From Digital Photography to Photogrammetry for Cultural Heritage Documentation and Dissemination

Digital photography is considered a valuable tool for cultural heritage documentation. Surveying and photogrammetry are required to achieve metric and accurate results in drawings, 2D/3D modelling and texturing. This paper presents the photogrammetric workflow from data acquisition to photorealistic 3D modelling and four heritage documentation case studies in different sites. High resolution and high accuracy photorealistic 3D models allow experts to recreate and interact virtually with cultural heritage either before, during of after intervention. Managers and information experts of cultural heritage monuments and sites should consider photogrammetric by-products not only to enrich knowledge, improve understanding and provide scientific records but to ease dissemination of heritage resources.