The fortress of Riolo Terme, near Ravenna: Digital survey and 3D printing for cultural dissemination

Abstract

This study is focused on the management of the information derived from the 3D Laser survey of the Fortress of Riolo Terme, near Ravenna, Italy. After studying the building and its history, this survey method was chosen because of its speed in acquiring 3D data, with the advantage of a level of detail and a high definition impossible to obtain by other methods. The geometric survey of the whole fortress and its surroundings was enriched by the collection of color information: taking a specific set of photos at every position, each scan was associated with a panoramic image in order to obtain a point cloud enhanced with the corresponding color values. Given the complexity and articulation of the building, part of the project was dedicated to the work program, in terms of the decimation of the data, in order to achieve a fluid management of the vast amount of collected data, and the preservation of the appropriate definition of information. This led to the creation of an automatic process both for the alignment of the scans and for the following graphic postprocessing. In addition to the production of drawings as plans, elevations, and sections, whose generation was automated by creation of several procedures for Autodesk AutoCAD, a specific part of the project was aimed at the construction of an optimized model of a portion of the building to be printed out using 3D technology. The project made it possible to thoroughly investigate an architectural complex that is an outcome of stratifications over time, from the fourteenth century until the present day.