Digitisation of cultural heritage
Chapter 4: Processing for precision
Processing for precision
The challenge of the processing of the accumulated data was to develop a workflow that processes automated laser scan and photogrammetry data. The solution had to be able to also handle the large data volume.
“We were able to process astonishing amounts of laser scans and images thanks to the RealityCapture software in very reasonable time,” said Dedik.
TLS data was pre-processed with the Leica Cyclone modelling software. With Cyclone, the laser scan data was de-referenced, merging the required point clouds and converting the data into the required .ptx data type.
Cyclone distinguishes the highest possible level of automation. The software offers the possibility that point clouds can be exported in CAD and be processed there directly, such as for ground plans or 3D drawings.
With the RealityCapture software, the georeferenced point clouds and pictures are merged in an automated process. For this, the most suitable data (laser and image data) will be selected. From this data, textural polygonal model with high accuracy were generated. The resulting 3D models combines the advantages of both methods.
The further processing of data occurs in JTSK coordinate system, the default coordinate system in the Slovak Republic. From this, the textural polygonal model can then be processed into highly accurate and detailed:
- ortho-images
- 3D models
- technical documentation
In the table below are three different sized monuments that were digitised related to data volume and processing time. The time includes alignment, meshing and colouring for final models
| Monument | Scan positions | Images | Processing time |
| Virgin Mary Assumption church in Banska Stiavnica | 70 | 80.000 | 1 months |
| Church and chapel in Spissky Stvitok | 150 | 50.000 | 4 months |
| Historic town Banska Stiavnica | 400 | 400.000 | 5 months |
“The advantages of this workflow of the digitisation of cultural monuments over the classical geodetic methods are the temporal factor with the data collection as well as the highly detailed degree in connection with a high accuracy,” said Dedik. “It is no longer necessary to pre-define the output, because all required documentation can be created from the collected data.”
Back to Reporter 77 article overview
Story: Digitisation of cultural heritage
Chapter 1: Introduction
Chapter 2: Merging sensors for the best results
Chapter 3: Flying high for detail
Chapter 4: Processing for precision
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