Imagine traveling to the past. Open your eyes and, as if you were climbing into a time machine, you find yourself centuries ago immersed in one of the most exquisite constructions of the Alhambra: La Torre de la Cautiva.
Using the photogrammetry technique, with more than 3000 photographs and high quality 3D digitization of actors, the virtual reality project at the Alhambra continues to advance and comes to life around the visitor. Watch the Making Off! A preview of the virtualization of the Torre de la Cautiva, a singular non-visitable space of the monumental enclosure of the Alhambra and Generalife.
The Torre de la Cautiva is a space that, due to its architectural and decorative richness, marks a moment of maximum purity of Nasrid art. The tower-dwelling duality, its complex plasterwork or the use of architectural ceramics make it a unique space in the monumental complex of the palatine city of the Alhambra in Granada.
A few months ago, we published the first installment of this innovative project with another making off, in which the information capture and photogrammetry process was explained. In the phase presented today, the scene has been completed with properly documented characters and objects that allow this space to be revived in the 14th century. The narration goes back in time from our days to the legend of the captive Christian princess of the emir, and from there to the decoration of the interior of the tower by a craftsman of the Nasrid period. All this animated and wrapped in the oriental atmosphere that surrounds the Alhambra. Thanks to digital reconstruction technology, the walls, floors and windows have been dressed, furniture has been added and the light, the wind, or the landscape have been animated through the window.
Technology attracts new audiences in museums and monuments
One of the ways to give life and offer new ways of disseminating collections and heritage is using virtual reality. Digital photorealism and total immersion offer a unique experience, and in the post-COVID era and digital transformation they represent an opportunity to reach more audiences or enhance the desire to visit.
Visitors explore the past: what has survived over time, what has changed and how a space was used.
Soon we will carry out the final delivery of this project, which will consist of showing the scenes fully animated and making them accessible to the visitor through the audio guides of the visitor service developed and operated by GVAM for the Alhambra. This system will be compatible with the use of disposable VR glasses so that visitors can take them home, and will continue with the production of other spaces open to the public or not, that bring the public closer to the culture and secrets of the Alhambra.
The project is carried out in collaboration with Miopia Efectos Visuales, a leading Spanish company in the field of visual effects.
