ORIGINAL ARTICLE
Construction of 3D models of the Cracow Fortress Powder Magazine and determination of their accuracy using photogrammetric and terrestrial scanning methods
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Faculty of Environmental Engineering and Geodesy, University of Agriculture in Krakow, Mickiewicza 24/28, 30-120, Krakow, Poland
These authors had equal contribution to this work
A - Research concept and design; B - Collection and/or assembly of data; C - Data analysis and interpretation; D - Writing the article; E - Critical revision of the article; F - Final approval of article
Submission date: 2025-12-10
Final revision date: 2026-02-24
Acceptance date: 2026-03-31
Publication date: 2026-04-29
Corresponding author
Izabela Piech
Faculty of Environmental Engineering and Geodesy, University of Agriculture in Krakow, Mickiewicza 24/28, 30-120, Krakow, Poland
Reports on Geodesy and Geoinformatics 2026;121:43-49
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ABSTRACT
This study presents a comparative analysis of two three-dimensional reconstruction models of Powder Magazine no. 2 of the 19h-century Cracow Fortress, developed using terrestrial laser scanning (TLS) and close-range digital photogrammetry to assess the suitability of both methods for the documentation and reconstruction of heritage structures, as well as to evaluate their geometric accuracy and visual quality. The investigated structure was scanned from four positions using a Leica ScanStation P40 and photographed using a Canon EOS 400D camera. Based on the acquired point clouds, two 3D models were generated: a TLS-based model in Autodesk Revit and a photogrammetric model in Trimble SketchUp, both at Level of Detail (LOD) 200. Accuracy assessment was conducted in CloudCompare using the Cloud-to-Cloud (C2C) method, supplemented by visual and historical comparisons. The results show high geometric consistency between the datasets (with deviations below 0.2 m) and confirm the effectiveness and complementarity of both techniques in the documentation of cultural heritage. The developed models provide valuable material for scientific research, conservation planning, education, and digital heritage presentation.
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