This preliminary phase includes some necessary activities to plan a digitisation campaign including technical, administrative and organisational planning.
Amongst other activities the choice of the technology to be used is important as this may influence the permissions to be obtained for data acquisition (for example, short-range 3D scanning usually requires scaffolding). Many different technologies exist and have reached a sufficient level of stability and effectiveness to be used in standard digitisation campaigns (short-range scanning based on triangulation, long-range scanning based on time-of-flight, images-to-3D reconstruction based on different incarnations of stereo-matching and photogrammetry, down to several different modalities for gathering enhanced 2D media, such as Polynomial Texture Maps (PTM) or very large panoramic image).
Administrative and organizational planning also forms an important part of this stage.
Recording Cultural Heritage in 3D
Complete three-dimensional (3D) recording of cultural content (objects, monuments, etc), is a multi-dimensional process which depends on the nature of the object being recorded and the purpose of the recording.
Factors that influence the choice of digitisation method and its results include:
- Geometric complexity – the size and position of the subject
- Surface properties such as transparency, reflectance, diffraction and colour/texture
- Restrictions such as accessibility, protection and security issues
Case studies for testing the digitisation process
The aim of this work is to perform evaluation tests on specific parts of the 3D data collection and 3D data post-processing pipeline that will be set in use in order to prepare the 3D content by the partners. The evaluation is based on the implementation of five 3D digitisation case studies followed by a critical assessment and analysis of important properties and key factors of each 3D digitisation project. A number of key 3D digitisation methodologies are applied in each case study and their advantages and disadvantages are discussed in detail.
This report composes a set of guidelines that provide vital information when designing a 3D digitisation plan.
Case Studies for Testing the Digitisation Process – interim report
Saint Marina Church case study