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Webinar Programme

Tue 03.10.2023 | 03:00 to 04:00 p.m. CET

W1_ The overall 3D digitisation process

Main topics:

  • Planning the 3D digitization
  • Choosing the right workflow and outputs of the 3D digitization
  • Storing, preserving and accessing 3D models

 

Tue 24.10.2023 | 03:00 to 04:00 p.m. CET

W2_ 3D capturing techniques (on field operations)

Main topics:

  • Laser scanning - fixed station and mobile systems
  • Aerial and ground photogrammetry
  • Documenting on field operations

Tue 07.11.2023 | 03:00 to 04:00 p.m. CET

W3_3D modelling techniques

Main topics:

  • From captured data to a 3D model
  • Processing and optimizing the 3D model for the right purpose
  • 3D formats and standards

 

Wed 15.11.2023 | 11:00 to 12:00 a.m. CET

Hybrid CEDCHE meeting in Luxembourg

W4_ A practical example: the 3D model of Villa Aldrovandi Mazzacorati in Bologna

Description of phases and final results

 

Tue 28.11.2023 | 03:00 to 04:00 p.m. CET

Hybrid 4CH event in Brussels

W5_ Storing, managing and visualizing the 3D models

Main topics:

  • Documenting the 3D model with metadata, choosing the right data schemas
  • Store and preserve the 3D models for the future
  • Online visualization of 3D models - platform and viewers

October 2023

Novembre 2023

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Webinar 4

A practical example: the 3D model of Villa Aldrovandi Mazzacorati in Bologna

Introduction

Roberto Di Giulio | INCEPTION

4CH Scientific Coordinator

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Villa Aldrovandi Mazzacorati�17th century – Bologna, Italy

Pilot case of the 4CH project for the implementation of standard workflows.

Aim of the pilot: Documentation and knowledge acquisition for intervention and restoration

Development: in collaboration with Geomax, part of the Hexagon Group – leading manufacturers of survey equipment, and the Cultural Heritage Sector of the Emilia-Romagna Region.

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Webinar 4

A practical example: the 3D model of Villa Aldrovandi Mazzacorati in Bologna

The 3D capturing of the complex

Federica Maietti, 4CH | INCEPTION

3D modelling procedures and virtual outputs

Marco Medici, 4CH | INCEPTION

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The 3D capturing of the complex

Federica Maietti, 4CH | INCEPTION

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The history of the Villa

Villa Aldrovandi Mazzacorati, located just outside Bologna, is a striking example of neoclassical architecture. Initially a modest agricultural estate, its first significant transformation was under the stewardship of the Aldrovandi family around 1690, where it was expanded and embellished to better reflect the family's noble status. The architectural pinnacle of the estate came in the late 18th century. In 1763, a uniquely designed theater was added, boasting two tiers of loggias supported by intricate caryatids, the handiwork of Petronio Tadolini. This was not just an aesthetic addition; it became a cultural cornerstone, influencing the evolution of Italian theater. After the theater, a second floor was integrated into the structure, amplifying its stature. Between 1770 and 1772, the villa was further enriched with neoclassical elements, primarily guided by the artistic vision of Filippo Tadolini.

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The Villa nowadays and its role in 4CH

Transitioning to public ownership in the 20th century, the villa now serves a dual function as a historic monument and a practical facility. It houses offices and clinics for Bologna's health and social services, as well as a remarkable "Mario Massacesi" Historical Toy Soldier Museum, hosting over 12,000 toy soldiers dating from 1800 to the present. Today, Villa Aldrovandi Mazzacorati is gearing up to enter another transformative phase since an important restoration will be needed in a few years. Thus, it will benefit from becoming a pilot case for the 4CH project. The use case is focused on specific needs of architects, engineers and professionals involved in heritage buildings conservation and restoration. Major research questions and scenarios are related to the analysis of surface features combining it with the 3D modeling, as an innovative support for computing and designing restoration actions.

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Designing the survey phase�

Exteriors:

fixed station laser scanner survey (Leica RTC360) integrated with nadiral aerial photogrammetry + inclined camera (DJI Mavic Mini 3 Pro), ground photogrammetry (Sony Alpha 7 IV) and GNSS and TPS (Geomax Zenith60 - Zoom95). Ground and facade targets are used.

Interiors:

fixed station laser scanner survey (Leica RTC360) and internal slam (Leica BLK2GO) with ground photogrammetry integration for decorated/frescoed parts (Sony Alpha 7 IV). A comparative fixed station vs slam is also performed for interiors.

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3D modelling procedures and virtual outputs

Marco Medici, 4CH | INCEPTION

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Area: Main façade and the theatre

Requirements: 3D documentation with reliable metric information and high-resolution pictures

The exterior of the Villa, with a particular focus on the main façade, and the unique theatre required an acquisition with a high accuracy laser scanner. For that, the Leica RTC360 laser scanner has been used:

  • 49 scans with the RTC360 for the exterior;
  • 18 scans with the RTC360 for the theatre.

Furthermore, both the façade and the theatre have been enriched by a photogrammetric campaign of thousands pictures:

  • 1188 pictures from ground (Sony Alpha 7) and aerial (DJI Mini Pro 3) photogrammetry for the exterior of the building;
  • 702 pictures from from ground photogrammetry (Sony Alpha 7) for the theatre.

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Area: Main façade and the theatre

Requirements: 3D documentation with reliable metric information and high-resolution pictures

The exterior of the Villa, with a particular focus on the main façade, and the unique theatre required an acquisition with a high accuracy laser scanner. For that, the Leica RTC360 laser scanner has been used:

  • 49 scans with the RTC360 for the exterior;
  • 18 scans with the RTC360 for the theatre.

Furthermore, both the façade and the theatre have been enriched by a photogrammetric campaign of thousands pictures:

  • 1188 pictures from ground (Sony Alpha 7) and aerial (DJI Mini Pro 3) photogrammetry for the exterior of the building;
  • 702 pictures from from ground photogrammetry (Sony Alpha 7) for the theatre.

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Area: Main façade and the theatre

Requirements: 3D documentation with reliable metric information and high-resolution pictures

The exterior of the Villa, with a particular focus on the main façade, and the unique theatre required an acquisition with a high accuracy laser scanner. For that, the Leica RTC360 laser scanner has been used:

  • 49 scans with the RTC360 for the exterior;
  • 18 scans with the RTC360 for the theatre.

Furthermore, both the façade and the theatre have been enriched by a photogrammetric campaign of thousands pictures:

  • 1188 pictures from ground (Sony Alpha 7) and aerial (DJI Mini Pro 3) photogrammetry for the exterior of the building;
  • 702 pictures from from ground photogrammetry (Sony Alpha 7) for the theatre.

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Area: Main façade and the theatre

Requirements: 3D documentation with reliable metric information and high-resolution pictures

The exterior of the Villa, with a particular focus on the main façade, and the unique theatre required an acquisition with a high accuracy laser scanner. For that, the Leica RTC360 laser scanner has been used:

  • 49 scans with the RTC360 for the exterior;
  • 18 scans with the RTC360 for the theatre.

Furthermore, both the façade and the theatre have been enriched by a photogrammetric campaign of thousands pictures:

  • 1188 pictures from ground (Sony Alpha 7) and aerial (DJI Mini Pro 3) photogrammetry for the exterior of the building;
  • 702 pictures from from ground photogrammetry (Sony Alpha 7) for the theatre.

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Area: The interiors

Requirements: Capturing the current configuration for space management

The interior of the Villa is currently allocated to several functions, including health services, the Toy Soldiers Museum and spaces dedicated to the municipal community. Thus, several modifications occurred during the last years and current plans do not reflect the current situation anymore. SLAM technologies can already reliable enough for covering this purposes.

However, due to the extensions of the building, it has been divided in 18 different paths to be then integrated and registered in the overall survey.

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Area: The interiors

Requirements: Capturing the current configuration for space management

The interior of the Villa is currently allocated to several functions, including health services, the Toy Soldiers Museum and spaces dedicated to the municipal community. Thus, several modifications occurred during the last years and current plans do not reflect the current situation anymore. SLAM technologies can already reliable enough for covering this purposes.

However, due to the extensions of the building, it has been divided in 18 different paths to be then integrated and registered in the overall survey.

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Area: The garden and the roofs

Requirements: Integrating the survey of the complex with the roofs (missing from the ground survey) and documenting the overall condition of the surrounding garden.

The use of UAV and photogrammetry techniques is becoming more and more common for vast urban areas, with the possibility of capturing roofs and (partially) facades of buildings. Furthermore, algorithms are already capable of segmenting the point cloud (or mesh) into trees, buildings and ground, making the analysis even more immediate.

For this use case, 1553 pictures were taken, including:

  • nadiral pictures for the entire area;
  • tilted pictures around the buildings.

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Area: The garden and the roofs

Requirements: Integrating the survey of the complex with the roofs (missing from the ground survey) and documenting the overall condition of the surrounding garden.

The use of UAV and photogrammetry techniques is becoming more and more common for vast urban areas, with the possibility of capturing roofs and (partially) facades of buildings. Furthermore, algorithms are already capable of segmenting the point cloud (or mesh) into trees, buildings and ground, making the analysis even more immediate.

For this use case, 1553 pictures were taken, including:

  • nadiral pictures for the entire area;
  • tilted pictures around the buildings.

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Topography: GNSS and TPS data on ground and façade targets have been used for metric correction of aerial and ground photogrammetry as well as for registering it together with laser scanner.

  • 7 GNSS points to be used as Ground Control Point
  • More than 150 TPS point for measuring targets, building features and garden elements

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Data integration: building the overall point cloud

Both laser scanning measurements and photogrammetry campaigns required separate processing efforts. Currently, it’s not yet common fusing data at the early processing but data integration rather occurs at a later stage. However, the following measures have been adopted:

  • the aerial and ground photogrammetry of the exterior have been processed using the topographic targets;
  • topographic targets have been also used in the registration process of the RTC360 scans;
  • the BLK2GO paths have been performed, as much as possible, as a closed paths connecting outside to inside environments to have overlaps with the RTC360 scans;
  • the photogrammetry of the theatre have been processed using 3D coordinates of visible features from the scans as markers.

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Data integration: building the overall point cloud

The resulting point cloud have been therefore obtained by the registration of all the original scans based on targets and, where needed, fine-tuned with a ICP bundle adjustment. Scanner data have been preserved at their original density but saved in the in .E57 open file format.

The file size of the overall point cloud comes very close to the 75GB:

  • 50GB of 67 RTC360 point clouds;
  • 23GB of 18 BLK2GO point clouds;
  • 1GB of 1 point cloud from photogrammetry.

At this stage, the overall point cloud has been also decimated and unified in order to be provided as a usable source for CAD drawings and BIM models.

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Data integration: building the overall point cloud

The resulting point cloud have been therefore obtained by the registration of all the original scans based on targets and, where needed, fine-tuned with a ICP bundle adjustment. Scanner data have been preserved at their original density but saved in the in .E57 open file format.

The file size of the overall point cloud comes very close to the 75GB:

  • 50GB of 67 RTC360 point clouds;
  • 23GB of 18 BLK2GO point clouds;
  • 1GB of 1 point cloud from photogrammetry.

At this stage, the overall point cloud has been also decimated and unified in order to be provided as a usable source for CAD drawings and BIM models.

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…but there is much more!

A point cloud is the common denominator for merging a survey that integrates both scanning and photogrammetry. While scanning produces point clouds, photogrammetry yields additional outputs like meshes and photo plans. However, to combine these datasets and find a common ground, utilizing a point cloud is the most effective approach.

In the following slides we’ll explore other (ongoing) outputs coming from this 3D digitization.

From point cloud:

  • CAD drawings;
  • BIM modelling;
  • Primitive modelling.

From photogrammetry:

  • Hi-res orthophotos;
  • 3D model for online visualization;
  • Immersive VR environment.

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…but there is much more!

A point cloud is the common denominator for merging a survey that integrates both scanning and photogrammetry. While scanning produces point clouds, photogrammetry yields additional outputs like meshes and photo plans. However, to combine these datasets and find a common ground, utilizing a point cloud is the most effective approach.

In the following slides we’ll explore other (ongoing) outputs coming from this 3D digitization.

From point cloud:

  • CAD drawings;
  • BIM modelling;
  • Primitive modelling.

From photogrammetry:

  • Hi-res orthophotos;
  • 3D model for online visualization;
  • Immersive VR environment.

THIS IS A 3D MODEL

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Source: Overall point cloud (scanner + photogrammetry)

Output: CAD drawing of the Grand Staircase of the Villa

Technical outputs

  • CAD drawings;
  • BIM modelling;
  • Hi-res orthophotos.

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Source: Overall point cloud (scanner + photogrammetry)

Output: Primitive modelling of the columns of the Villa

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Source: Overall point cloud (scanner + photogrammetry)

Output: BIM modelling of the entrance porch of the Villa

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Source: Photogrammetry of the façade | Output: Hi-res orthophoto

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Source: Photogrammetry of the façade | Output: Hi-res orthophoto

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Source: Photogrammetry of the façade | Output: Hi-res orthophoto

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Source: Photogrammetry of the façade | Output: Hi-res orthophoto

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Source: Photogrammetry of the theatre | Output: Hi-res orthophoto

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Source: Photogrammetry of the theatre | Output: Hi-res orthophoto

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Source: Photogrammetry of the theatre | Output: Hi-res orthophoto

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Source: Photogrammetry of the theatre | Output: Hi-res orthophoto

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Towards a wider audience

  • Immersive VR environment;
  • 3D models for online visualization.

The VR immersive experience has been tested with more than 100 enthusiast people during the European Researchers Night in Bologna on last 29th September.

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Source: Photogrammetry of the theatre | Output: VR immersive experience

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Source: Photogrammetry of the theatre | Output: VR immersive experience

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Source: Photogrammetry of the entire area | Output: VR immersive experience

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Source: Photogrammetry of building | Output: Mesh model (200K polygons) for web visualization

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Source: Photogrammetry of building and the garden | Output: Mesh model (500K polygons) for web visualization

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Any questions?

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Webinar 5:

Storing, managing and visualizing the 3D models

28 November 2023 | 15:00 to 16:00 p.m. CET

Hybrid 4CH event in Brussels

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THANK YOU!

Twin.it3D@europeana.eu