Modelagem 3D de edifícios históricos: a influência do nível de detalhe (LOD) no processo de reconstrução virtual e interpretação da Villa Ferreira Lage, Juiz de Fora – MG

Abstract

The present work investigates how different LOD (Level of Detail) configurations influence the construction and interpretation of three-dimensional (3D) models of historic buildings, here understood as virtual heritage. Despite offering new possibilities for the preservation, education, interpretation, and management of cultural assets, virtual heritage still demands more consistent theoretical-practical debates. In turn, 3D modeling, an important step in constructing 3D models, requires time, investments, and specialized professionals, while LOD, highlighted here as a parameter of 3D modeling, acts directly on the representation of models and, above all, on workflows. The object of study is Villa Ferreira Lage, a historic building located in Juiz de Fora, Minas Gerais, Brazil, and the methodology addressed has an exploratory, experimental and qualitative approach. Under the scope of interpretation of virtual heritage, this work focused on two main points: (i) to respond to the gaps found in the literature and (ii) to propose an exploratory study that relates Villa Ferreira Lage's 3D models with different LOD's to the perception of users when experimenting with them under a phenomenological approach. Thus, it was possible to identify which elements and configurations of the 3D models were predominant. The adopted procedures were based on mapping Villa Ferreira Lage's 3D modeling process and applying a phenomenological method to the experiment. The activity was conducted through an online workshop, where 11 students entering the FAU-UFJF Architecture and Urbanism program could virtually experience the 3D models created, comparing them to the physical building. Animations of 3D models and a film outside the Villa were used, and the participants were divided into five groups, one for each explored LOD. When watching the videos, they described their experiences through reports that were analyzed listing the emerging themes from the speeches. Finally, the findings underwent a statistical analysis in IRAMUTEQ software to understand how each theme was linked to the others and the videos. The experiment showed that 3D models with higher LOD's led to greater comments about Villa Ferreira Lage's architecture and elements such as the building's surroundings, the humanization of the scenery, and the temporal depth of the 3D models must be considered in the virtual reconstruction process.