Creation of the Digital Twin of the Cabo de Palos Lighthouse by Reverse Engineering

In current times, it is common to hear about interactive tours and virtual museums to visit places which are sometimes inaccessible or difficult to access. Additionally, the conservation and maintenance of certain structural and historical works need to be preserved by digitizing their three-dimensional geometry, obtaining 3D models faithful to the reality that can become parametric with the help of mesh and point cloud processing software. In this specific case, this process of obtaining a 3D model from point clouds obtained by 3D scanning techniques will supply digital information of the Cabo de Palos Lighthouse. This monument is part of the architectural and cultural heritage of the Murcian municipality of Cartagena, built in 1865, on the Levante coast in south-eastern Spain. In order to create a digital model faithful to the real one, which is called a digital twin, the three main steps of reverse engineering are carried out: 3D scanning, solid modelling after mesh processing and revision of the resulting geometry; for each of them, the use of different technological equipment, technical tools and different computer programs that guarantee the necessary quality for the reproduction of the 3D model sought is foreseen.