Abstract
Recording, mapping, 3D modeling and visualization of structures of architectural significance and objects of importance to cultural heritage currently received more attention for digital archives or VR museum. However, the objects are used to reconstruct by the operator taking a great deal of time, labor and skill using 3D CAD system or 3D CG software, and this operation become more difficult when the objects were lost.
With this motive, an efficient 3D modeling system for recreating the lost historical objects is proposed by the authors. In this system, basic 3D parts for the objects and realistic descriptions for the parts by 3D CG are needed previously. But the most remarkable points of this system are its ability to model complicate objects using basic parts, and to modify the basic parts and textures.
This paper describes the efficient modeling system of the historical objects, and visual simulation of the Palatitsa Palace of Greece which was the lost object is demonstrated.
1. Introduction
Recreating historical monuments and buildings for cultural heritage under virtual environments has received attention from a possibility that people can appreciate or experience the historical objects and space through the computer at any time and without going to the sites. In particular, recreating the lost objects has interests to grasp city planning or civilization of those days.
In order to recreate the lost objects, realistic descriptions of buildings is particular needed since buildings are important
component of visual simulation, then the lost objects are recreated by CG operator taking great deal of time, labor for historical investigation.
With these motives, the authors have been concentrating on developing an efficient modeling system which have ability to easy modeling and customize in cooperation with related researchers. For example, Figure 1 shows south and center area of the Palatitsa Palace in the north Macedonia of Greece. The Palatitsa Palace had been resided by the Philip II who was the father of the Great Alexander, and it is understood from this figure that almost historical monuments were already lost and recreating the palace is difficult.
After describing the 3D modeling system developed by the authors, visual simulation of the Palatitsa Palace is demonstrated in this paper.
2. 3D Modeling System
The authors have been developing an efficient city modeling using old maps (Yamada 1999, Namatame 1999), but the 3D modeling system was developed in this paper for acceleration of an efficiency and simplicity of recreating the historical objects. The most remarkable point of this system is an automatic modeling of complicated monuments using basic 3D parts for the objects such as column, wall and so on. The automatic modeling in this system can be performed by placement the parts according to planimetric map which was published in 1867 by Leon (Leon 1867). Figure2 shows the basic flow of this system, and details of this system are as follows.
2.1 3D Parts
Basic 3D parts for the objects are constructed previously using 3D CG software, and textures of the parts are set simultaneously with modeling. Figure 3 shows the 5 basic parts used in this paper under the report by LEON.
2.2 DEM
In order to recreate view around the Palatitsa Palace, DEM is prepared using topographic map which was surveyed by the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (Department of Cadastre, Photogrammetry & Cartography).
