Fast and detailed digital documentation of archaeological excavations and heritage objects

Prompted by the increasing requirement for the fast but precise and detailed digital documentation of archaeological excavations and heritage artifacts, in this article we report our latest experience in capturing detailed 3D geometric information of two sites in Tuscany, Italy, using the image-based approach. We present a 3D recording flow-line, based on multi-image matching, capable of retrieving quickly and precisely all the information needed to document, analyze and visualize excavation sites or archaeological monuments. The 3D modeling method is flexible and can be employed with convergent ground-based or oblique air-photo images, both critical configurations for commercial modeling software.