This paper describes two procedures used to disseminate tangible cultural heritage through real-time 3D simulations providing accurate-scientific representations. The main idea is to create simple geometries (with low-poly count) and apply two different texture maps to them: a normal map and a displacement map. There are two ways to achieve models that fit with normal or displacement maps: with the former (normal maps), the number of polygons in the reality-based model may be dramatically reduced by decimation algorithms and then normals may be calculated by rendering them to texture solutions (baking). With the latter, a LOD model is needed; its topology has to be quad-dominant for it to be converted to a good quality subdivision surface (with consistent tangency and curvature all over). The subdivision surface is constructed using methodologies for the construction of assets borrowed from character animation: these techniques have been recently implemented in many entertainment applications known as “retopology”. The normal map is used as usual, in order to shade the surface of the model in a realistic way. The displacement map is used to finish, in real-time, the flat faces of the object, by adding the geometric detail missing in the low-poly models. The accuracy of the resulting geometry is progressively refined based on the distance from the viewing point, so the result is like a continuous level of detail, the only difference being that there is no need to create different 3D models for one and the same object. All geometric detail is calculated in real-time according to the displacement map. This approach can be used in Unity, a real-time 3D engine originally designed for developing computer games. It provides a powerful rendering engine, fully integrated with a complete set of intuitive tools and rapid workflows that allow users to easily create interactive 3D contents. With the release of Unity 4.0, new rendering features have been added, including DirectX 11 support. Real-time tessellation is a technique that can be applied by using such technology. Since the displacement and the resulting geometry are calculated by the GPU, the time-based execution cost of this technique is very low.

The documentation of urban morphology is linked to the complex operation of representing the city, which over the centuries has been undertaken using different methodologies, instruments, and purposes. The “IT revolution” has expanded the possibility of overlapping and relating multiple pieces of information in connection to the urban organism on the same support and, on the other hand, has opened up new scenarios linked to the use of urban digital twins to support the analysis and urban planning. The 21st century has marked a momentous turning point compared to the recent past: the advent of artificial intelligence has in fact allowed the introduction, alongside Urban Information Systems, of ‘Predictive’ Systems, capable of formulating new scenarios on the basis of the elements available and pictured on 3D models. At the same time, the technical and technological acquisitions of the last century have contributed to evident experimentation on the metaverse, which, although it still exists in a de-emphasised form, is currently a whole universe under construction and expansion. Its rules are written with every passing day, in which the individual can recreate a reality similar to, or absolutely antithetical to, the one they experience on a daily basis, populating virtual cities that elude the established urban dynamics of physical structures.

During the last few decades, 3D scanning devices and 3D digital image generating technology has been developed to the point where they significantly reduce errors and time during data collection thus making them highly appropriate tools in the field of archaeology. With regards to surveying, terrestrial laser scanning and digital photogrammetry, they are a viable alternative to traditional methods for measuring. Nevertheless, these technologies are rarely used in projects in the Maya region, even though they offer a wide range of applications, which could be explored and utilised in this subtropical environment. This paper presents the results of digital surveying involving two Maya archaeological sites in Guatemala: La Blanca and Chilonché, as well as demonstrating their effective application for “investigating into the past”.

La conservación del patrimonio arquitectónico constituye una prioridad y una necesidad para preservar el legado de nuestros antepasados. Es fundamental para salvaguardar la identidad cultural, el valor histórico y el desarrollo sostenible, y contribuye al bienestar de las comunidades y al enriquecimiento de la sociedad en su conjunto. El presente texto tiene como objetivo proponer un modelo HBIM-SIG que facilite la labor de diagnóstico de patologías en el patrimonio arquitectónico, así como la documentación y gestión eficiente de este, visualizados en una única plataforma que vincule datos geográficos a partir de los SIG y datos de la edificación mediante los modelos HBIM, con reconocidas ventajas en calidad, precisión, tiempo y ahorro de recursos.

Las campañas arqueológicas en el teatro y otras edificaciones de la Vetus Urbs romana de Itálica en Santiponce (Sevilla), han propiciado su asociación en las últimas décadas con un dibujo publicado en 1726, en la obra Remarks on Several Parts of Europe de John Breval. Al preguntarnos sobre la intención de representación de este documento gráfico, surgen algunas contradicciones entre su valor como objeto de información y su capacidad de evocar y construir una ilusión en un colectivo. Esta aportación pretende analizar los elementos gráficos que han animado esta analogía y contrastar su grado de veracidad a través de recursos digitales. Para ello se propone comparar el estudio iconográfico del grabado con una restitución digital de los restos conservados.