Visualizing digital architectural data for heritage education

Abstract

This paper presents an online tool for heritage education that visualizes large-scale digital architectural data of the Roman Forum in Rome, Italy. Leveraging Potree and WebGL, the tool enables the web-based visualization of registered point cloud data as the base framework for the context and the reconstructed geometries with mesh models wrapped with images of standing monuments as the focus. The tool lets users overview the entire heritage site and examine the details of the fine monument. The 3D reconstructed mesh and surface models allow users to explore and study the site as it exists today in relation to its reconstructed views. The site is tagged with historical information and imagery for further referencing. The paper concludes with a report on visualization results and an ad-hoc evaluation provided by domain experts.