Building Information Modelling (BIM) is a globally adapted methodology by government organisations and builders who conceive the integration of the organisation, planning, development and the digital construction model into a single project. In the case of a heritage building, the Historic Building Information Modelling (HBIM) approach is able to cover the comprehensive restoration of the building. In contrast to BIM applied to new buildings, HBIM can address different models which represent either periods of historical interpretation, restoration phases or records of heritage assets over time. Great efforts are currently being made to automatically reconstitute the geometry of cultural heritage elements from data acquisition techniques such as Terrestrial Laser Scanning (TLS) or Structure From Motion (SfM) into BIM (Scan-to-BIM). Hence, this work advances on the parametric modelling from remote sensing point cloud data, which is carried out under the Rhino+Grasshopper-ArchiCAD combination. This workflow enables the automatic conversion of TLS and SFM point cloud data into textured 3D meshes and thus BIM objects to be included in the HBIM project. The accuracy assessment of this workflow yields a standard deviation value of 68.28 pixels, which is lower than other author’s precision but suffices for the automatic HBIM of the case study in this research.

It is stated that 3D recording and modeling of heritage buildings entail accurate building models (as-built). However, this paper presents an analysis of the 3D modeling accuracy for the creation of historical building information models (HBIM), considering the complexity and the deformations of historical buildings, using point cloud data and BIM tools. The 3D modeling processes analyzed are based on a three-stage semi-automatic approach leading to the generation of HBIM, including manual and automatic processes. The three stages consist of: (a) optical and terrestrial laser scanning; (b) meshing processes; and finally (c) 3D solid modeling to be assembled into HBIM. Next, this approach analyzed the mesh deformations generated automatically in comparison to the initial point cloud data. The deformations and the accuracy evaluation have been undertaken using different commercial software. Finally, our modeling approach shows that it can improve the accuracy of the 3D models achieved using existing BIM technologies.

Building Information Modeling for the conservation and maintenance of architectural and cultural heritage is a great scientific debate nowadays. The creation of an HBIM model allows managing the geometry of the building and exchanging information between the experts involved in the conservation of historic buildings. This paper fosters the creation of an as-built-HBIM containing detailed structural deformations, for which modeling processes with scarce presence in the scientific literature are required. In this sense, two modeling procedures for a structural HBIM Project are proposed for the Pavilion of Carlos V in the Real Alcázar in Seville, Spain. Also, two states of the structural HBIM Project of the Pavilion are geometrically analyzed: 1) theoretical-HBIM, without deformations, generated by using measurements from documentary sources, and 2) as-built-HBIM created from point clouds from terrestrial laser scanning and photogrammetry. The results of this paper show significant structural discrepancies in the geometry between both HBIM Projects.

Terrestrial laser scanning is a widely used technology to digitise archaeological, architectural and cultural heritage. This allows for modelling the assets’ real condition in comparison with traditional data acquisition methods. This paper, based on the case study of the basilica in the Baelo Claudia archaeological ensemble (Tarifa, Spain), justifies the need of accurate heritage modelling against excessively simplified approaches in order to support structural safety analysis. To do this, after validating the 3D meshing process from point cloud data, the semi-automatic digital reconstitution of the basilica columns is performed. Next, a geometric analysis is conducted to calculate the structural alterations of the columns. In order to determine the structural performance, focusing both on the accuracy and suitability of the geometric models, static and modal analyses are carried out by means of the finite element method (FEM) on three different models for the most unfavourable column in terms of structural damage: (1) as-built (2) simplified and (3) ideal model without deformations. Finally, the outcomes show that the as-built modelling enhances the conservation status analysis of the 3D heritage city (in terms of realistic compliance factor values), although further automation still needs to be implemented in the modelling process.

The digitisation of architectural heritage has experienced a great development of low-cost and high-definition data capture technologies, thus enabling the accurate and effective modelling of complex heritage assets. Accordingly, research has identified the best methods to survey historic buildings, but the suitability of Structure-from-Motion/Multi-view-Stereo (SfM/MVS) for interior square symmetrical architectural spaces is unexplored. In contrast to the traditional SfM surveying for which the camera surrounds the object, the photograph collection approach is divergent in courtyards. This paper evaluates the accuracy of SfM point clouds against Terrestrial Laser Scanning (TLS) for these large architectural spaces with a symmetrical configuration, with the main courtyard of Casa de Pilatos in Seville, Spain, as a case study. Two different SfM surveys were conducted: (1) Without control points, and (2) referenced using a total station. The first survey yielded unacceptable results: A standard deviation of 0.0576 m was achieved in the northwest sector of the case study, mainly because of the difficulty of aligning the SfM and TLS data due to the way they are produced. This value could be admissible depending on the purpose of the photogrammetric model.

Engineering graphics are present in the design stage, but also constitute a way to communicate, analyse, and synthesise. In the Architecture-Engineering-Construction sector, graphical data become essential in analysing buildings and constructions throughout their lifecycles, such as in the thermal behaviour assessment of building envelopes. Scientific research has addressed the thermal image mapping onto three-dimensional (3D) models for visualisation and analysis. However, the 3D point cloud data creation of buildings’ thermal behaviour directly from rectified infrared thermography (IRT) thermograms is yet to be investigated. Therefore, this paper develops an open-source software graphical method to produce 3D thermal data from IRT images for temperature visualisation and subsequent analysis. This low-cost approach uses both a geographic information system for the thermographic image rectification and the point clouds production, and 3D point cloud processing software. The methodology has been proven useful to obtain, without perspective distortions, 3D thermograms even from non-radiometric raster images. The results also revealed that non-rectangular thermograms enable over 95% of the 3D thermal data generated from IRT against rectangular shapes (over 85%). Finally, the 3D thermal data produced allow further thermal behaviour assessment, including calculating the object’s heat loss and thermal transmittance for diverse applications such as energy audits, restoration, monitoring, or product quality control.