Preserving a Roman ‘Billionaire’s Villa’ with 3D laser scanning

作者：Paula Noriega Fernández

在铜的罗马别墅enca in central Spain, “Villa Noheda,” is an important archaeological site and home to one of the largest ancient mosaics in the world. It is looked after by Castilla La Mancha Provincial Council, who asked Spanish surveying firmAbscisa 3dto help create an up-to-date and complete digital record of the site as it stands today. ABSCISA 3D chose to use a Leica Geosystems 3D laser scanning solution to create a three-dimensional reconstruction of the rural complex, working alongside archaeologists from Global Arqueología. The collected point cloud data will be compared with previous studies to track preservation work over time.

Capturing pieces of history: multiple phases of excavation at Villa Noheda

Considered an Asset of Cultural Interest (BIC) in Spain, Villa Noheda is managed by the regional government in Castilla La Mancha. The site was discovered by chance in 1984, when the then landowners were preparing the ground for crops. They found a mosaic which has since been uncovered to show six mythical scenes surrounded by geometric and plant decoration, roughly 300 square metres. Intensive exploration wasn’t carried out until 2005 and subsequent excavations have continued to make new discoveries including a series of rooms, a fountain and a spa. The latest survey by ABSCISA 3D will provide Castilla La Mancha Provincial Council with a record of the existing excavations for future study.

Using a Leica RTC360 3D laser scanner for fast, precise data capture

For their work at Villa Noheda, the ABSCISA 3D team chose to use theLeica RTC360 3D激光扫描仪, “for the good relationship between scanning times and the high precision of the result,” explains Paula Noriega Fernández, engineer surveyor. “Weight also influenced.” The RTC360 is highly portable, ideal for a rural site, and captures detailed scans, including enrichedHigh-Dynamic Range (HDR)图像，不到两分钟。为了在现场捕获数据，Abscisa 3D使用了Leica Cyclone Field 360移动应用。使用Cyclone Field 360，用户可以立即可视化其结果；它会自动预注册点云数据，以使用户能够快速进行现场质量控制检查。

回到办公室，Abscisa 3D使用了Leica Cyclone Core and Leica Cyclone 3DRfor point cloud processing. Noriega Fernández explains, “With theLeica Cyclone，我们从激光扫描仪导入数据并注册了点云。在处理大量点云时，旋风是安全和稳定的。我们总是与旋风一起工作。”她继续说：“我们以.e57格式统一和导出数据。和Leica Cyclone 3DR我们制定数字高程模型和地形计划，这是考古学家工作的基础。”

“The time in the field is very fast, this makes the cost of the work lower”

NoriegaFernández使用RTC360来获取将以多种方式使用的详细点云数据。她说：“我们能够获得一个密集的点云，该云可以计算矫形器区域的正晶和三维模型。”

数据捕获的速度- 200万订单ints per second - is a real benefit to the business, says Noriega Fernández, “We have verified that the time in the field is very fast, this makes the cost of the work lower.” Portability also contributes to keeping costs under control because the work only requires one surveyor: “This type of work is done by one person. This saves on personnel.”

As well as being fast, the RTC360 laser scanner offers precision that can be checked directly on-site via Cyclone FIELD 360. Low noise data allows for crisp, high-quality scans that are rich in detail and ready for use in a range of applications. Noriega Fernández continues, “We always recommend the RTC360 3D laser scanner for these types of jobs. Its speed and precision are incredible.”

旋风核心：“与点云一起工作时令人难以置信的软件”

现场工作完成后，Abscisa 3D团队将使用Cyclone软件进行最终点云注册，并导出到Cyclone 3DR。然后，他们创建了最终的可交付成果，包括数字高程模型（DEM）。她解释说：“点云是随后的工作，正矫正术，映射，MDS，点云比较各种工作活动的起点。考古学家需要DEM知道相对于马赛克和自然地形以及地形的斜坡，了解现有墙的高度。他们研究并做出解释。”

“The point cloud also serves as a database for future jobs, and needs that the administration may have and leaves a documentation of the heritage. Cyclone seems to us an incredible software when it comes to working with the point clouds.”

An all-round solution for 3D laser scanning: “We believe that it is a very complete product”

Although it is an extraordinary site, the survey at Villa Noheda was in many ways a normal job for ABSCISA 3D. Noriega Fernández says that ABSCISA 3D uses the RTC360 in 95 percent of their field work, from scanning ancient ruins to 1970s houses ready for remodelling and from bridges to large industrial plants. “We use the RTC360 laser scanner for most jobs, both heritage, building, industrial and civil. We believe that it is a very complete product.”