Image Formation on the Holy Shroud—A Digital 3D Approach

ABSTRACT This study investigates the origin of the image imprinted on the Shroud of Turin, a linen artifact displaying the frontal and dorsal figures of an adult man with marks of physical violence, using 3D digital simulations. Through free and open‐source software, parametric modeling of a human body, fabric dynamics simulation, and contact area mapping were performed. Two scenarios were compared: the projection of a three‐dimensional human model and that of a low‐relief model. The results demonstrate that the contact pattern generated by the low‐relief model is more compatible with the Shroud's image, showing less anatomical distortion and greater fidelity to the observed contours, while the projection of a 3D body results in a significantly distorted image. The accessible and replicable methodology suggests that the Shroud's image is more consistent with an artistic low‐relief representation than with the direct imprint of a real human body, supporting hypotheses of its origin as a medieval work of art.