Programme

The course is divided into an initial theoretical section followed by a mainly practical and application-oriented section.
First and Second Lessons – Theoretical Foundations
The first two lessons introduce the concept of the digital copy of cultural heritage and explore its theoretical and methodological implications.
The following topics will be addressed:
• the concept of the digital copy of a cultural heritage asset;
• the relationship between original, representation and digital copy;
• the 3D model as a document and as a tool for knowledge;
• different methods for producing digital copies: acquisition, modelling and virtual reconstruction;
• digital copies and hypothetical reconstructions;
• issues of authenticity and transparency in representation;
• documentation of sources, hypotheses and levels of uncertainty;
• metadata and paradata;
• data provenance and traceability;
• the scientific value of documenting the production process of a digital copy;
• principles of the London Charter and transparency in cultural heritage visualisation;
• preservation of digital copies and issues related to hardware, software and file-format obsolescence;
• open formats, repositories, identification and citability of digital resources;
• FAIR principles: Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable;
• semantic interoperability;
• controlled vocabularies and ontologies;
• introduction to CIDOC CRM and CRMdig;
• the relationship between data, metadata and paradata;
• Digital Twin and its application to cultural heritage;
• the evolution from Digital Twin to Memory Twin: integration of historical information, sources, meanings, memory, interpretations and intangible heritage;
• digital copies as knowledge infrastructures and reusable resources for research, conservation, education and enhancement.
From the Third Lesson Onwards – Practical Activities
From the third lesson onwards, the course becomes predominantly laboratory-based.
Students will be introduced to methods for publishing, managing and accessing 3D models on the Web through the analysis and use of different platforms.
The following platforms will be examined:
Sketchfab
• uploading and publishing a 3D model;
• management of the main visualisation settings;
• materials, lighting and navigation;
• annotations and communication tools;
• opportunities and limitations of commercial platforms for managing digital copies of cultural heritage.
3DHOP
• principles of Web3D visualisation;
• structure of a 3DHOP application;
• navigation, querying and measurement tools.
ATON
The main part of the practical exercises will focus on ATON, used as an environment for experimenting with a more structured management of digital copies.
The following topics will be addressed:
• general structure of the platform;
• creation and organisation of 3D scenes;
• importing and managing three-dimensional models;
• organisation of digital resources;
• navigation and interaction within the scene;
• viewpoint management;
• semantic annotation of models;
• association of information and multimedia content with three-dimensional elements;
• creation of guided routes and narrative modes;
• management of the relationship between the three-dimensional model and descriptive information;
• experimentation with the possibilities offered by Web3D and WebXR environments;
• design of a simple application dedicated to the documentation or enhancement of a cultural heritage asset.
The practical exercises will focus on the development of a small case study through which students will be able to connect the technical aspects of Web3D publication with the concepts of digital copy, metadata, paradata and knowledge organisation introduced during the first part of the course.

Core Documentation

Docci, M., & Maestri, D. (1993). Storia del rilevamento architettonico e urbano. Roma: Laterza.

Reference Bibliography

Ackoff, R. L. (1989). From data to wisdom. Journal of Applied Systems Analysis, 16, 3–9. Amico, N., & Felicetti, A. (2024). 3D Data Long-Term Preservation in Cultural Heritage. arXiv e-prints, arXiv-2409. Bajena, I. P. (2026). Developing the core data model for 3D: Exploring metadata and paradata throughout current 3D infrastructure projects. In M. Ioannides, E. Fink, J. Anderson, A. Fresa, A. Cassar, & S. Munster (Eds.), 3D Research Challenges in Cultural Heritage VI: DigitalTwin versus MemoryTwin (pp. 89–101). Springer. Baker, D. (2025). Paradata: The Digital Prometheus. In M. Ioannides, D. Baker, A. Agapiou, & P. Siegkas (Eds.), 3D Research Challenges in Cultural Heritage V: Paradata, Metadata and Data in Digitisation (pp. 12–23). Springer. Bianchini, C. (2025). La forma delle nuvole (di punti). TRIBELON, II(4), 16–25. Callieri, M., Berggren, Å., Dell’Unto, N., Derudas, P., Dininno, D., Ekengren, F., & Naponiello, G. (2025). The Dynamic Collections – a 3D web platform of archaeological artefacts designed for data reuse and deep interaction. In J. W. H. P. Verhagen, J. Waagen, A. Brandsen, A. Queffelec, R. M. Visser, & D. Taelman (Eds.), Advances in Digital Archaeology: Proceedings of the 2023 Conference Computer Applications and Quantitative Methods in Archaeology – 50 Years of Synergy (pp. 87–96). Sidestone Press. Chayani, M., Granier, X., & Laroche, F. (2025). 3D data practices and preservation for humanities: A decade of the Consortium “3D for Digital Humanities”. Heritage, 8(10), 435. Croce, V., Caroti, G., De Luca, L., Jacquot, K., Piemonte, A., & Véron, P. (2021). From the semantic point cloud to heritage-building information modeling: A semiautomatic approach exploiting machine learning. Remote Sensing, 13(3), 461. ICCD – Istituto Centrale per il Catalogo e la Documentazione. (2025). Ereditare le cose. Il nuovo Sistema del Catalogo Nazionale come rete della conoscenza: Atti della giornata di studio del 27 febbraio 2025. Ioannides, M., Baker, D., Agapiou, A., & Siegkas, P. (Eds.). (2025). 3D Research Challenges in Cultural Heritage VI: Digital Twin versus Memory Twin. Springer. Koller, D., Frischer, B., & Humphreys, G. (2009). Research challenges for digital archives of 3D cultural heritage models. Journal on Computing and Cultural Heritage, 2(3), 7–17. Magnani, F. (2025). Verso il nuovo Sistema del Catalogo Nazionale. In Ereditare le cose. Il nuovo Sistema del Catalogo Nazionale come rete della conoscenza: Atti della giornata di studio del 27 febbraio 2025. Istituto Centrale per il Catalogo e la Documentazione (ICCD). Ministero della Cultura, Istituto Centrale per la Digitalizzazione del Patrimonio Culturale – Digital Library. (2025). Linee guida per la digitalizzazione 3D: Beni storico-artistici e museali. Piano Nazionale di Digitalizzazione del Patrimonio Culturale. Standards and Reference Documents • Europeana Data Model (EDM); • FAIR Data Principles; • Getty Art & Architecture Thesaurus (AAT) and controlled vocabularies for cultural heritage. Additional texts and materials relating to the individual topics and platforms used will be provided during the course.

Attendance

Attendance is strongly recommended, given the predominantly practical and laboratory-based nature of the course activities. Regular participation allows students to follow the progressive development of the exercises and to work on the course materials with the support of the lecturer. In case of absence, the contents of missed classes can be recovered through the available lecture recordings.

Type of evaluation

Knowledge is assessed through an oral examination. During the examination, students present and discuss the work developed throughout the course, illustrating the activities carried out and showing, through the ATON platform, the materials and outputs produced during the practical exercises. The discussion is intended to assess: knowledge of the main theoretical topics covered during the course; the ability to describe and justify the choices made in the work carried out; the ability to relate theoretical concepts to practical activities; understanding of the concepts of digital copy, metadata, paradata, documentation, preservation and management of 3D models; the ability to use the tools and platforms introduced during the course in an informed and appropriate way. During the examination, additional questions may be asked concerning both the work presented and the theoretical topics covered during the lectures.