Architectural Perspectives in the Cathedral of Palermo: Image-Based Modelling for Cultural Heritage Understanding and Enhancement

Abstract. Palermo oers a repertoire of both artisticand architectural solid perspective of great beauty andin large quantity. This paper addresses the problem ofthe 3D survey of these works and their related studythrough the use of image-based modelling (IBM) techniques.We propose, as case studies, the use of IBMtechniques inside the Cathedral of Palermo. Indeed, thechurch houses a huge and rich sculptural repertoire, datingback to 16th century, which constitutes a valid eldof IBM techniques application.The aim of this study is to demonstrate the eectivenessand potentiality of these techniques for geometricanalysis of sculptured works. Indeed, usually the surveyof these artworks is very dicult due the geometric complexity,typical of sculptured elements. In this study,we analysed cylindrical and planar geometries as well ascarrying out an application of perspective return.