Virtual Three-Dimensional Recreation: The Tower of the Captive of the Alhambra comes to life

NEWS


12 April, 2021

Virtual Three-Dimensional Recreation: The Tower of the Captive of the Alhambra comes to life

Get ready to take an extraordinary journey to the legend of the emir’s captive Christian princess and relive the spaces of great architectural and decorative wealth of the Torre de la Cautiva, belonging to the Monumental Complex of the Alhambra. The final delivery of the virtual three-dimensional Recreation project of the Torre de la Cautiva is here, a unique non-visitable space of the Alhambra and Generalife that allows visitors to immerse themselves in the story of Isabel de Solís, the Christian captive of the emir of the Nasrid Kingdom of Granada Muley Hacen in 1474.

During the previous phase of this production carried out by GVAM, the production company Miopia Effects Visual and Anto Benítez (university professor and director), the scenes of characters and objects that gave life to this journey in time from our days to the legend of the captive christian princess of the emir. For this final version, the complete animation of the scenes inside the tower has been made in order to revive this Nasrid space in the 14th century through total immersion. This production will be incorporated into the official APP of the Alhambra and Generalife. GVAM and Miopia are also working to publish this production in VR markets and thus enjoy a more immersive experience from home with the use of virtual reality glasses.

The Photorealistic Virtual Three-dimensional Recreation represents the infinite possibilities that technology can contribute to the dissemination of artistic heritage. The precision in the 3D recreation of the relief has allowed the walls, floors or windows of the tower to come to life with full control over lighting. Each editable virtual “object” is manipulable, allowing adaptability to the decorative variables that the project requires, as well as recreating materials worn by the passage of time.

Without a doubt, the words do not give credit to the realism achieved in the project with virtual reality, the play of lights and textures and the magic of the total immersion of the story. Therefore we invite you to see the final Making Of of the virtual Recreation of the Torre de la Cautiva.

In the video you can see the beginning of a trip: we fly over the Alhambra admiring its entire extension until we enter the Torre de la Cautiva. Once inside we can observe its different spaces, each one of them meticulously recreated with great detail. Vibrantly colored rugs, blinds, and other decorative elements fill the luxuriously decorated space where the princess rests taciturnly, accompanied by her servants. We also see through the 3D recreation the construction and decoration carried out by a Nasrid craftsman, a meticulous work where the total control of the light with the passing of the hours of the day marks the realism of the scene and where we can observe the paintings and reliefs that the craftsman adds on the walls of the Tower while working in his workshop. Night and lightning flood the princess’s room with a tremendously suggestive play of light. After a flight of image we return to de la Torre where we entered for the first time, once again flying over the Alhambra site and admiring its grandeur. A space that cannot be visited by the public due to its delicate state of conservation that is revived thanks to the techniques of photorealism and photogrammetry.

The project is a VR production experience of the highest quality, which we plan to expand to other heritage sites, monuments, archaeological ruins, cities or museums. The virtual recreation of the Torre de la Cautiva de la Alhambra is a clear example of the possibilities that digital transformation has in the visitor experience, where technological innovations together with a powerful narrative can add great value to the heritage and museum field.