3D photorealistic reconstruction and digital restoration of Neoria, Crete using geodetic measurement and computer graphics techniques

Abstract

This thesis puts forward a 3D reconstruction methodology applied to a historic building taking advantage of the combined speed, range and accuracy of a total geodetic station. The measurements representing geographical data, produced an accurate and photorealistic geometric mesh of a historic monument named ‘Neoria’. ‘Neoria’ is a Venetian building located by the old harbour at Chania, Crete, Greece. The integration of tacheometry acquisition and computer graphics puts forward an effective framework for the accurate 3D reconstruction of a historical building. The main technical challenge of this work was the production of an accurate 3D mesh based on a sufficient but small number of tacheometry measurements acquired fast and at low-cost. A combination of surface reconstruction and processing methods ensured that a detailed geometric mesh was constructed based on a few points. A fully interactive application based on game engine technologies was developed in regards to the reconstructed monument. The user can visualize and tour the monument and the area around it, as well as manipulating the model. Advanced interactive functionalities are offered to the user in relation to identifying restoration areas and visualizing the outcome of such works. Moreover, the user could visualize the co-ordinates of the points measured, calculate distances at will and navigate the complete 3D mesh of the monument. The goal of this framework is to utilize a small number of acquired data points and present a fully interactive visualization of a georeferenced 3D model.