11/19/23, 8:11 PM SVD-based point cloud 3D stone by stone segmentation for cultural heritage structural analysis – The case

is – The case of the Apollo Temple …

Journal of Cultural Heritage

Volume 61, May–June 2023, Pages 177-187

Original article

SVD-based point cloud 3D stone by stone segmentation for cultural

heritage structural analysis – The case of the Apollo Temple at
Delphi
Demitrios Galanakis a, Emmanuel Maravelakis a , Danae Phaedra Pocobelli a, Nectarios Vidakis b, Markos Petousis a,
Antonios Konstantaras a, Marilena Tsakoumaki c

Show more

Share Cite

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.culher.2023.04.005
Get rights and content

Abstract

Unprecedented growth in 3D reality-based capturing devices - such as Terrestrial Laser Scanners (TLS) or Unnamed Aerial Vehicles
(UAVs) equipped with high-resolution cameras, followed by photogrammetry 3D metrics reconstruction - has revolutionized the way
Architectural, Engineering, and Construction (AEC) sector operates. Building Information Modelling (BIM) naturally emerged as the
only viable alternative for managing this type of heterogeneous information. Unfortunately, despite the foreseen increase in BIM used
in the heritage sector, known as Historic BIM (HBIM), high fidelity and increased resolution mesh output still need to be revised in BIM
platforms. This inability of end users to handle meshed surfaces operates as a bottleneck to HBIM expansion and progression.
Therefore, various research endeavours are exploring the latest state-of-the-art Machine Learning (ML) and Deep Learning (DL)
algorithms for large-scale class recognition, leaving thus a gap in how to dismantle low-represented small objects. In this approach,
this manuscript presents and validates a concrete methodology that utilizes Singular Value Decomposition (SVD) for boundary plane
detection and mesh segmentation, which, as validated herein, reaches stone-level accuracy. The presented methodology leaves
geometry intact, does not require mesh conversion, data transformations or additional channel input such as or colour or texture.
Based on the findings of this research, state-of-the-art research efforts now consolidate towards high applicability and easy-to-
generalize procedures that could reach stone-by-stone reverse engineering alternatives speeding up and broadening the otherwise
time-and-labour plus resource-intensive Scan-to-BIM plans. The results disclose that, under a real case scenario of a heavily ruined
monument where common architectural treaties are at stake, the developed algorithm can detect and detach elements robustly from
the scene and then, as the next step, it efficiently applies a stone-by-stone segmentation for each column-resembling instance, with an
overall accuracy of 90%. This easy-to-implement and simple-to-optimize approach is a viable auxiliary tool for multi-layer and multi-
resolution automation frameworks, with or without machine learning deployment.

Graphical abstract

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1296207423000511 1/5
11/19/23, 8:11 PM SVD-based point cloud 3D stone by stone segmentation for cultural heritage structural analysis – The case of the Apollo Temple …

Download : Download high-res image (366KB)

Download : Download full-size image

Introduction

Extant research in Cultural Heritage (CH) documentation and preservation is now focusing on how to automate the processing of vast
amounts of 3D data coming out of digital reality capture media. Some prominent representatives of those technologies are Terrestrial
Laser Scanners (TLS) [1], [2], [3], [4], Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) [5], [6], [7], high-resolution photography sensors utilizing
Structure from Motion (SfM) and Multi-View Stereo (MVS) algorithms [8], [9], [10], as well as various combinations of active and
passive media. These have output data being fused through enhanced texturing results and optimal data redundancy [11,12].

Range clouds consisting of millions [13] or even billions [14,15] of sample data points, containing range measurements or
backscattering intensity or colour [16], need to be converted from an unstructured ensemble of (xyz) triplets to semantically rich
architectural components with strictly defined geometrical topological and hierarchy attributes [13,16,17]. This reversed engineering
procedure described within the context of CH and Architectural, Engineering, and Construction (AEC) field [17], [18], [19], encompasses
some quite cumbersome steps. Most times, it remains a labour- and system resources-consuming process hindering thus the
competitiveness of Building Information Modelling (BIM) paradigm [20], [21], [22].

BIM is a semantically rich digital database system designed under Industry Foundation Classes (IFC), which was developed by
buildingSMART [23] for efficient building components data modelling, managing and manipulation [17,19,24]. BIM is intended as a
process, rather than a specific software or database [25,26]. Initially, BIM workflow was suggested for new under-construction
buildings. However, unprecedented success in contemporary engineering resulted in BIM's expansion toward existing infrastructures
[4,9,20,24,27]. This reversed engineering Scan-to-BIM alternative of transforming spatial data to perceivable architectural objects
constitutes four distinct phases, (i) digital survey, (ii) data post-processing (filtering, alignment, registration), (iii) segmentation and
shape or primitives’ extraction, and (iv) model reconstruction and validation [24,28,29].

Scan-to-BIM for Digital Cultural Heritage (DCH) [30,31] is now established as a distinct field of research under the Heritage Building
Information Modelling (HBIM), however, terminology remains an open issue mainly for two reasons. First, one attributed to BIM's
platforms maturity level and the second one related to CH inherently attributed characteristics [11,17,32,33]. Concerning the former
one, maturity level, as stated by Pocobelli et al. [17], which is defined as a metric of the ability of the software to handle various
metadata in a dynamic environment, still fails to exploit the full potential (level 3.0) of the existing off-the-shelf technology, with
prominent deficiencies located in data visualization, exploration, and integration. Second, unicity [33], peculiarity [32], and complexity
[13,15] of CH artifacts strongly deviates from the standardization protocols implicitly assumed in BIM fundamental principles [17].

Section snippets

SSG for primitive extraction

3D models are penetrating the AEC sector [24,33] in response to increased demand for efficiency [9], cost reduction [20], error
quantification [17], uncertainty management [34] bias, and human-error proneness elimination [4]. Modern ranging devices such as
TLS can efficiently and accurately map surrounding 3D space, forming a dense point cloud data noninvasively [3]. Therefore, as-build
BIM workplans are only limited by post-processing challenges [20,35] that relate to the outer-end of the…

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1296207423000511 2/5
11/19/23, 8:11 PM SVD-based point cloud 3D stone by stone segmentation for cultural heritage structural analysis – The case of the Apollo Temple …

Research aim

Hitherto, research endeavors, trying to overcome CH challenges, consolidated in three different strategies:
• the development and integration of external packages or plugins [11,13,17,19];…

• the establishment of common standards and protocols [3,11,23,27,44];…

• the deployment of state-of-the art clustering algorithms...[24] stemming from Computer Vision (CV) [7,43,49], Machine Learning
(ML) [14,15,21,40,50] and more recently Deep Learning (DL) approaches [1,5,18,21,30,35,37,42].…

Under these observations…

The Apollo Temple in Delphi

The Temple of Apollo (Fig. 1a) was the most important building of the Delphic Sanctuary. It housed statues and offerings to the god and
inside some of the rites related to worship took place, the most important of which was the process of divination. The temple of the
late classical period is a wonderful example of Doric style architecture, and it was completed in 330 BC. Architects were Spintharοs
from Corinth, Xenodoros and Agathon, while marble pediments were crafted by Athenian sculptors…

Results and discussion

The results disclosed in this section validate, to a great extent, the rigidity of the proposed algorithm. SVD-based fitting [41,54]
converged successfully for all cases (Fig. 6) and up to a spatial resolution of 2 cm. Even though a more moderate approach was adopted
with spatial sampling finally set at increments of 4 cm. Fitting of the circle's parameters, radius, and centre coordinates, on the ortho-
projected data was performed employing a simple least square regression model through Numpy…

Conclusions

This paper develops and validates an innovative algorithm for mesh segmentation, especially within a severely eroded or degraded
environment where even planarity and normality assumptions are at stake. Overall, our results demonstrate the usefulness and the
efficiency of this methodology under a real test case often met in the CH literature [15,19,34,36,45]. Specifically, the demonstrated and
validated methodology detaches contiguous stone slices from cylindrical, heavily degraded columns by…

Acknowledgments
This research is a part of the project 3D4DEPLHI, co-financed by the European Union and Greek funds through the Operational Program
Competitiveness, Entrepreneurship and Innovation, under the call ’Specific Actions, Open Innovation for Culture’ (project code:
T6YBΠ-00190).…

Recommended articles

References (66)

E. Valero et al.
Automated defect detection and classification in ashlar masonry walls using machine learning
Autom. Constr. (2019)

E. Valero et al.
Automatic segmentation of 3D point clouds of rubble masonry walls, and its application to building surveying, repair
and maintenance
Autom. Constr. (2018)

D. Isailović et al.

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1296207423000511 3/5
11/19/23, 8:11 PM SVD-based point cloud 3D stone by stone segmentation for cultural heritage structural analysis – The case of the Apollo Temple …

Bridge damage: detection, IFC-based semantic enrichment and visualization

Autom. Constr. (2020)

M. Pepe et al.
Scan to BIM for the digital management and representation in 3D GIS environment of cultural heritage site
J. Cult. Herit. (2021)

E. Valero et al.
Automation in construction automatic segmentation of 3D point clouds of rubble masonry walls, and its application to
building surveying, repair and maintenance
Autom. Constr. (2018)

M. Pepe et al.
Data for 3D reconstruction and point cloud classification using machine learning in cultural heritage environment
Data Br. (2022)

A.M. D'Altri et al.

Stability analysis of leaning historic masonry structures
Autom. Constr. (2018)

B. Koo et al.
Automatic classification of wall and door BIM element subtypes using 3D geometric deep neural networks
Adv. Eng. Informatics (2021)

S.M. Motsa et al.

Structural investigation of Mnajdra megalithic monument in Malta
J. Cult. Herit. (2020)

J.S. Dai
Euler-Rodrigues formula variations, quaternion conjugation and intrinsic connections
Mech. Mach. Theory (2015)

View more references

Cited by (4)

Digital twin applications on cultural world heritage sites in China: A state-of-the-art overview
2023, Journal of Cultural Heritage

Show abstract

Incorporating sparse model machine learning in designing cultural heritage landscapes

2023, Automation in Construction

Show abstract

3D Modeling & Analysis Techniques for the Apollo Temple in Delphi

2023, Buildings

Creating Historical Building Models by Deep Fusion of Multi-Source Heterogeneous Data Using Residual 3D
Convolutional Neural Network
2023, International Journal of Architectural Heritage

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1296207423000511 4/5
11/19/23, 8:11 PM SVD-based point cloud 3D stone by stone segmentation for cultural heritage structural analysis – The case of the Apollo Temple …

View full text

© 2023 Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (CNR). Published by Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

All content on this site: Copyright © 2023 Elsevier B.V., its licensors, and contributors. All rights are reserved, including those for text and data mining, AI training, and similar technologies. For all open access content, the Creative
Commons licensing terms apply.

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1296207423000511 5/5