Published on 22/05/2025

Point Cloud vs. Cleaned-Up 3D Models: What Are We Really Preserving?

When working with 3D data, especially in cultural heritage and geospatial contexts, we’re often faced with a critical decision: Do we present raw, high-fidelity point clouds that capture the world as it is, or do we clean them up into simplified, more digestible models for the audience? It raises deeper questions about truth, clarity, purpose, and preservation.

In my work on 3D reconstructions, including the photogrammetric model of the Candi Sewu temple complex in Yogyakarta (shown below), I often wrestle with this trade-off. Point clouds let you see everything: cracks, erosion, deformation. But cleaned-up models provide a smoother, clearer, more accessible view for non-specialist audiences.

The central temple of Candi Sewu temple complex, Yogyakarta, Indonesia (2019)

This model was produced during the Digital Heritage Documentation Tropical School organized by INSA Strasbourg in 2019, which took place at Candi Sewu Temple complex near to my hometown, Yogyakarta. We surveyed the main complex using a DJI Phantom 4 RTK, from both nadir and oblique photos. While not razor-sharp, the resulting 3D model demonstrates how photogrammetry can capture substantial detail—even when processed under limited conditions.

So which one do we choose?

It depends on the audience, the objective, and the message we want to convey.

Are we documenting reality?
Or are we presenting a curated, idealized version of it?

This article is a placeholder. In the near future, I’ll be writing a full exploration of this balance between raw fidelity and interpretive modeling. I’ll share examples, workflows, and principles for deciding when to use one approach over the other—and why that decision matters.

Stay tuned.

Tags: #topography#modelling#surface