3D Digital Reconstruction of Heritage Artifacts: Parametric Evaluation

Preservation of cultural heritage artifacts using 3D digitization and modeling techniques is gaining momentum in the past few years. This paper presents an approach to digitize and reconstruct partially damaged artifacts. The digitization process begins with the selection of damaged artifacts by field survey followed by photogrammetry to acquire 2D points. Parameters such as number of images, image resolution and the cause of defect holes are evaluated and their influence with 3D reconstructed images are discussed. Autodesk Recap^® and Blender^® software^® are used to generate 3D point clouds and to reconstruct damaged artifacts respectively. Experimental investigation is carried out to validate the evaluation parameters. The results obtained for digital structures based on distance measure and volume estimation methods have been compared with physical measurement. This is a preliminary investigation performed to automate the digital reconstruction of heritage artifacts.