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This paper presents the case study of the NUMASURF milling machine, which partially entered the Musée des Arts et Métiers (MAM) collections in February 2024. The NUMASURF machine is recognized as the earliest precursor to modern Computer-Aided Design (CAD) systems and is the sole surviving artifact of the UNISURF system. Developed by Pierre Bézier (1910–1999), a French engineer and professor at the Conservatoire national des arts et métiers (Cnam) between 1968 and 1979, the UNISURF system was pivotal in transforming the design and production of car bodies. The paper discusses the complexities involved in preserving, documenting, and interpreting this machine as tangible and intangible industrial heritage. The research process, supported by the French Lab In Virtuo project, used both traditional methods (photography, material restoration, archival research, and oral history) and modern digital tools (3D laser scanning, 3D modeling, and photogrammetry). The aim is to provide a comprehensive understanding of the NUMASURF’s historical and technological significance. The NUMASURF will be presented in the museum through an interactive installation, enabling visitors to engage with the machine in a hands-on way. Some of its components are expected to be part of the “Mechanics” section in the museum’s permanent exhibition, ensuring the machine's place in the broader narrative of industrial innovation and heritage.

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Travelling Back to the Origins of Computer Aided Design: The Digital Preservation and Representation of the NUMASURF Milling Machine

  • 会议论文

  • 发表日期：

    2025年

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  • Isabelle Astic,
  • Areti Damala,
  • Olivier Labat,
  • Karine Alexandrian

摘要

This paper presents the case study of the NUMASURF milling machine, which partially entered the Musée des Arts et Métiers (MAM) collections in February 2024. The NUMASURF machine is recognized as the earliest precursor to modern Computer-Aided Design (CAD) systems and is the sole surviving artifact of the UNISURF system. Developed by Pierre Bézier (1910–1999), a French engineer and professor at the Conservatoire national des arts et métiers (Cnam) between 1968 and 1979, the UNISURF system was pivotal in transforming the design and production of car bodies. The paper discusses the complexities involved in preserving, documenting, and interpreting this machine as tangible and intangible industrial heritage. The research process, supported by the French Lab In Virtuo project, used both traditional methods (photography, material restoration, archival research, and oral history) and modern digital tools (3D laser scanning, 3D modeling, and photogrammetry). The aim is to provide a comprehensive understanding of the NUMASURF’s historical and technological significance. The NUMASURF will be presented in the museum through an interactive installation, enabling visitors to engage with the machine in a hands-on way. Some of its components are expected to be part of the “Mechanics” section in the museum’s permanent exhibition, ensuring the machine's place in the broader narrative of industrial innovation and heritage.