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A research project aimed at the study of the archaeological context of the Basilica Julia in the Roman Forum (Rome, Italy) and the transformation phases of the building involved the use of different techniques of geophysical prospecting. In particular, Ground-penetrating Radar (GPR) and Electrical Resistivity Tomography (ERT) surveys were carried out in order to record the buried structures of the Basilica and the previous buildings laying in the southern part of the Forum. These geophysical methods have been chosen in order to guarantee a good compromise between resolution (GPR in the shallow subsurface) and depth of investigation (ERT in the deeper subsurface), with the aim of investigating up to a depth of about 10 m in a very conductive subsoil. In particular, GPR surveys were conducted in the five aisles of the monument, while ERT measurements were performed with nonstandard acquisition mode in order to include the entire perimeter of the building. These techniques allowed us to acquire new data on the structures buried in the sectors of the monumental complex that have never been excavated and on the paleosoil till a depth of about 10 m from the surface. Interesting data were acquired on the Basilica Julia itself, built during the late Republican period (54-46 BC) and rebuilt at the beginning of the first century AD, such as the technical features of the caementicium and travertine foundations, their relationship with the Cloaca Maxima and the traces of a design change occurred during the construction in the central aisle of the building; other buried remains of the previous Basilica Sempronia, constructed in 169 BC in the same area, were identified. Moreover, the investigations documented the paleosoil in the area between the Forum and the Velabrum to the south, between 7.5-8.5 and 5.5 m a.s.l. These data confirmed the general geological setting of the area, obtained from previous coring, but significantly specified the geomorphology of this border sector of the Roman Forum, which slopes down towards the south and the west.

The knowledge and study of built heritage is now deeply connected to methodologies associated with the capture of surface details via the production of point-data. These methodologies enable researchers to gather a wider range of information, which is increasingly more connected to technological advances. Such approaches influence the management of data, and these data are often redundant due to the ways in which they are captured. Massive data capture does not include preliminary selection based on metric, geometric, and material features of the object. A multi-scalar approach, in which the criteria for data capture depends on the goals of the survey, is needed to optimize the relationship between information and the scale of the models to be built. This case study involving a selection of fountains in Rome aims to apply these principles to urban contexts defined by a strong spatial connection between architectural and sculptural elements. Survey can express this distinctiveness through complex, dynamic, and effective digital models.

Architects have been involved in the task of representing archaeology and archaeological sites for many years now. Their objective has invariably been to make the reading of the artifact more detailed and accurate to scholars of archaeology. The advent of informatics brought a significant step forward in the domain of representation in this field. To recall that representation of archaeology should restore artifacts of which only fragments of walls remain, often in ruin and with degraded surfaces which often do not follow the geometry of the original artifact any longer. Therefore, in order to obtain objective representation with a highly detailed documentation of the state of the surfaces, three dimensional methodologies of digitalization were applied, ones that made it possible to construct 3D models. Addressed in this chapter is the problem of how to communicate architectonic archaeology with virtual instruments. The subject researched includes both very well-preserved examples as well as ones of which merely vestiges remain.

It’s established that in the design and construc- tion of new buildings, BIM is a fundamental refe- rence especially when the standardization is the typical character of the project. As Architecture, with the management of the entire building pro- cess, requires standardization for greater eco- nomy, thanks to BIM tools the building process seems to have actually moved to a 2.0 phase; on the contrary, when BIM is applied to historical bu- ildings it still reveals not so adequate. In this framework, this paper will not discuss the differences between CAD and BIM or the un- doubted potential of BIM software from a tech- nical or operational standpoint; we would focus instead on the implication of BIM referring to the Representation disciplines and to the issues con- nected with its application to the existing built stock and especially to historic buildings.

The method of incising in stone the working drawing of structural and decorative elements at the real scale (Αναγραϕeυζ, Anagrapheus) goes back to ancient times. This technic was applied to conceive, represent and control the execution and the assembly of architectonic elements. In more recent literature on the subject focus of attention has shifted from the purely archaeological point of view to that of architectonic representation. The new approach is based on reading guidelines, geometries, traces of assembly and workmanship, wear surfaces—all employed in constructing architecture. Worksite tracing are executive drawings of the design that the architect realized to convey his design idea at a detailed scale. This operative methodology was used in ancient times in Greece and in Imperial Rome and it survived into later periods: romanesque, gothic and renaissance as evidenced by numerous cathedrals in France, England, Spain and Italy. The present research examines drawings found in the cathedral of Terni. Through a careful historical analysis and an integrated survey of the incisions characterized by massive acquisition supplemented with traditional methodologies, digital models have been constructed providing an important contribution to their cognition and preservation.

The contribution, starts from an analysis of the procedures and graphics performed on the survey of San Bernardino in Urbino, proposes a reflection on the current role of traditional drawing and on the role played by the “new drawings”, that is, the different types of graphics that are possible to create from the survey data. From the processing characteristic of the “new drawing”, this paper analyses the contribution to knowledge given by those commonly known as images Gigapixels and the subsequent processing of these kinds of data.

The BIM universe will undoubtedly arouse great and diversified interests amongst actors involved in the design/building process but also of scholars dealing with representation disciplines. The BIM systems appear in fact particularly suitable to respond to both needs providing on a single platform analytic tool, visualization interfaces, assessment instruments but also a bundle for the representation of reality. And, in addition to that, always taking into account the management of the process in terms of timing that is a key element for a correct handling of any building workflow. Nevertheless, the urgency of optimization of time and resources will drive very rapidly this change achieving, eventually, the real result: an evolution of future generation professionals, more willing and able to cooperate beyond personal skills.

Documentation of archaeological structures encompasses a multidisciplinary approach that enables analysis and interpretation from many fields. Nowadays, the representation of the archaeological-architectural survey is one of the most dynamic areas thanks to the development of systems for the acquisition and alignment of data describing the geometry, appearance and context of objects. The construction of models is in fact the starting point for all those activities aiming at the knowledge of archaeological heritage. Different operations - from cataloguing to preservation, from designing to restoration and valorization - begin to show the enormous potentialities connected with models obtained through 3D surveys.

Architectural heritage preservation is based on an in-depth, multi-layered and interdisciplinary knowledge of the cultural heritage sites, especially when they are a combination between natural and artificial, such as rupestrian (cave) architecture often is. Survey and representation of rock-cut architecture is one of the most problematic issues for a number of problems concerning the geometrical complexity of the interior and exterior enveloping surfaces. Laserscanner is an appropriate tool concerning the registration of geometric and spatial properties of artificial caves in continuity with the external topography, but automatic representations are often unable to convey their hidden geometric and spatial relationships. In the context of a work methodology customized on the rupestrian habitat of Cappadocia (Turkey), the authors developed an original envisioning model in which an associate use of contour lines and chromatic codes transforms traditional orthogonal projections after the numeric model into drawings able to offer a synthesis and transmit the complex forms and relationships of rupestrian settlements.

Fra i numerosi elementi che possono gettare luce sulle fasi di cantierizzazione e sulle modalità operative che hanno portato alla realizzazione dello straordinario complesso monumentale di Villa Adriana a Tivoli, due ritrovamenti, di scoperta relativamente recente , rappresentano casi di grande interesse sia per gli studiosi di storia dell’architettura che per gli archeologi, in quanto forniscono importanti spunti in relazione a due ordini distinti di problemi: in primo luogo, circa le modalità di comunicazione/illustrazione del progetto nei confronti sia della committenza che delle maestranze e, in secondo luogo, su quali soluzioni venissero adottate nei processi di proto-prefabbricazione degli elementi della decorazione architettonica da riprodurre serialmente. I manufatti presi in esame a questo scopo sono un modello architettonico comunemente denominato “modello di stadio” e una matrice marmorea di una semibase di colonna per realizzare basi di tipo attico in stucco; entrambi sono stati rinvenuti all’interno della Villa, nella zona delle Grandi Terme (CAPRINO 1996-1997; CAPRINO et al. 1999), nella quale si ritiene che fossero ancora attive, all’epoca della morte dell’imperatore, officine di marmorari. Questi ultimi, come suggeriscono i materiali rinvenuti, dovevano lavorare al completamento degli edifici già esistenti, con la realizzazione di elementi architettonici e rivestimenti pavimentali e parietali, ma dovevano operare anche nell’ambito della fase di progettazione, a stretto contatto con architetti e committenza . A questi esemplari pressoché unici si può affiancare una serie di reperti, di cui sono noti diversi altri esempi nel mondo antico, caratterizzati da specifici segni, quali linee incise, lettere, sigle e numerali segnati sui singoli elementi, che rientrano nel novero delle linee guida per la lavorazione di manufatti morfologicamente complessi e per il corretto assemblaggio delle varie parti di uno stesso manufatto ; tra di essi verranno esaminati, ad esemplificazione della prima categoria di reperti, un capitello corinzio collocato lungo il portico settentrionale del Pecile, in corrispondenza del Viale dei Cipressi, e un capitello ionico incluso nell’anastilosi del vestibolo sull’isola del Teatro Marittimo, e inoltre un frammento di trabeazione con fregio figurato pertinente alla decorazione architettonica di Piazza d’Oro, che testimonia la qualità di un’officina particolarmente quotata, la cui attività è ben documentata anche ad Ostia.

The project’s principal intention is the developing of structure from motion thematic applied to architecture field in medium and large scale, in order to generate a cloud of points, obtained thanks to a photographic footage, which can later be used during the H-BIM process. The matter of 3D digitalization is nowadays a very current issue for many countries including Cuba. Indeed, the growth of such a technology application for tridimensional restitution of historical buildings it’s here treated by giving special attention on those belonging to Havana’s architectural and cultural heritage. The first chapter means to present which are the methodologies employed to get tridimensional models through photographic shoots, and how those models would subsequently be taken as fundamentals to generate H-BIM integrated models.

Maritime Theatre is one of the most iconic buildings of Hadrian's Villa (UNESCO site since 1999). This circular-shaped “domus” is characterized by one of the most obvious aspects of Hadrianic architectural production, namely the alternation of curved and straight lines applied to designing both plans and elevations. Mixtilinear features caught the interest of architects from the Renaissance to present day, becoming inspiration as well as a sort of “quarry” for noble families and antiquarians. Complex entablatures designed by Hadrian's architects have been systematically removed and reused starting from Middle Ages with the consequence of having several fragments scattered in private and public collections all over Europe. Through a systematic digital survey of remaining structures as well as of removed elements, a 3D analytical model was exploited in order to include all the “digitally gathered” elements and for deepening the knowledge of this emblematic mixtilinear architecture.

The aim of the chapter was to design a sensory experience that would enable contemporary users to appreciate artifacts that are remote in terms of time, space, and contemporary cultural sensibility. The chamber tombs, a glorious example of Samnite civilization (ninth through third century B.C.) offered a unique possibility to pursue this objective thanks to the peculiarities of the architectural paintings which paratactically decorate the chamber tomb walls. Rather than “freeze” the observers in a service space, the paintings seem to encourage them to explore the chamber and synaesthetically interact with the built environment. From a contemporary perspective, these pictorial dynamics epitomize the emerging paradigm of real and virtual space organization where the real and the virtual combine and guide users towards interactive fruition. The developments in range-based and image-based techniques have made the surveying procedures more rapid and the representations more attractive. Remote fruition has become more flexible thanks to the advent of information and communication technologies.

In the last two decades, the approach to surveying, profoundly modified by massive acquisition methodologies, has strongly influenced the construction of 3D models, which come closer and closer to reality. Various operations performed on numerical models prove to be necessary for defining geometric or mathematical models, which become ever more congruent with architectonic and archaeological artifacts. Today models are the point of departure for all the activities aimed at a more profound knowledge of the object. Different fields of operations connected with Cultural Heritage - from cataloguing to preservation, from designing to restoration and valorization - begin to present the enormous potentialities inherent in models obtained through 3D surveys. In some cases to observe artifacts in various scales and from different viewpoints, it is such to explore such models than the work itself. Moreover, they make it possible to design and prepare reconstruction, reinforcement and restoration operations directly in three dimensions as well as to document different transformations the artifacts underwent in the course of centuries. Models prove to be an indispensable element not only at the stage of preparation, preservation and valorization but also at that of prevention, which at present seems to be the most efficient and far-sighted means for ensuring the stability and security of architectonic and urban heritage.

A seguito degli studi intrapresi dal XXI ciclo del Dottorato di Ricerca in Rilievo e Rappresentazione dell’Architettura e dell’Ambiente sono state sviluppate, nell'ambito della sede fiorentina della Scuola Nazionale di Dottorato, delle tecniche di restituzione da rilevamento 3D laser scanner improntate all'ottimizzazione dei modelli numerici ad alta densità (modelli High-Poly, HP). Per indicare tali metodologie è stato creato un acronimo (IBDP) sotto il quale sono raggruppate differenti procedure finalizzate all’ottimizzazione di modelli HP attraverso l’utilizzo di soluzioni informatiche provenienti dal campo delle applicazioni videoludiche. L’aspetto innovativo dell’IBDP risiede nel differente approccio al problema dell’ottimizzazione di modelli numerici: esso non si basa sulla decimazione dei poligoni, bensì sulla conversione del dettaglio geometrico in speciali bitmap. Com’è noto, i modelli a nuvola di punti, se da un lato permettono di documentare morfologie assai complesse con elevata accuratezza, dall’altro si scontrano con l’impossibilità costitutiva di poter impiegare la totalità delle misurazioni effettuate per sviluppare modelli 3D, sia di tipo numerico che matematico. Per fare un esempio, nel campo del mesh processing, è prassi utilizzare strumenti di decimazione “intelligente” che attraverso un ricampionamento delle nuvole di punti infittiscono il dettaglio in corrispondenza dei settori del modello dotati di maggior curvatura: se tutto ciò permette di conseguire modelli mesh più facilmente gestibili e in seguito convertibili in modelli matematici, dall’altro ci pone di fronte ad un consistente problema metodologico, poiché una parte del dettaglio acquisito viene in ogni caso cancellata. Tutto ciò appare in evidente contraddizione con una delle qualità fondamentali del rilievo digitale: la sua estensività. Come se ciò non bastasse è necessario constatare come ancor oggi, il software maggiormente in uso per il controllo metrico e morfologico delle restituzioni, anche nel settore del rilevamento archeologico, continua a provenire dal CAID. In questo campo è assai difficile doversi confrontare con la rappresentazione dell’irregolarità, dell’assenza di simmetria o del degrado che notoriamente caratterizzano i resti archeologici. Invece, per output di tipo “divulgativo” sono imprescindibili i modellatori per l’entertainment (Cinema 4D, 3D Studio Max, Modo, Lightwave, ecc.). In molte situazioni la routine operativa è, in estrema sintesi, la seguente: un input discreto (la point cloud) viene trasformato attraverso filtratura, decimazione ed estrazione di sezioni, in un primo output di tipo continuo (NURBS) che poi viene riconvertito in un secondo output discreto (modello mesh) per texturing e simulazione di materiali ed illuminazione (render, animazioni). Da tali considerazioni preliminari, nasce questo contributo che, rispetto a precedenti esperienze, intende fornire una strada alternativa alle NURBS per ottenere modelli matematici a partire da rilievi 3D laser scanner. Più in particolare si intende fornire risposta ad una domanda dai numerosi risvolti interdisciplinari, riguardante il tema della gestione, portabilità e compressione del dato a nuvola di punti, nonché l’applicazione del colore diffuso.