Mesocco Castle – 1,171 photos for a castle in 3D

One of our research projects: with a small drone we photographed the castle from the air and turned it into an explorable 3D model, from which 18 360° photos take you into the courtyard.

View the virtual tour

We wanted to see how far you can get with a drone weighing less than 250 grams. So on 12 July 2024 we flew over Mesocco Castle, one of the most imposing ruins in Graubünden, on a rocky spur above the Mesolcina valley. In an hour and a half the drone took 1,171 photos: first from above in a grid, then circling the walls, and finally closer in, to capture the details. From those photos, photogrammetry software (Agisoft Metashape) rebuilt a 3D model of around 7 million triangles: the hill, the ring of walls, the Romanesque bell tower of San Carpoforo and the paths leading up to the castle. We then brought the model into 3DVista and added 18 360° photos taken on the ground the same day. One click on a point in the model puts you in the courtyard, and from there you can take off again whenever you like. The result is a castle you can visit all year round, from anywhere in the world, and from angles that are impossible on foot: a way to let people discover a place before they go, to bring it into the classroom, or to show it to those who can't make the climb. And with a virtual reality headset such as the Meta Quest, you really find yourself flying over the walls.

Explore the tour

Start the 360° tour

The 3D model takes a few seconds to load · click a blue point to step into the 360° photo

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How to move around the 3D model with a mouse

• Hold the left button and drag: move the view
• Hold the right button and drag: turn around the castle
• Scroll wheel: zoom in or out
• WASDW A S D keys: move with the keyboard too
• Click a blue point: step into the 360° photo taken there
• In the 360° photos, click the drone icon in the sky: back to the view from above

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