LiDAR based terrains for virtual cultural heritage applications

Virtual presentation of cultural heritage has shown a great potential in preservation of collective memory. The level of immersion that the visitor feels in a virtual environment is one of the key factors for the quality of his experience. Terrains are the most authentic elements of cultural heritage sites, as they rarely have been significantly changed through time. In this paper we explore the use of LiDAR based terrains in interactive virtual cultural heritage applications, considering the advantages and drawbacks of this approach. Our case study is the virtual presentation of the Early Christian Basilica in Cim near Mostar, created for the interactive exhibition “Keys to Rome”.