BEYOND POINT CLOUDS AND VIRTUAL REALITY. INNOVATIVE METHODS AND TECHNOLOGIES FOR THE PROTECTION AND PROMOTION OF CULTURAL HERITAGE

Abstract. The morphometric and photogrammetric knowledge, combined with the historical research, are the indispensable prerequisites for the protection and enhancement of historical, architectural and cultural heritage.

Nowadays the use of BIM (Building Information Modeling) as a supporting tool for restoration and conservation purposes is becoming more and more popular. However this tool is not fully adequate in this context because of its simplified representation of three-dimensional models, resulting from solid modelling techniques (mostly used in virtual reality) causing the loss of important morphometric information.

One solution to this problem is imagining new advanced tools and methods that enable the building of effective and efficient three-dimensional representations backing the correct geometric analysis of the built model.

Twenty-year of interdisciplinary research activities implemented by Virtualgeo focused on developing new methods and tools for 3D modeling that go beyond the simplified digital-virtual reconstruction used in standard solid modeling. Methods and tools allowing the creation of informative and true to life three-dimensional representations, that can be further used by various academics or industry professionals to carry out diverse analysis, research and design activities.

Virtualgeo applied research activities, in line with the European Commission 2013’s directives of Reflective 7 – Horizon 2020 Project, gave birth to GeomaticsCube Ecosystem, an ecosystem resulting from different technologies based on experiences garnered from various fields, metrology in particular, a discipline used in the automotive and aviation industry, and in general mechanical engineering.

The implementation of the metrological functionality is only possible if the 3D model is created with special modeling techniques, based on surface modeling that allow, as opposed to solid modeling, a 3D representation of the manufact that is true to life.

The advantages offered by metrological analysis are varied and important because they permit a precise and detailed overview of the 3D model’s characteristics, and especially the over time monitoring of the model itself, these informations are impossible to obtain from a three-dimensional representation produced with solid modelling techniques. The applied research activities are also focused on the possibility of obtaining a photogrammetric and informative 3D model., Two distinct applications have been developed for this purpose, the first allows the classification of each individual element and the association of its material characteristics during the 3D modelling phase, whilst the second allows segmentations of the photogrammetric 3D model in its diverse aspects (materic, related to decay, chronological) with the possibility to make use and to populate the database, associated with the 3D model, with all types of multimedia contents.