Cultural heritage preserves the memory of history and records the evolution of civilizations. As digital technologies continue to transform the field of heritage conservation, how to accurately document, preserve, and innovatively present historic sites has become an increasingly important challenge.

In July this year, Wuhan Tianbaonet Technology Co., Ltd. (Tianbaonet) officially joined hands with Hubei University of Technology to carry out a digital preservation project for the Mingxianling Imperial Mausoleum. Tianbaonet provided professional 3D scanning equipment throughout the project and delivered on-site technical services. Leveraging its extensive expertise in 3D digitization, the project team developed an integrated aerial-ground solution combining UAV oblique photogrammetry, terrestrial 3D scanning, and 3D Gaussian Splatting (3DGS) based on the site's specific requirements. The solution enabled comprehensive digital data acquisition and 3D scene reconstruction, providing a solid data foundation for heritage preservation, research, and digital presentation.

Located in Zhongxiang, Hubei Province, Mingxianling Imperial Mausoleum was built during the Ming Dynasty by the Jiajing Emperor for the joint burial of his parents. It is one of the largest and best-preserved imperial mausoleum complexes from the Ming Dynasty in China. Its distinctive “two tombs within one mausoleum" layout, exquisite glazed screen wall, and carefully arranged architectural complex embody significant historical, artistic, and cultural value.

In recent years, digital technologies such as 3D scanning, UAV oblique photogrammetry, and reality-based 3D reconstruction have continued to mature, gradually driving heritage preservation from conventional documentation toward digital and intelligent approaches. Compared with traditional surveying and mapping methods, digital technologies can capture the spatial structure, architectural forms, and surrounding environmental relationships of heritage sites more comprehensively, providing reliable data for restoration and conservation, academic research, and digital visualization.

For this project, Hubei University of Technology contributed its research expertise in digital heritage studies, while Tianbaonet leveraged its technical capabilities in 3D data acquisition, equipment deployment, and project implementation to support field operations and data production. Through this university-industry collaboration, the two parties worked together to promote the deeper integration of digital technologies with cultural heritage preservation.

Mingxianling covers an extensive area, with historic buildings, stone carvings, imperial pathways, outer walls, and other heritage elements distributed across the site. Traditional manual surveying can generally capture only localized dimensions, making it difficult to comprehensively preserve the overall spatial relationships and fine textures of stone carvings, structural elements, and architectural details. Meanwhile, relying solely on UAV oblique photogrammetry may result in insufficient detail and texture distortion in areas such as building eaves, inscriptions, and decorative carvings, making it difficult to meet the requirements of high-precision heritage documentation and restoration research.

To address these challenges, Tianbaonet's technical team adopted an integrated aerial-ground data acquisition approach. UAV oblique photogrammetry was used to capture large-scale spatial information, while terrestrial 3D scanning was employed to supplement detailed data in key areas. The resulting multi-source datasets were then integrated and reconstructed into a 3D scene using Lixel CyberColor (LCC) technology.

The project first employed UAV-based oblique photogrammetry to collect multi-view imagery of the site. This enabled comprehensive acquisition of spatial information covering the outer walls, architectural layout, roads, waterways, and surrounding environment of Mingxianling, quickly establishing a digital data foundation for the entire mausoleum complex.

For major buildings and stone-carved elements across the site, the technical team used the Liguang K2 handheld 3D scanner for detailed data acquisition. Lightweight and portable, the device delivers high acquisition efficiency and allows flexible operation across complex terrain such as steps and slopes. Its integrated RTK module can seamlessly align with the coordinate system of the UAV imagery, helping maintain consistent spatial references between aerial and terrestrial datasets and providing a reliable foundation for subsequent data integration.

After field acquisition was completed, the team used LCC aerial-ground data fusion technology to automatically integrate aerial and terrestrial datasets. Combined with an optimized 3D Gaussian Splatting (3DGS) algorithm, the workflow enabled rapid generation of a reality-based 3D model with centimeter-level accuracy.

The resulting model faithfully reproduces the external architectural structures, stone-carved elements, and overall landscape configuration of the Ming Dynasty mausoleum, while preserving authentic colors and surface textures captured on site.

Compared with traditional 2D documentation, the 3D digital deliverables provide a more intuitive representation of the spatial relationships within the heritage site. This extends heritage preservation from physical preservation to digital preservation, allowing valuable historical information to transcend limitations of time and space and remain available for long-term research, conservation, and digital presentation.

From cultural heritage preservation to industrial digitalization, and from engineering construction to urban spatial management, 3D digital technologies are continually expanding their application boundaries.

Tianbaonet's participation in the Mingxianling digital preservation project represents another valuable application of its expertise in 3D spatial data acquisition and digitalization. Drawing on extensive experience in 3D surveying and mapping projects, Tianbaonet continues to integrate advanced equipment, professional technologies, and industry-specific requirements to deliver integrated solutions covering data acquisition, 3D reconstruction, and digital deliverable applications.

Looking ahead, Tianbaonet will continue to focus on 3D spatial data acquisition, intelligent reconstruction, and digital applications, promoting the adoption of advanced surveying and mapping technologies in fields including urban renewal, cultural heritage preservation, and engineering construction. By digitally preserving more valuable spatial information, Tianbaonet is committed to making technology a lasting bridge between the past and the future.