Basis of Structure from Motion Survey. An Italian experimental didactic approach at the first year bachelor in architecture

The contribution describes the didactic experience of teaching the basis of automated structure from motion survey to the first-year students of architecture in the Italian context of Politecnico di Torino during the last two academic years. This experience is part of the wider educational proposal of the Architectural Drawing and Survey Laboratory, an annual course that guides freshmen in acquiring the foundations of architectural language (drawing) and the basis of the useful tools for analysing the built (survey). The course structure includes descriptive geometry, hand drawing, 2D/3D CAD drawing, direct survey procedures (trilateration, progressive and partial measuring) and indirect survey techniques (photography, level, picture rectification and automated structure from motion). The main issue students encountered with automated SfM taught at the first year is choosing an object that could be easily elaborated, mainly because of shapes or too flat surfaces that do not support a correct finding of homologues points in different pictures. We discuss possible improvements to this activity.