Images par laser

The Royal Commission, working in collaboration with Luminous, have carried out laser scanning of St Winefride’s Chapel in Holywell.

Laser scanning enables the rapid collection of 3D data in great detail and to millimetre accuracy. The process involves mounting a laser scanner on a tripod next to the area to be scanned. The scanner fires a laser and by measuring the time it takes for the laser to be reflected back from an object it hits, a distance is calculated. The scanner records everything within its field of view and as it systematically sweeps the area around it, a complete picture of the 3D space is created. The data collected is known as a point cloud and contains information on many millions of points. This data can be analysed to extract valuable information and used to create a variety of products from plans, sections and elevations through to animations.

The laser scanning for Journey to the Past was undertaken between December 2017 and January 2018 by Luminous. The data provides a detailed and accurate record of the buildings at the time and has been archived for future generations within the National Monuments Record of Wales. The resulting fly-throughs shown in the videos on this website are just one ‘virtual’ product created; more important is the on-going use of the data to assist the future management and conservation of the buildings.