Preservation of Cultural Heritage: A Comparison Study of 3D Modelling between Laser Scanning, Depth Image and Photogrammetry Methods

Abstract

This paper presents a multi-technique approach for the purpose of recording and documentation of cultural heritage. The focal point of the study is to generate a three-dimensional (3D) model representation of a physical object and to apply orthographic projection to document the design. Three main methods are used to generate 3D objects, namely Laser Range Scanner, Depth Image Data, and Photogrammetry. A comparison analysis is designed to evaluate each method accordingly. For evaluation purposes, a case study is designed where a scale model of a 25-cm-long famous historic Portuguese Indian Armada, known as “Flor de la Mar” is selected as a sample for generating 3D model records. The comparison analysis shows that the Photogrammetry method is superior in terms of detail, precision, and visualization. On the other hand, Laser Range Scanner and Depth Image Data method can display the data into the point cloud but with less accuracy. Overall, the result shows that the Photogrammetry method achieves a strong 97.6% of accuracy in terms of dimensions and shapes.