Digital 3D models for medieval heritage: diachronic analysis and documentation of its architecture and paintings

In this paper, we discuss the requirements and technical challenges within the EHEM project, Enhancement of Heritage Experiences: The Middle Ages, an ongoing research program for the acquisition, analysis, documentation, interpretation, digital restoration, and communication of medieval artistic heritage. The project involves multidisciplinary teams comprising art historians and visual computing experts. Despite the vast literature on digital 3D models in support of Cultural Heritage, the field is so rich and diverse that specific projects often imply distinct, unique requirements which often challenge the computational technologies and suggest new research opportunities. As good representatives of such diversity, we describe the three monuments that serve as test cases for the project, all of them with a rich history of architecture and paintings. We discuss the art historians’ view of how digital models can support their research, the expertise and technological solutions adopted so far, as well as the technical challenges in multiple areas spanning geometry and appearance acquisition, color analysis and digital restitution, as well as the representation of the profound transformations due to the alterations suffered over the centuries. © The Author(s) 2024.