Snezana VECANSKI1 / Snezana JEJIC2
(1Institute for the Protection of Cultural Monuments Pancevo, Serbia / 2Republic Institute for the Protection of Cultural Monuments, Belgrade, Serbia)
Outline:3D Laser Scanning as a Tool for Conservation
The remains of the medieval fortification of the castle of Vrsac lie east from the city on a hill which dominates the Banat plains. When, after three hundred years, urban development at the foot of the hill began, life in the castle ceased to exist. According to Karlovac peace treaty in 1699, fortification in Vrsac was abandoned and largely demolished. Main tower is the only one almost completely preserved and over time has become a symbol of the city.
Systematic archaeological excavations of this small, but compact hilltop fortification began in 1997 and lasted continuously until 2003. In 2007 laser scanning of archaeological sites and tower were carried out. Documentation obtained by laser scanning was used for preparing a project to revitalize the remains of the old castle. The tower should be adapted to become an Interactive Museum of the History of Vrsac with a Public Observatory on the roof terrace. The entire project is the result of a multidisciplinary research and synergy between different professions and technologies. The next step is a project to create an interactive museum setting which is based on 3D virtual reality, image-based rendering and other computing technologies.
The apply laser scanning has a multidimensional significance:
- data gathered by laser scanning represent documentation of a present state of the object which preserves permanently
- it is possible to generate 3D model from the cloud of points
- it is possible to use 3D model in CAD for making of different projects: reconstruction, revitalization, simulation of former appearance, etc.
Keywords: laser scanning, conservation, virtual reality