Comparative analysis between the main 3D scanning techniques: Photogrammetry, terrestrial laser scanner and structured light scanner in religious imagery: The case of the Crist of the Blood

Abstract

In recent years, three-dimensional (3D) scanning has become the main tool for recording, documenting, and preservingcultural heritage in the long term. It has become the “document” most in demand today by historians, curators, and artrestorers to carry out their work based on a “digital twin,” that is, a totally reliable and accurate model of the object inquestion. Thanks to 3D scanning, we can preserve reliable models in digital format of the real state of our heritage, someof which are currently destroyed. The first step is to digitize our heritage with the highest possible quality and precision.To do this, it will be necessary to identify the most appropriate technique. In this article, we will show some of the maindigitization techniques currently used in sculpture heritage and the workflows associated with them to obtain high-qualitymodels. Finally, a complete comparative analysis will be made to show their main advantages and disadvantages.