FORENSIC FACIAL RECONSTRUCTION USING 3-D COMPUTER TECHNOLOGY

The paper presents the process of forensic facial soft tissue reconstruction to investigate the efficiency of applying craniofacial anthropometry and 3D computer methods on a skull exhumed from the context of a commingled mass grave from World War II and the post-war period. The skull of an unidentified person belongs to one of a total of 294 exhumed victims from seven locations investigated during 2018 in the area of Gra & ccaron;ani at City of Zagreb. After anthropological analysis and 3D scanning of the skull, the facial reconstruction process was performed using 3D modelling software Blender, MakeHuman, and OrtogOnBlender. The 3D model was rendered to obtain a 3D visualization of the reconstructed facial features of the skull, representing the final step in creating an approximation of the person's appearance before death. The reconstruction showed that even from such a challenging context, a multitude of data can be obtained that can be used in the identification process of skeletal remains of unidentified persons. Further development of forensic facial reconstruction depends on creating extensive databases and continuous research into new methods.