During recent years, the synergy of virtual reality (VR) and photogrammetry has become an increasingly prevalent way to visualize, represent, preserve and disseminate cultural heritage objects. Photogrammetry offers a reliable method for a faithful and accurate image-based modeling of real-world objects, while VR applications provide not only visualization, but also an immersive and interactive experience of the photogrammetrically reconstructed cultural heritage. This research aims to create and apply the method for providing VR experience in the context of cultural heritage by developing a workflow for the VR applications based on photogrammetric models. The proposed workflow was applied on the iconostasis of the Serbian Orthodox Cathedral church of Saint Nicholas in Sremski Karlovci (Serbia). The presented method is based on the following main steps: generation ofan accurate 3D reconstruction of the iconostasisusing photogrammetry, the 3D model optimization, retopology, control and analysis and the process of creating the VR experience using a game-engine. The final result is an interactive walk through the church, which provides the user with an opportunity to visualize the iconostasis and its individual icons through different perspectives and multiple levels of detail, which is not otherwise possible when observing the church interior.

In recent years, digitization of cultural heritage objects, for the purpose of creating virtual museums, is becoming increasingly popular. Moreover, cultural institutions use modern digitization methods to create three-dimensional (3D) models of objects of historical significance to form digital libraries and archives. This research aims to suggest a method for protecting these 3D models from abuse while making them available on the Internet. The proposed method was applied to a sculpture, an object of cultural heritage. It is based on the digitization of the sculpture altered by adding local clay details proposed by the sculptor and on sharing on the Internet a 3D model obtained by digitizing the sculpture with a built-in error. The clay details embedded in the sculpture are asymmetrical and discreet to be unnoticeable to an average observer. The original sculpture was also digitized and its 3D model created. The obtained 3D models were compared and the geometry deviation was measured to determine that the embedded error was invisible to an average observer and that the watermark can be extracted. The proposed method simultaneously protects the digitized image of the artwork while preserving its visual experience. Other methods cannot guarantee this.

Augmented reality (AR) technologies offer innovative possibilities for creating virtual artworks that seamlessly blend digital and physical elements, thereby enhancing public spaces and engaging users with both their environment and the AR content. Key concepts for assessing user experiences in AR environments include immersion, with subcategories that further elaborate on this concept. This research aims to explore the potential of AR as a tool for presenting and evaluating artworks in public spaces, with a particular focus on user engagement and immersion in AR content. Additionally, it seeks to determine whether significant differences in immersion levels exist between specific categories of virtual sculptures. Ten sculptures were displayed as mobile AR experiences in a selected public square. To achieve these objectives, a standardized questionnaire designed to measure immersion in location-based AR applications was adapted, validated, and applied. The results provide valuable insights into user experiences with different categories of AR artworks, such as digitized versus digitally created models and figurative versus abstract representations.

Three-dimensional digitization technologies have been proved as reliable methods for detailed and accurate spatial data collection from existing cultural heritage. In addition, the point segmentation techniques are particularly relevant for contour detection and classification of the unstructured point cloud. This paper describes an approach to obtain 2D CAD-like visualizations of complex geometry from photogrammetric models so that the detected contours of particular object elements can be used for 2D shape analysis. The work process uses the point clouds derived from photogrammetric models to create the plane visualization of the object’s geometry by segmenting points based on the verticality geometric feature. The research presented is on the case studies of iconostases as the specific art and architectural elements of the Christian Orthodox church that can be appreciated only in situ. To determine relations between the characteristics of the particular shapes and the iconostases’ style origins, the mathematical method of shape analysis was applied. This study aims to numerically describe the stylistic characteristics of the shapes of the main parts of the iconostasis concerning the artistic period to which it belongs to. The concept was based on the consideration of global shape descriptors and associated shape measurements which were used to analyze and classify the stylistic characteristics of the iconostases. The methodology was applied to the representative examples of three iconostases from the Baroque and Classicism art movements. The results illustrated that the proposed methods and techniques, with certain improvements, could be helpful for CAD visualization and shape analysis of complex geometry.

Social sustainability in urban and architectural design depends on inclusive, participatory processes that empower communities to actively engage in shaping their environments. This study investigates how emerging digital platforms, specifically Augmented Reality (AR) and decentralized platforms built on blockchain technology (Web3), can function as instruments for broadening public participation and enhancing perceptual access to urban art proposals. An original algorithm generated nine digital abstract sculptures, each with descriptive attributes forming the basis for qualitative analysis across different visualization modes: traditional renderings, Augmented Reality environments, and NFT-based Web3 representations. Through participant voting, each digital sculpture accumulated a measurable level of preference that served to identify which sculpture was perceived as most successful within each visualization context. Comparative analysis revealed how distinct digital interactions shape perception, engagement, and inclusivity of feedback processes. Regression models further predicted voting outcomes, showing that different sculptural attributes played a dominant role depending on the type of visualization. Findings indicate that platform-specific technological affordances substantially shape participatory outcomes. Consequently, the study argues that careful analysis and selection of the digital platform must precede any participatory process, as platform-specific affordances fundamentally condition the inclusivity, accessibility, and overall effectiveness of public engagement in socially sustainable design.

This paper presents some examples of symmetry and asymmetry in the geometry of 3D digital character, as well as in its movement. This is one of the topics studied in the Computer Graphics studies, which have existed for 11 years at the Faculty of Technical Sciences at the Uni- versity in Novi Sad. The first goal of this paper is to show how to create a 3D digital character, which consists of a surface called Mesh that connects to a system that allows the movement of that character, and that the system consists of a bone system with associated controls and is called a rig. The character is most often created using symmetry, namely, a mesh of one half of the character is created and then the other half of the character is obtained by creating a symmetrical half, and the plane of symmetry is a vertical plane that halves the character. The second goal is to show that the 3D character created in this way can be geometrically symmetric or asymmetric. The next goal is to show how symmetric or asymmetric character creates body movement or facial expression. The main goal is to emphasize the need to use asymmetric characters in 3D animation, as well as the motive for this, which emphasizes the fact that ideal symmetry in humans does not actually exist. Also, asymmetry gives us far more opportunities to create interesting differences in 3D characters.