New Low-Cost Technologies for Easy Documentation of Smaller Monuments and Analysis of their Outputs

Abstract. This study explores the potential of low-cost methods for documenting cultural heritage using modern mobile technologies, focusing particularly on photogrammetry, videogrammetry, and the integration of LiDAR sensors in smartphones. As traditional 3D documentation methods like terrestrial laser scanning and professional photogrammetry are often costly and inaccessible, especially in field or emergency contexts, affordable alternatives such as smartphone-based applications (e.g., Pix4Dcatch, RealityCapture Mobile, and Agisoft Metashape) are increasingly being adopted. These tools utilize RGB imagery, LiDAR, and GNSS/RTK support to produce 3D models of varying precision and scalability. Pix4Dcatch, particularly when paired with the viDoc RTK rover, stands out for its ability to generate accurate, georeferenced LiDAR-enhanced point clouds, while RealityCapture Mobile uses LiDAR to improve internal pose estimation but does not export LiDAR data. Videogrammetry, enabled by software like 3DSurvey, offers another cost-effective approach by extracting frames from video footage. Several case studies demonstrate the varying accuracy of these techniques, comparing models produced by smartphone-based systems against professional laser scanning benchmarks. Results show that while mobile solutions offer significant advantages in portability, speed, and ease of use, they are limited in range and precision—especially beyond 10-15 meters. However, within short distances (under 5 meters), their performance can rival or exceed that of professional laser scanning for certain use cases. This varies depending on the camera used. The findings confirm that these mobile and low-cost technologies are practical for preliminary documentation, education, and rapid-response efforts, especially in cultural heritage preservation under resource constraints.