Austrian Academy of Sciences

The use of 3D digitization and modeling in documenting heritage sites has increased significantly over the past few years. This is mainly due to advances in laser scanning techniques, 3D modeling software, image-based-modeling techniques, computer power, and virtual reality. There are many approaches currently available. The most common remains based on surveying and CAD tools and/or traditional photogrammetry with control points and a human operator. This is very time consuming and can be tedious and sustained effort. Lately, modeling methods based on scanners data and more automated image-based technique are becoming available. We will discuss each approach and point out its advantages and disadvantages. We will then present our approach, which is a combination of several technologies. The approach presented in this paper uses both interactive and automatic techniques, each where it is best suited, to accurately and completely model heritage objects and sites. A highly detailed structure or site can be modeled at various levels of detail. Image-based modeling may be used for the basic shape and main structural elements, and laser scanning for fine details and sculpted surfaces. The results of applying this approach were very encouraging and several models were created from sites all over the world. Modeling of the Abbey of Pomposa near Ferrara, Italy, will be presented as an example.

2002

The use of 3D digitization and modeling in documenting heritage sites has increased significantly over the past few years. This is mainly due to advances in laser scanning techniques, 3D modeling software, image-based-modeling techniques, computer power, and virtual reality. There are many approaches currently available. The most common remains based on surveying and CAD tools and/or traditional photogrammetry with control points and a human operator. This is very time consuming and can be tedious and sustained effort. Lately, modeling methods based on scanners data and more automated image-based technique are becoming available. We will discuss each approach and point out its advantages and disadvantages. We will then present our approach, which is a combination of several technologies. The approach presented in this paper uses both interactive and automatic techniques, each where it is best suited, to accurately and completely model heritage objects and sites. A highly detailed st...

In Cultural Heritage, prototyping high resolution instruments, developed especially in the mechanic applications, have been used in order to create accurate 3D models. Different laser scanner devices and different methodological solutions have been analysed by our research group both from economical and technical point of views. The results has been already presented in the VAST2006 Conference. Now, an high resolution LIDAR instrument, the Handyscan 3D, has been tested. It is a so-called third generation scanner, which was not originally developed for specific use in the Cultural Heritage field. Nevertheless it allows to acquire accurate 3D models, which can represent a strong basis for reproduction in restoration and conservation. As a self-positioned hand held scanner, it fixes the reference system on the object or around it, allowing the acquisition in many cases where more traditional instruments with the same accuracy can make impossible or at least very difficult the survey. Now, test fields have been expanded in order to analyse the metric accuracy of the instruments in different acquisition procedure, acquiring different materials and shapes. Moreover, considering that the basic idea of this instruments is very simple (it is a digital photogrammetric system) but the adopted solutions represent a true novelty, a procedure for a correct integration with data coming from different instruments and different survey techniques has to be defined. The paper analyses opportunities and limitations offered by Handyscan 3D, describing two test applications on:-the Monumentum Ancyranum. i.e. the bilingual (latin and greek) text engraved on the walls of the temple of Caesar Octavianus Augustus in Ancyra (today known as Ankara, TURKEY);-the anthropomorphic stelae, coming from the Saint-Martin-de-Corleans megalithic area, on the outskirts of Aosta, ITALY. The results are exposed in detail in order to compare instruments and methodologies adopted. New applications in Cultural Heritage documentation and further developments of reverse engineering and prototyping in this domain will be underlined.

The use of 3D digitization and modeling in documenting heritage sites has increased significantly over the past few years. This is mainly due to advances in laser scanning techniques, 3D modeling software, image-based-modeling techniques, computer power, and virtual reality. There are many approaches currently available. The most common remains based on surveying and CAD tools and/or traditional photogrammetry with control points and a human operator. This is very time consuming and can be tedious and sustained effort. Lately, modeling methods based on scanners data and more automated image-based technique are becoming available. We will discuss each approach and point out its advantages and disadvantages. We will then present our approach, which is a combination of several technologies. The approach presented in this paper uses both interactive and automatic techniques, each where it is best suited, to accurately and completely model heritage objects and sites. A highly detailed structure or site can be modeled at various levels of detail. Image-based modeling may be used for the basic shape and main structural elements, and laser scanning for fine details and sculpted surfaces. The results of applying this approach were very encouraging and several models were created from sites all over the world. Modeling of the Abbey of Pomposa near Ferrara, Italy, will be presented as an example.

Virtual Archaeology Review, 2020

Highlights:  Use of contemporary digital methods for the 3D geometric documentation of complex burial structures.  Interdisciplinary approach for the implementation of digital techniques for 3D modelling, including 3D terrestrial laser scanning and image-based modelling.  Implementation of virtual anastylosis by archaeologists using the 3D models and suitable software. Abstract: Archaeological restoration of monuments is a practice requiring extreme caution and thorough study. Archaeologists and conservation experts are very reluctant to proceed to restoration and indeed to reconstruction actions without detailed consultation and thought. Nowadays, anastylosis executed on the real object is practically prohibited. Contemporary technologies have provided archaeologists and other conservation experts with the tools to embark on virtual restorations or anastyloses, thus testing various alternatives without physical intervention on the monument itself. In this way, the values of the monuments are respected according to international conventions. In this paper, two such examples of virtual archaeological anastyloses of two important Macedonian tombs in northern Greece are presented. The anastyloses were performed on three-dimensional (3D) models which have been produced using modern digital 3D documentation techniques, such as image-based modelling and terrestrial laser scanning. The reader is introduced to the history and importance-as well as the peculiarities-of the Macedonian tombs. In addition, the two tombs are described in detail mainly from an archaeological point of view The process of field data acquisition and processing to produce the 3D models are described. Simple and more or less standard methods were employed in acquiring the raw data. Processing was carried out using commercial software. The resulting 3D models and other documentation products are assessed for their accuracy and completeness. The decisions for the virtual anastylosis are explained in detail and the actual process is also described. The restored monuments are presented and evaluated by the conservation experts. Thus, it is shown how important virtual anastylosis of monuments is to archaeological researchers, as it enables them to conduct in-depth studies, without actually tampering with the monuments themselves. Digital 3D models are contributing to many disciplines, especially in archaeology, as they enable a wider audience to easily access both archaeological and geometric information as well as offering a high degree of interaction possibilities to the user. Resumen: La restauración arqueológica de monumentos es una práctica que requiere extrema precaución y un estudio exhaustivo. Los arqueólogos y expertos en conservación son muy reacios a proceder a la restauración y, de hecho, a las acciones de reconstrucción sin una consulta detallada y reflexión. Hoy en día, la ejecución de anastilosis sobre el objeto real está prácticamente prohibida. Las tecnologías contemporáneas han proporcionado las herramientas a los arqueólogos y otros expertos en conservación para embarcarse en restauraciones virtuales o anastilosis, probando así varias alternativas sin intervención física en el monumento. De esta manera, los valores de los monumentos se respetan de acuerdo a las convenciones internacionales. En este artículo, se presentan dos ejemplos de anastilosis arqueológicas virtuales de dos tumbas macedonias importantes en el norte de Grecia. Las anastilosis se realizaron en los modelos tridimensionales (3D) que se han producido empleando técnicas modernas de documentación digital en 3D, como el modelado basado en imágenes y el escaneo láser terrestre. Se introduce al lector a la historia y la importancia-así como a las peculiaridades-de las tumbas macedonias. Además, las dos tumbas se describen en detalle desde un punto de vista arqueológico principalmente. Se describe el proceso de toma y procesamiento de datos de campo para producir los modelos 3D. Se emplearon métodos simples y más o menos estándar en la toma de datos crudos. El procesamiento se llevó a cabo utilizando software comercial. Los modelos 3D resultantes y otros productos de documentación se evalúan a partir de su precisión e integridad. Se explican en detalle las decisiones de la anastilosis virtual y también se STAMPOULOGLOU et al., 2020 Virtual Archaeology Review, 11(22): In-press, 2020 2 describe el proceso real. Los monumentos restaurados se presentan y evaluan por los expertos en conservación. Por lo tanto, se muestra cuán importante es la anastilosis virtual de los monumentos para la investigación arqueológica, ya que les permite estudiar los monumentos en profundidad, sin alterar realmente los monumentos mismos. Los modelos digitales en 3D están contribuyendo a muchas disciplinas, especialmente en arqueología en tanto que permiten un fácil acceso a la información arqueológica y geométrica a una audiencia mayor, y altas posibilidades de interacción con el usuario. Palabras clave: documentación 3D; modelado basado en imágenes; escaneado láser terrestre; anastilosis virtual

ISPRS Archives-Volume XLII-2/W11, 2019

Archaeology as a science is based on finding and displaying the remains of the past. In recent years, with the progress of technology, the science of archeology has been expanding and evolving. Three-dimensional digitization has become an integral part of the archiving, documentation and restoration effort of cultural heritage, offering important benefits in studies for reconstruction and restoration tasks of architectural creations, archaeological sites, historic monuments and objects of art in general. The three-dimensional models are now available for many applications. In this paper such 3D models of two prominent Macedonian tombs in Northern Greece were exploited for their virtual restoration. Virtual restoration of monuments is of special importance to archaeological research, as it provides the necessary tools to investigate alternative solutions to the serious issue of archaeological restoration. These solutions do not interfere with the real monument, thus respecting its value and the international conventions. Digital 3D models have begun to be more beneficial in a science such as archaeology as they offer easy access to both archaeological and geometric information to a wider audience as well as a high degree of interaction possibilities with the user.

The recent advances in the techniques of laser scanning and the increase in computing power in last years have enabled astonishing experiments of virtual reality. The three-dimensional digitizing of cultural heritage and its modeling are so becoming increasingly widespread. This work shows a comparison between the consolidated operating mode of the laser scanner with the techniques of image capture and generation of 3D models based on photographs made with ordinary digital cameras. Thanks to a special software exploiting appropriate photogrammetric techniques and algorithms defined as "Structure from Motion" (SfM), we can reconstruct high-resolution DEMs (Digital Elevation Model) of high quality. We studied a masonry tower in the south of Italy (Marina di Gioiosa Jonica, Reggio Calabria), dating back to the fifteenth and sixteenth century.

Agriculture and Agricultural Science Procedia, 2015

Precise documentation of cultural heritage monuments status is essential for its protection and scientific studies. The digital preservation of cultural heritage monuments is a specially challenging application of 3D modelling. Cultural heritage objects and sites greatly differ from each other and a maximized fidelity of the 3D model is a core requirement. Terrestrial laser scanning is a technology that in recent years has become increasingly popular for documentation which provides very dense 3D points on an object surface with high accuracy. Moreover the resulting 3D models can be used for digital documentation as well as to perform different analysis such as measurements, conservation monitoring, feature extractions and possibly virtual restoration. This paper presents the 3D modelling of two of the most important heritage monuments in Romania: the rock sculpture of Decebalus on the Danube, Orsova and the Sphinx from Bucegi Mountains, without any loss of details or accuracy.

ISPRS - International Archives of the Photogrammetry, Remote Sensing and Spatial Information Sciences, 2013

The methodology proposed in this paper in based on an integrated approach for creating a 3D digital reconstruction of an archaeological site, using extensively the 3D documentation of the site in its current state, followed by an iterative interaction between archaeologists and digital modelers, leading to a progressive refinement of the reconstructive hypotheses. The starting point of the method is the reality-based model, that, together with ancient drawings and documents, is used for generating the first reconstructive step. Such rough approximation of a possible architectural structure can be annotated through archaeological considerations that has to be confronted with geometrical constraints, producing a reduction of the reconstructive hypotheses to a limited set, each one to be archaeologically evaluated. This refinement loop on the reconstructive choices is iterated until the result become convincing by both points of view, integrating in the best way all the available sources. The proposed method has been verified on the ruins of five temples in the My Son site, a wide archaeological area located in central Vietnam. The integration of 3D surveyed data and historical documentation has allowed to support a digital reconstruction of not existing architectures, developing their three-dimensional digital models step by step, from rough shapes to highly sophisticate virtual prototypes.

2011

The SeARCH research project (Semi-automatic 3D Acquisition and Reassembly of Cultural Heritage) brings together archeologists and computer scientists with one unique objective: the virtual reassembly of broken artifacts, and especially the broken statues that were surrounding the lighthouse of Alexandria. The gathering of researchers of these two fundamentally different scientific origins makes it possible to combine expert archeological high-level knowledge with the power of computer graphic visualization techniques and geometry p rocessing algorithms. The integration of both disciplines is achieved by designing efficient human-computer interaction techniques that use semi-automatic geometry-driven acquisition, visualization, and reassembly techniques.