The 3D model of st. mark’s basilica in venice

Abstract

The San Marco 3D project had the ambitious goal of building a digital replica of the famous venetian basilica. Architectural surveying and modelling are very widespread procedures, but the complexity of the basilica, its decorative apparatus, in mosaic and marble, and its liveliness made this project a real challenge. Thanks to geomatics, from the most traditional topographic approach to cutting-edge methods of digital photogrammetry, it has been possible to build an information system of the basilica, a geometric database from which to continuously extract new and correct information. Even the mosaics, a main characteristic element of the basilica, have been documented through very high-resolution orthophotos, therefore providing useful and effective tools for the conservation of the basilica itself. Thus, the research project allowed for a better and deeper knowledge of the basilica, expressed through a very accurate 3D model where the geometry and the very rich decorative apparatus are merged into a single product.