3D mesh segmentation of historic buildings for architectural surveys

Advances in three-dimensional (3D) acquisition systems have introduced this technology to more fields of study, such as archaeology or architecture. In the architectural field, scanning a building is one of the first possible steps from which a 3D model can be obtained and can be later used for visualisation and/or feature analysis, thanks to computer-based pattern recognition tools. The automation of these tools allows for temporal savings and has become a strong aid for professionals, so that more and more methods are developed with this objective. In this article, a method for 3D mesh segmentation focused on the representation of historic buildings is proposed. This type of buildings is characterised by having singularities and features in façades, such as doors or windows. The main objective is to recognise these features, understanding them as those parts of the model that differ from the main structure of the building. The idea is to use a recognition algorithm for planar faces that allows users to create a graph showing the connectivity between them, therefore allowing the reflection of the shape of the 3Dmodel. At a later step, this graph is matched against some pre-defined graphs that represent the patterns to look for. Each coincidence between both graphs indicate the position of one of the characteristics sought. The developed method has proved to be effective for feature detection and suitable for inclusion in architectural surveying applications