Using augmented reality for architecture artifacts visualizations

DYNA

Spain occupies a prominent position among the countries with the most UNESCO World Heritage Sites. The possibilities offered by the application of AR-VR technologies for some of these elements’ virtual reconstruction brings a great opportunity to give visibility and support the transmission of cultural heritage, especially in those cases where physical restoration is not possible. It is increasingly common to find virtual reconstructions of monuments, since these do not damage either put at risk the element being represented. In this work, the process of modelling and reconstructing the Castillo de la Estrella, located in the town of Teba (Malaga), as well as the subsequent development of an Augmented Reality application is presented. This allows the Castillo de la Estrella reconstruction to be displayed virtually on mobile devices such as smartphones or tablets, and might potentially be implemented in the museum that houses the castle itself, providing a tool that improves the visi...

VR Technologies in Cultural Heritage, 2018

This research is focused on the importance of using modern technologies in preserving and exploring Cultural Heritage (CH). Specifically, Augmented Reality (AR) has the potential to enhance the user experience related to cultural heritage. We briefly present the main technological approaches in CH and a state of the art in mobile augmented reality. The latest Software Development Kit (SDK) for building AR applications are reviewed and compared. The 3D object that participants could place in the real environment was obtained using photogrammetry, a popular and relatively easy to use digitization technique. The virtual object represents a fortified church and is part of a group of UNESCO monuments from the historical and ethnographical region called "Țara Bârsei", located in Brasov, Romania. We also provided some guidelines to ensure an accurate 3D reconstruction of any object. We assess users' perception regarding two mobile AR applications, one based on Project Tango while the other was developed using ARCore. Results confirm that AR improves user experience and increases the enjoyment of learning about cultural heritage.

This chapter aims to connect the digital resources of knowledge with the historical and cultural heritage in the context of smart cities. Speciically, combining the joint intervention in the Real Sitio of El Pardo and Aranjuez, as well as the Foundation Square of the University of Alcalá, both in Spain. Through traditional historical research and the innovative use of new technologies like augmented reality (AR), a historical, biological and cultural heritage is conserved, consisting of forests, gardens, agricultural spaces, urban centers and palatial residences. Cultural and artistic heritage is a resource of the irst magnitude for the sustainable development of smart cities. It evolves with time and society; it is this that determines what goods are to be conserved and protected for posterity, according to the values atributed to them. Hence, the importance of achieving an awareness in society plays an active part in the conservation, enjoyment and dissemination of heritage. In this context, the augmented reality is presented as a powerful tool for contextualizing and disseminating the heritage, as well as to make the resources created more accessible, making an innovative use of the new technologies applied to the transfer of knowledge and the enhancement of a country's cultural and historical heritage.

With the development in recent years of augmented reality and the appearance of new mobile terminals and storage bases on-line, we find the possibility of using a powerful tool for transmitting architecture. This paper analyzes the relationship between Augmented Reality and Architecture. Firstly, connects the theoretical framework of both disciplines through the Representation concept. Secondly, describes the milestones and possibilities of Augmented Reality in the particular field of archaeological reconstruction. And lastly, once recognized the technology developed, we face the same analysis from a critical point of view, assessing their suitability to the discipline that concerns us is the architecture and within archeology.

Proceedings of the second international ACM workshop on Personalized access to cultural heritage - PATCH '12, 2012

Heritage interpretation plays a key role in understanding, imagining, and appreciating tangible cultural heritage, including historic sites. Interpretation becomes critical for visitors to historic sites that are partially or fully buried or in ruins, which is most often the case for archaeological sites. However, it remains a challenge for developers of AR systems and content to navigate the plethora of technologies and requirements in this evolving area. In response, we present the design of Arbela Layers Uncovered (ALU), a mobile Augmented Reality (AR) system for the ancient site of Arbela, Iraq. The site consists of an accumulation of buried layers left by successive civilizations inhabiting the area. In addition to describing the objectives of ALU, we discuss the development of a proof-of-concept and the design decisions involved. ALU features media for guiding visitors and interpreting and presenting the complex and multifaceted history of the site.

We present a framework for the interactive 3D visualization of archaeological sites on handheld devices using fast augmented reality techniques. The user interface allows for the ubiquitous, personalized and context-aware browsing of complex digital contents, such like 3D models and videos. The system 1) tracks and locates the real environment scenes based on predefined images already deposited in the system, 2) displays the virtual information and 3) aligns and superimposes the virtual data on to the real environment scenes. The framework implements context-aware tracking, 3D alignment and visualization of graphical models at interactive rate. Using this framework, the user is free to roam around archaeological sites using not-invasive and already in use devices such as modern smartphones and tablets. The framework is composed by free, cross-platform software modules, making it easier to reproduce. Our framework allows for visualizing different historical versions of an ancient artifact directly where it was placed originally. The user points the camera of the device towards the on-site ruins, the software tracks the video feed and superimpose an interactive virtual 3D model of the artifact. Some of the most meaningful parts of the model can be selected and magnified to be observed in detail. Special areas of the user interface are devised as 3D video buttons embedded into the model. The user can watch the related video together with the 3D model, or in full-screen mode. The applicability of the framework is tested by providing an augmented view of the Ancient Forum of Nerva, a part of the Imperial forums in the Roman Empire age. The 3D model has been built according to the information acquired from previous archaeological studies.

The development of close-range photogrammetry has produced a lot of new possibility to study cultural heritage. 3D data acquired with conventional and low cost cameras can be used to document, investigate the full appearance, materials and conservation status, to help the restoration process and identify intervention priorities. At the same time, with 3D survey a lot of three-dimensional data are collected and analyzed by researchers, but there are a very few possibility of 3D output. The augmented reality is one of this possible output with a very low cost technology but a very interesting result. Using simple mobile technology (for iPad and Android Tablets) and shareware software (in the case presented " Augment ") it is possible to share and visualize a large number of 3D models with your own device. The case study presented is a part of an architecture graduate thesis, made in Rome at Department of Architecture of Roma Tre University. We have developed a photogrammetric survey to study the Aurelian Wall at Castra Praetoria in Rome. The surveys of 8000 square meters of surface have allowed to identify stratigraphy and construction phases of a complex portion of Aurelian Wall, specially about the Northern door of Castra. During this study, the data coming out of 3D survey (photogrammetric and topographic), are stored and used to create a reverse 3D model, or virtual reconstruction, of the Northern door of Castra. This virtual reconstruction shows the door in the Tiberian period, nowadays it's totally hidden by a curtain wall but, little and significative architectural details allow to know its original feature. The 3D model of the ancient walls has been mapped with the exact type of bricks and mortar, oriented and scaled according to the existing one to use augmented reality. Finally, two kind of application have been developed, one on site, were you can see superimposed the virtual reconstruction on the existing walls using the image recognition. On the other hand, to show the results also during the graduation day, the same application has been created in off-site condition using a poster.

ISPRS Annals of the Photogrammetry, Remote Sensing and Spatial Information Sciences, 2021

Augmented Reality (AR) is more than an added value for Cultural Heritage (CH); it is vital for its sustainability, promotion and dissemination, increasing accessibility in CH even during difficult periods of time, like the Covid-19 pandemic. In order to be meaningful and engaging, an AR application should have the following characteristics: easiness of use, high-quality representations and compatibility. This paper presents a marker-less mobile AR application for the display and inspection of high-resolution 3D cultural assets, overlayed on a particular location in the real-world scene. Instead of predefined markers, an image captured by the user is exploited as a pattern for real-time feature matching, pose estimation and scene augmentation. Our approach is based on pure computer vision and photogrammetric techniques, implemented using native C++ and Java code for Android mobile platforms. It is built with the use of the OpenCV library and the OpenGL ES graphics API without any dependencies of AR Software Development Kits (SDKs). Therefore, it supports cross-vendor portability regarding mobile model devices and hardware specifications. The evaluation of the developed application examines the performance of various matching techniques and the overall responsiveness of processing and 3D rendering on mid-range and low-end smartphones. The results showcase the reliability and responsiveness of the pattern recognition as well as the potential of the 3D graphics engine to render and overlay complex 3D models balancing between visual quality and time. The proposed methodology is applied to the Ciborium of the church of St. Charalabos, located at

Representation Challenges. Augmented Reality and Artificial Intelligence in Cultural Heritage and Innovative Design Domain, 2021

Starting from a reflection on the new role of digital technology in this pandemic situation, and particularly the role of AR for Cultural Heritage, this paper presents two AR applications. The first is used to share the analyses carried out on the Pantheon surveys realized between the seventeenth and nineteenth centuries. The second is about the illusionistic dome in the Church of Sant'Ignazio in Rome, realized by Andrea Pozzo. These two applications can display three-dimensional models superimposed onto images and original drawings, and also two-dimensional contents: the results of graphical analysis carried out on digital copies. The final aim of this ongoing research is to develop some AR multimedia content, linked to semantic concepts.

2001

This paper presents the ARCHEOGUIDE project (Augmented Reality-based Cultural Heritage On-site GUIDE). ARCHEOGUIDE is an IST project, funded by the EU, aiming at providing a personalized electronic guide and tour assistant to cultural site visitors. The system provides on-site help and Augmented Reality reconstructions of ancient ruins, based on user's position and orientation in the cultural site, and realtime image rendering. It incorporates a multimedia database of cultural material for on-line access to cultural data, virtual visits, and restoration information. It uses multi-modal user interfaces and personalizes the flow of information to its user's profile in order to cater for both professional and recreational users, and for applications ranging from archaeological research, to education, multimedia publishing, and cultural tourism. This paper presents the ARCHEOGUIDE system and the experiences gained from the evaluation of an initial prototype by representative user groups at the archeological site of Olympia, Greece.

Visual Heritage - Vienna 12-15 November 2018, 2018

The development of models in order to provide additional information to the visitors of archaeological sites through Augmented Reality (AR) has been an innovative process the previous years. This has been made possible due to achievements in digital technologies, communications, devices and developments in software engineering. Nevertheless, the ways to fully make use of these new methods nowadays are still being explored, as we have not exploited the potential of new technologies. In archaeological sites, the production of 3D models for AR is focused on the virtual reconstruction of monuments as they were originally constructed, aiming to give to visitors, especially those who do not have special knowledge of archaeology, the third dimension (height, volume etc). In this paper will be presented the innovative idea of using AR for maintaining the memory and the information of monuments, as they have been originally excavated, but that are going to be buried due to the particularity of their material or their location. Also, the system architecture of the proposed scheme idea is going to be described through two study cases, a Neolithic settlement in the archaeological site of Halais, Lokris and the remains of a Classical Temple on open field of a hill in Thebes, Boeotia, that they are in the process of being covered again and “disappear” after providing all the possible data after being excavated. Both of the mentioned monuments are under the direction of the American School of Classical Studies in Athens (ASCSA).

PLANNING MALAYSIA JOURNAL

This paper focuses on Mobile Augmented Reality (MAR) for architectural heritage restoration as an alternative technique to visually restore the ruined rear house of Rumah Datuk Setia, Kuala Kangsar, Perak. The research consists of the development of Virtual Heritage (VH) based on the architectural heritage information of the ruined rear house, such as spatial organization, construction, ornamentation, materials; as well as “Augmented Reality” (AR) for architecturalheritage restoration via mobile devices, such as smartphone and tablet. The objective is to develop Mobile Augmented Reality Restoration (MARR) of Rumah Datuk Setia, as a showcase of architectural conservation technique, for future restoration. The study reveals the process by integrating layers of architectural heritage information – VH, MAR and other enabling technologiesas primary mediums for architectural heritage restoration. The research manifestation introduces a new technique of architectural heritage building rest...

2011

The purpose of this paper is to show the results of a research aimed at investigating the potential of digital technologies in order to provide instruments that allow to share information about the Cultural Heritage, which Museums and Institutions are called to preserve and promote. Our project’s aim is finding the most suitable procedure to acquire archaeological artefacts, build their digital replica together with 3D printed prototypes and derive simplified models to be visualized through stereoscopic devices, allowing the simultaneous viewing of real and digital 3D data through an augmented reality environment, portable to mobile devices as well.

Lecture Notes of the Institute for Computer Sciences, Social Informatics and Telecommunications Engineering, 2012

This paper introduces an approach of using mobile Augmented Reality (mobile-AR) in cultural organisations, such as museums and archaeological sites, for information provision and enhancing the visiting experience. We demonstrate our approach by presenting a mobile-AR educational game for iPhones that has been developed for the archaeological site and the exhibition area at Sutton Hoo. This pilot aids visitors' understanding of the site and its history via an engaging and playful game that connects the site with the British Museum where the objects that have been excavated from the site are exhibited. The paper discusses stakeholders' requirements, the system architecture and concludes with lessons learned and future work.