The tools that speak EM.
The EM Ecosystem groups two layers: EM (the formal language — pencil and paper would be enough) and the EM Framework (EMF), the digital toolset that speaks EM and lets you author, manage and publish it at scale. This page catalogues the EMF components. Each tool below is an open-source piece with its own repository, documentation and release cycle.
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EM palette for yEd
stableGraph editor extensionThe EM palette adds the Extended Matrix typed nodes to yEd — the free graph editor used to author GraphML files. The starting point for anyone who wants to draw an EM by hand.
archaeologistGPL-3.0 Open page → -
EM Folder Tree
stableCanonical project structureCanonical project folder tree for any Extended Matrix project — the `DosCO` document collection, sub-folders for graphs, exports, sources, and the `D.NN` document naming convention. Pencil-and-paper foundation; unzip into the project root before authoring nodes.
archaeologistCC-BY-SA 4.0 Open page → -
source_list.xlsx
stableBibliographic & archival source registryProject-level XLSX template that registers every bibliographic and archival source behind an EM project. Document nodes in the graph cite it via stable D.NN ids. Stable since EM 1.3, valid for EM 1.4/1.5; a revised two-sheet schema is in preparation for EM 1.6 (DP-58).
archaeologistGPL-3.0 Open page → -
EM Tools
stableBlender add-onConnect an Extended Matrix graph to 3D content inside Blender. Browse stratigraphic units, link proxies, drive visualisation by epoch and property, export to Heriverse and CSV.
archaeologistmodellerGPL-3.0 Open page → -
s3dgraphy
stablePython libraryThe computational core of the EM Framework. Reads, writes, validates and converts EM graphs (GraphML / JSON), enforces the data model, and powers every other tool in the framework.
developerGPL-3.0 Open page → -
Heriverse
betaWeb platformHeritage Science Metaverse — the web-based publication endpoint of the framework. Opens any EM-aware scene in a browser with paradata pop-ups, epoch switching and collaborative VR.
archaeologistmodellerdeveloperGPL-3.0 Open page → -
3DSC
stableSurvey pipeline (Blender)3D Survey Collection — photogrammetry workflow management, level-of-detail handling, metadata propagation. The upstream pipeline that produces high-quality 3D models for EM Tools to annotate.
modellerGPL-3.0 Open page → -
3DSC for Metashape
stableSurvey pipeline (Metashape)Companion to 3DSC that runs the photogrammetric processing inside Agisoft Metashape — chunk management, alignment, mesh generation, texture baking, ready for the LOD step in 3DSC for Blender.
modellerGPL-3.0 Open page → -
PyArchInit
stableQGIS pluginQGIS plugin for archaeological data management with strong 2D GIS visualization of stratigraphic data. Connected to EM via s3Dgraphy as an auxiliary data source.
archaeologistGPL-2.0 Open page → -
EMviq
stableWeb visualisationWeb-based 3D viewer in the EMF. The reference web viewer for EM 1.4 (paired version 1.4). From EM 1.5 onwards the project moves toward Heriverse, but EMviq remains the right choice for EM 1.4 deposits and for any project that wants a lighter-weight, single-purpose viewer.
archaeologistGPL-3.0 Open page →
No tools match this role yet.
Looking for a specific Blender / yEd / EM combination? see the version-by-version compatibility matrix →
Third-party integrations
These tools consume Extended Matrix and s3dgraphy in their own workflow. They are maintained independently from the EM team.
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PyArchInit
Third-partyQGIS pluginA QGIS plugin for stratigraphic, alphanumeric, multimedia and topographical archaeological data — bridges field recording with the EM data model via s3dgraphy.
Fellow travellers in a bigger toolbox.
The integrations above speak s3dgraphy. These don't — they're the wider Blender ecosystem EM travels with. When a pipeline step needs, say, point-cloud import, photogrammetry or 3D Gaussian Splatting, there's often a great tool that already does it. We keep a curated catalog of the third-party add-ons worth knowing.
Browse the Blender add-on catalog →