Architectural simulation from point clouds: Between precision and historical validity

Abstract

Computer simulation of the incidence of natural light in heritage buildings has entailed a very fruitful field of experimentation within Digital Art History in recent years, although little has been discussed about its validity. This article seeks to demonstrate that although the accuracy of the results decreases when simulating the incidence of natural light of a heritage interior on a point cloud compared to a CAD, the margin of error can be accepted in historical studies. To carry out this test, the church of the Dominican convent of San Jacinto in Seville (Spain) has been used as a model. This interior has been analyzed with RELux and DIALux starting from a CAD and photogrammetry without simplifying it or cleaning it. With these examples, it can be concluded that these tools become useful for the study of historical buildings, despite their limitations.