Hand Held 3D Scanning for Cultural Heritage: Experimenting Low Cost Structure Sensor Scan

In the last years 3D scanning has become an important resource in many fields, in particular it has played a key role in study and preservation of Cultural Heritage. Moreover today, thanks to the miniaturization of electronic components, it has been possible produce a new category of 3D scanners, also known as handheld scanners. Handheld scanners combine a relatively low cost with the advantage of the portability. The aim of this chapter is two-fold: first, a survey about the most recent 3D handheld scanners is presented. As second, a study about the possibility to employ the handheld scanners in the field of Cultural Heritage is conducted. In this investigation, a doorway of the Benedictine Monastery of Catania, has been used as study case for a comparison between stationary Time of Flight scanner, photogrammetry-based 3D reconstruction and handheld scanning. The study is completed by an evaluation of the meshes quality obtained with the three different kinds of technology and a 3D modeling reproduction of the case-study doorway. Hand Held 3D Scanning for Cultural Heritage: Experimenting Low Cost Structure Sensor Scan Dario Allegra University of Catania, Italy Giovanni Gallo University of Catania, Italy Laura Inzerillo University of Palermo, Italy Marcella Lombardo University of Catania, Italy Filippo L. M. Milotta University of Catania, Italy Cettina Santagati University of Catania, Italy