3D comparison towards a comprehensive analysis of a building in cultural heritage

Terrestrial remote sensing techniques, including both Terrestrial Laser Scanning (TLS) and Close-Range Photogrammetry (CRP), have been recently used in multiple applications and projects with particular reference to the documentation/inspection of a wide variety of Cultural Heritage structures. The high density of TLS point cloud data allows to perform structure survey in an unprecedented level of detail, providing a direct solution for the digital three-dimensional modelling, the site restoration and the analysis of the structural conditions. Textural information provided by CRP can be used for the photorealistic representation of the surveyed structure. With respect to many studies, the combination of TLS and CRP techniques produces the best results for Cultural Heritage documentation purposes. Moreover, TLS and CRP point cloud data have been proved to be useful in the field of deformation analysis and structural health monitoring. They can be the input data for the Finite Element Method (FEM), providing some prior knowledge concerning the material and the boundary conditions such as constraints and loading. The paper investigates the capabilities and advantages of TLS and CRP data integration for the three-dimensional modelling compared to a simplified geometric reconstruction. This work presents some results concerning the Baptistery of Aquileia in Italy, characterized by an octagonal plan and walls composed by masonry stones with good texture.