Analytical Comparison of Optical Methods to Evaluate the Potential of the Photo Modelling Technique for Cultural Heritage

Abstract

A comparison of commercial 3D photo modelling software applications is presented. Starting from the simple acquisition of digital images, and based on the principles of photogrammetry, photo modelling represents a user-friendly and economical way to digitally preserve and three-dimensionally reproduce cultural heritage objects. The aim of this research is to evaluate the potential offered by the technique by reviewing a range of commercial and opensource software applications and making a comparison with reference data points obtained from a structured light 3D scanner. A marble artefact was selected from the collection of the Galleria Nazionale dell’Umbria di Perugia (Italy) as a test case for the analytical comparison of these two optical techniques.