Virtual reconstruction of archaeological heritage using a combination of photogrammetric techniques: Huaca Arco Iris, Chan Chan, Peru

• Published in: Digital Applications in Archaeology and Cultural Heritage 2016, Vol.3 (3), p.80-90
• Main Authors: Pierdicca, Roberto, Frontoni, Emanuele, Malinverni, Eva Savina, Colosi, Francesca, Orazi, Roberto
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: 3D modeling; Archaeology; Cultural Heritage; Data Fusion; Digital Photogrammetry; Virtual reconstruction
• ISSN: 2212-0548; 2212-0548
• DOI: 10.1016/j.daach.2016.06.002

Currently, the use of 3D digital acquisition techniques represents the most popular means for the documentation and digitization of archaeological heritage. The advantage of recreating a detailed virtual model of a site is twofold. On the one hand, it provides a support for archaeologists who deal with continuous work of restoration and their associated studies. In fact, the majority of the sites are made of perishable materials, making essential the adoption of fast tool for data acquisition. On the other hand, the different medium of visualization reaches the wider public directly, improving the spread of Cultural Heritage artefacts. The reality-based representation may not be sufficient by itself to convey all the information about a site. We therefore propose an integrated approach based upon a combination of different 3D acquisition techniques for virtual reconstruction of a complex archaeological building. In this paper, a methodology for a low cost acquisition, processing and visualization of data is presented. The aim of this work is to describe a complete workflow for virtual reconstruction, from the acquisition to the model visualization, by integrating spherical photogrammetry and dense reconstruction techniques. This allows one to obtain a model that is metrical and accurate at the same time. Details of the final virtual reconstruction demonstrate the validity of the pipeline. The methodology has been experimented on a typical building called Huaca Arco Iris, situated into the complex of Chan Chan site, an UNESCO archaeological area in Peru. •Merging of photogrammetric techniques to obtain a real scale and reality based 3D model.•Affordable and low cost technique for the fruition of archaeological heritage.•Methodology to provide archaeologists with a faithful model for restoration works.•Management of different Levels of Detail for both insiders and tourists.•Documentation of archaeological site with perishable materials.