3.3. Visualization
Visualization of archaeological information is one of the most attractive ways in which computer technology can be employed in archaeology. This word is taken for any exploration and reproduction of data by graphical means. The use of this technique allows visual interpretation of data through rep resentation, modelling. display of solids, surfaces, properties r animation, which is rarely possible in traditional paper pub lication. Visualization techniques are constantly evolving. In the early 1990s, visualizntion mennt 3D modelling: most of these 3D models were developed for museum presentations. In 1992 P.Reilly provided an excellent historical overview of 3D modelling in archaeology l13]: it is a little dated but basic utilizations are still the same. Al the beginning there were mainly solid-model reconstructions, which allow the art ehaeologists to visunlize the aboveground appearance of sites thal, until this moment, they only knew from their foundations Virtual reconstruction is still a very frequent intent for the con- struction of 3D models in our time. More recently, surface models have also been applied in archaeology. In contrast to solid models these techniques incorporate no information regarding the solid geometry of a building and simply present it as a series of two-dimensional flat surfaces that can be rendered or viewed in a variety of ways. A surface model would not allow the modeller to cut a cross section through a building or to calculate its internal volume I14]