Digital three-dimensional architectural survey of traditional Bulgarian houses - Architectural BIM from point cloud survey data

Nowadays the technology is often ahead of its implementation in the practice. Two novel technologies have affected the field of conservation and documentation of cultural and historic heritage and await their proper mutual integration. They are the 3D photogrammetric surveying and the Building Information Modelling (BIM). This research proposes a methodology for producing a complete and precise 3D Building Information Model from a point cloud, obtained via a 3D photogrammetric survey. An existing traditional house in Bulgaria is used as a case study. The aims were to optimise the process and to minimise the large number of software, used in the conventional workflow. They were achieved using only one application - ArchiCAD version 22. The complete BIM was later used for producing 3D artistic visualisations and for an interactive 3D web presentation. This paper describes the methodology and the software needed, discussing the techniques and the results.