Staro Zdanje Castle 3D modeling brings new value to the preservation process of this historic Serbian landmark.
Some buildings tell stories by standing in silence. Staro Zdanje Castle in Serbia is one of them. Capturing those stories required an arsenal of cutting-edge tools. Each piece of equipment played its part in capturing the palace’s geometry and the subtle echoes of 150 years of history. The result is a portrait of the castle that is as much about technology as it is about heritage.
Built in 1868 at the request of Prince Mihailo Obrenović, the palace blends Serbian tradition with European modernity. Its architecture carried the romantic spirit that swept across Europe during the nineteenth century.
Prince Mihailo envisioned a culturally enlightened Serbia. The building was designed by architect Kosta Šrepović, whose European education influenced the palace’s refined stylistic language. Today, those walls stand silent under the weight of decades of neglect.
For our team, specialists in architectural documentation, the mission was aimed at 3D preservation to support future restoration.
By combining terrestrial and aerial scanning technologies, we set out to translate a piece of architectural heritage into the language of the twenty-first century.
The Challenge: Capturing the Spirit of a Decaying Monument
Unlike modern construction sites where geometry is often clean, linear, and predictable, heritage structures are dynamic and irregular.
The building has developed subtle structural shifts. Walls lean slightly, decorative elements have weathered, and parts of the roof structure have become too dangerous to access directly.
Every irregularity tells part of the building’s history. But those same irregularities also create significant challenges for documentation.
Traditional surveying methods would struggle in such an environment. Manual measurements or standard photogrammetry could not capture the intricate interior halls and complex exterior façades with the level of detail required for serious restoration work.
For this reason, we relied on lidar scanning.
Instead of merely photographing surfaces, lidar senses space. It records the exact geometry of an environment through dense three-dimensional data captured by millions of laser measurements.
Lidar Survey Methodology
To document every part of the palace, we adopted a multi-layered scanning strategy, selecting specific tools for different aspects of the project.
For the primary interior spaces and the main façade, we deployed the Leica RTC360. Known for its exceptional speed and accuracy, this scanner can capture a full-resolution scan with HDR imagery in under two minutes. This efficiency allowed us to move quickly through large halls and corridors while maintaining extremely high data density.
One of the scanner’s key advantages is its Visual Inertial System (VIS), which automatically tracks the scanner’s movement between stations. This significantly accelerates the registration process later in the office by reducing the manual alignment typically required between scans.
Heritage buildings rarely offer perfect scanning conditions. Narrow passages, hidden niches, and attic spaces required a more compact solution. In these areas, we used the Leica BLK360 G2. Despite its small size, the device produces highly detailed point clouds capable of documenting delicate architectural ornaments and structural elements.
The roof presented a different challenge altogether. Due to structural deterioration, direct physical access was unsafe.
To overcome this, we deployed an aerial system consisting of the DJI Matrice 350 RTK equipped with the DJI Zenmuse L2 lidar sensor.
This aerial lidar setup enabled us to map roof planes, chimneys, and upper architectural features from above. The system also penetrated areas where vegetation had begun to grow, ensuring that even partially obscured structures could be accurately documented.
From Point Clouds to HBIM
Field data collection is only the visible portion of the workflow. The real engineering work begins during data processing.
All scans were imported into Leica Cyclone REGISTER 360 PLUS, where the registration process began. This stage can be compared to assembling an extremely complex three-dimensional puzzle.
Terrestrial scans from the RTC360 and BLK360 had to be precisely aligned with the aerial lidar data captured by the drone. Thanks to careful field planning and high-quality instrumentation, we achieved millimeter-level alignment accuracy.
The result was a unified point cloud containing billions of points, dense enough that the structure appears almost like a solid digital surface.
After removing noise and redundant data, this point cloud became the foundation for modeling in Autodesk Revit.
Developing a Heritage Building Information Model (HBIM) of Staro Zdanje required careful attention. Unlike typical BIM workflows where standardized components can be used, many architectural elements had to be modeled individually.
Walls, windows, and decorative elements were recreated in place to reflect the real deformations and irregularities of the historic structure.
The result is a detailed digital archive containing information about every wall, beam, and architectural feature of the palace.
Visualization and Structural Analysis
To communicate the project beyond purely technical audiences, we used Nubigon for visualization.
Standard engineering software often struggles with datasets containing billions of points. Nubigon allowed us to create smooth cinematic fly-throughs of the model, transforming raw data into immersive visual experiences.
These visualizations are not merely aesthetic. They function as diagnostic tools that allow engineers and conservation specialists to explore the structure virtually, analyze structural conditions, and examine architectural cross-sections without physically disturbing the building.
In many ways, lidar provides something close to X-ray vision for architecture.
A Digital Foundation for Preservation
The digitalization of Staro Zdanje demonstrates that technology and heritage are not opposing forces. On the contrary, they are powerful allies.
Without precise 3D documentation, any future restoration would rely heavily on assumptions. With the HBIM model now available, conservation teams have a detailed roadmap for preserving the palace.
As we packed up in the park of Bukovička Banja and looked back at the silent palace, it was clear: Staro Zdanje’s history is now preserved in digital form. The lidar scans and HBIM model give architects, conservators, and historians a tool to protect this heritage—and ensure that Prince Mihailo’s vision lives on for generations to come.
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