Using Cinematographic Tools for Historic House Digital Restorations

Digital architectural restorations, sometimes called virtual restorations, are three-dimensional computer models that are designed to reconstruct a historic structure in much the same way a physical restoration would. Using the existing architectural fabric and archival research, both methods speculate the structure and finishes of the original space. They can create wholly immersive environments that are populated with period furnishings, ephemera, people, and atmosphere in cases where original structures and objects which have been lost or destroyed, or where subsequent construction has altered the building. Computer software which is readily available and relatively inexpensive can be combined with the cinematographic techniques to produce visually dynamic re-created scenes that illustrate architectural spaces from the past for substantially smaller budgets.