Documentation and Analysis of a Medieval Tracing Floor Using Photogrammetry, Reflectance Transformation Imaging and Laser Scanning

Webb, Nicholas ORCID: 0000-0002-5998-1961, Hillson, James, Peterson, John Robert ORCID: 0000-0002-5672-2630, Buchanan, Alexandrina ORCID: 0000-0001-9433-9651 and Duffy, Sarah (2020) Documentation and Analysis of a Medieval Tracing Floor Using Photogrammetry, Reflectance Transformation Imaging and Laser Scanning In: Proceedings of the 38th International Conference on Education and Research in Computer Aided Architectural Design in Europe (eCAADe) [Volume 2], 2020-9-16 - 2020-9-17, Berlin.

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Abstract

The fifteenth-century tracing floor at Wells cathedral is an extremely rare survival in European architecture. Located in the roof space above the north porch, this plaster floor was used as a drawing and design tool by medieval masons, the lines and arcs inscribed into its surface enabling them to explore their ideas on a 1:1 scale. Many of these marks are difficult to see with the naked eye and existing studies of its geometry are reliant on manual retracing of its lines. This paper showcases the potential of digital surveying and analytical tools, namely photogrammetry, reflectance transformation imaging (RTI) and laser scanning, to extend our knowledge of the tracing floor and its use in the cathedral. It begins by comparing the recording processes and outputs of all three techniques, followed by a description of the digital retracing of the tracing floor to highlight lines and arcs on the surface. Finally, it compares these with digital surveys of the architecture of the cathedral cloister.

Item Type:	Conference Item (Unspecified)
Uncontrolled Keywords:	digital heritage, photogrammetry, reflectance transformation imaging, laser scanning, medieval design
Depositing User:	Symplectic Admin
Date Deposited:	22 Sep 2020 08:09
Last Modified:	23 May 2026 04:42
DOI:	10.52842/conf.ecaade.2020.2.209
Related Websites:	Author Publisher
URI:	https://livrepository.liverpool.ac.uk/id/eprint/3102093
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