The Cultural, Geometric, Virtual Models for the Representation of a Survey

Abstract

In the field of documentation of cultural heritage, the employment of surveying instruments and methods and graphic representation that use digital technology has become a consolidated praxis in the past decades. The literature of such issues tends to show, with few exceptions, the potential (often not fully expressed) of the latest hardware and software, throughout surveying experiences, some more intriguing than others (from a figurative point of view), without really indulging on the true problems behind their overall usage: from the very first data-acquisition to the final graphic panels. In truth, the procedures for digital survey are relatively new and not unanimously shared by the scientific community, and the central role taken by 3D digital models in such a processes is often mystified. Maquettes with apparent-colour textures, achieved throughout the integrated use of image-based techniques (digital photogrammetry) and range-based tools (laser scanner), do not always lead to a correct understanding and interpretation of the architectural artefacts, hence impedes to proficiently describe them throughout the codes of representation. The contribution aims to provide, with the chosen examples, some indications in this apparent paradox, with special emphasis on the limitations of nowadays technologies and the complications that could arise due to a-critical construction of digital models.