity not just to rebuild but to create more resilient, sustainable and community-focused urban spaces.
In Ukraine, the ongoing damage to cities and historical sites has been severe. Dassault Systèmes participated in a restoration initiative backed by the French government utilizing virtual twin technology to support reconstruction in Ukraine’s Chernihiv region. This initiative combines digital innovation with strategic urban to rebuild for a better future.
The project consists of two phases. First, AI and satellite data were used to analyze the extent of damage, providing an accurate assessment of reconstruction costs and prioritizing critical infrastructure, using the 3DEXPERIENCE platform to centralize data.
The second phase involves creating a virtual twin of Chernihiv, helping planners to optimize urban design by modeling layouts for buildings, public spaces, and transportation, ensuring improved quality of life. The team simulates scenarios like floods and extreme weather to imagine climate adapted infrastructure and new green spaces. Proposals can be shared locally to residents to receive their feedback on new innovations.
The Act for Heritage and the future of preservation
As part of the Only Progress is Human Campaign, Dassault Systèmes launched the Living Heritage Act, an initiative to showcase how virtual twin experiences can safeguard our shared global cultural heritage. Time can erase the knowledge and culture embedded in iconic structures worldwide, but now we can bring it back and preserve it for future generations.
Imagine students virtually exploring Pompeii before Vesuvius erupted or researchers studying climate change’s effects on Venice. Virtual twins make this possible. Used in this context, they’re not just tools for preservation, they are also guides to deeper understanding, connecting us to the past and ensuring our collective story endures for future generations.
The Living Heritage challenge revived six UNESCO World Heritage sites through virtual reality. Six student teams engaged in a collaborative effort, using the 3DEXPERIENCE platform to create virtual twins of significant landmarks, including the Konark Sun Temple and the Hanging Gardens of Babylon. The students, guided by mentors from Dassault Systèmes developed critical skills in digital archaeology, project management, and teamwork during the six-month project. The students’ experiences highlighted the value of preserving history in today’s world, instilling a sense of pride and inspiration as they recreated structures that helped shape human civilization. By creating immersive explorations of these sites, the project served as a bridge connecting the past to the future, ensuring that these cultural treasures are not forgotten.
Unlocking mysteries of the pyramids
For over 4,500 years, the pyramids of Giza have stood as enduring symbols of human ingenuity. Despite centuries of study, they still hold many mysteries. In collaboration with the ScanPyramids project, Dassault Systèmes used virtual twin technology to explore these ancient wonders without disturbing their physical integrity.
Advanced techniques, including tomography, infrared thermography, and 3D simulation were used to “see” inside the pyramids. The data was then integrated into a virtual twin of the Great Pyramid of Khufu.
Virtual twin technology enabled researchers to visualize data by combining scans into a cohesive 3D model, revealing previously unknown areas of the pyramid near the Grand Gallery location. Simulation paths confirmed the areas were real by comparing stone density variations.
Teams were able to share data in real time with scientists from Egypt, France, Japan and Canada, fostering international cooperation. This project demonstrated how digital technology can unlock ancient secrets while preserving the physical integrity of monuments, advancing archaeology into a new era.
Preserving the past to improve our future
The restoration of Notre Dame Cathedral both honors and protects priceless traditional craftsmanship practices thanks to the power of digital tools on the 3DEXPERIENCE platform.
By preserving the past at Notre Dame, Dassault Systèmes is doing its part to preserve our cultural heritage for future generations.
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Maryann is a Senior Communications Manager on the Dassault Systèmes corporate communications team. She’s been with the company for over 19 years, in roles ranging from marketing programs, communications, internal communications, creative and branding and of course, blogging.