A university student has produced a stunning digital reconstruction of how a famous ruined castle would have looked if it hadn't been destroyed almost 400 years ago.
Ciprian Selegean's footage of Corfe Castle in Dorset is so realistic it looks as if someone has filmed the medieval hilltop fortress in its prime today.
The 22-year-old used computer animation technology to digitally rebuild the castle that was destroyed by Oliver Cromwell's Parliamentarian army in the English Civil War.
Selegean spent months researching the history of the important monument and studying drawings of it to determine exactly how it used to look.
He then brought it to life using several software programmes to create a realistic moving 3D representation.
The historical reconstruction makes it look as if the impressive stronghold was never destroyed and even has a period guardsman standing watch outside the impressive castle gate.
As the footage rolls, the digital reconstruction is morphed with real images today to reveal how it actually looks.
Staff at the National Trust, which owns the historic tourist attraction, are so impressed with Selegean's work they are showing the video in their ticket office to help visitors understand what the castle looked like when complete.
Bringing Corfe Castle back to life: Digital reconstruction restores the iconic Dorset ruin to its former glory 400 years after it was destroyed during the English Civil War
Ciprian Selegean, 22, used computer animation technology to digitally rebuild Corfe Castle in Dorset
The monument was destroyed by Oliver Cromwell's Parliamentarian army in the English Civil War in 1646
Selegean spent months researching the history of the monument, as well as studying 17th century drawings of it
He then brought it to life using several software programmes to create a realistic moving 3D representation
By Victoria Woollaston for MailOnline
14 April 2016
Daily Mail
A university student has produced a stunning digital reconstruction of how a famous ruined castle would have looked if it hadn't been destroyed almost 400 years ago.
Ciprian Selegean's footage of Corfe Castle in Dorset is so realistic it looks as if someone has filmed the medieval hilltop fortress in its prime today.
The 22-year-old used computer animation technology to digitally rebuild the castle that was destroyed by Oliver Cromwell's Parliamentarian army in the English Civil War.
The 22-year-old used computer animation technology to digitally rebuild the castle (ruins pictured) that was blown up on the orders of Parliament in March 1646 during the English Civil War. Corfe Castle sits on a hill on the Isle of Purbeck (which is actually a peninsula jutting out into the English Channel), in Dorset. It was originally built in wood sometime in the 10th century but was rebuilt in stone by William the Conqueror in the 11th Century
Selegean spent months researching the history of the important monument and studying drawings of it to determine exactly how it used to look.
He then brought it to life using several software programmes to create a realistic moving 3D representation.
The historical reconstruction makes it look as if the impressive stronghold was never destroyed and even has a period guardsman standing watch outside the impressive castle gate.
As the footage rolls, the digital reconstruction is morphed with real images today to reveal how it actually looks.
Staff at the National Trust, which owns the historic tourist attraction, are so impressed with Selegean's work they are showing the video in their ticket office to help visitors understand what the castle looked like when complete.
This view of the digital reconstruction would have been similar to the imposing view faced by the Parliamentarians when they seized the castle from Chief Justice Sir John Bankes and his family in February 1646
Selegean spent months researching the history of the important monument and studying drawings of it to determine exactly how it used to look. He then brought it to life using several software programmes to create a realistic moving 3D representation (model pictured)
Selegean said the biggest challenge was making the castle look accurate and blending the CGI model with the real footage. The entire project took about four months and two field trips to create. The castle - a Grade I listed building and a Scheduled Ancient Monument - is open to the public and receives about 190,000 visitors a year
Selegean, who is from Romania but moved to Britain to study in September 2012, is doing a masters degree in computer animation and the Corfe Castle project is part of it.
He said: 'I'm interested in medieval culture anyway and wanted to reconstruct a castle.
'I found out about Corfe Castle and thought it would be perfect because it is in ruins but it is still a really beautiful castle with great views. It really captured my attention.
'I started gathering material about the history of the castle and found some illustrations but the problem was all of them were different in some way. I managed to find more detailed descriptions in a few history books.'
The historical reconstruction makes it look as if the impressive stronghold was never destroyed and even has a period guardsman standing watch outside the impressive castle gate (pictured)
He admitted he struggled to determine what kind of battlement the castle had from pictures, so visited the castle and found a small area that still contains preserved battlements.
'I wanted to combine real live action film with digital effects, it's the same techniques they use in films,' Selegean continued.
'The biggest challenge was making it accurate and blending the CGI model with the real live action footage. It took about four months and two field trips to create but I'm really pleased with it.'
Corfe Castle, which sits on a hill on the Isle of Purbeck, was originally built in wood sometime in the 10th century but was rebuilt in stone by William the Conqueror in the latter half of the 11th Century.
It was a royal fortress for almost 500 years until Queen Elizabeth I sold it to Sir Christopher Hatton, her Lord Chancellor, in 1572.
As the footage rolls, the digital reconstruction is morphed with real film shot today to reveal how it actually looks (storyboard shown). Selegean, who is from Romania but moved to Britain to study in September 2012, is doing a masters degree in computer animation and the Corfe Castle project is part of it
The designer admitted he struggled to determine what kind of battlement the castle had from pictures, so visited the castle and found a small area that still contains preserved battlements. This image shows part of the castle being digitally constructed
The ruined Corfe Castle overlooks the Dorset village of Corfe
The castle was bought in 1635 by Lord Chief Justice Sir John Bankes as an occasional private residence, but the family moved in permanently when the English Civil War broke out.
Lady Bankes and her supporters successfully withstood a six-week siege by Parliamentarians in 1643 and by 1645 Corfe Castle was one of a few remaining strongholds in southern England that remained under royal control.
But a garrison officer colluded with the Parliamentarians and they seized the castle in February 1646. The family was allowed to leave but the castle was then destroyed on Parliament's orders in March of that year. Carried away were rich tapestries and furniture from the days of Sir Christopher Hatton as well as goods belonging to Lady Bankes and her family.
The castle (early stages of the animation pictured) was bought in 1635 by Lord Chief Justice Sir John Bankes as an occasional private residence, but the family moved in permanently when the English Civil War broke out. Lady Bankes and her supporters successfully withstood a six-week siege by Parliamentarians in 1643 and by 1645 Corfe Castle was one of a few remaining strongholds that remained
The Bankes family regained their properties with the restoration of the monarchy in 1660, but decided not to rebuild the castle (animation model pictured). It remained in their ownership until it was bequeathed to the National Trust in 1982. The castle was one of the most important strongholds of its day, but less than 40 per cent remains now
Watch Ciprian Selegean's stunning digital reconstruction of how Corfe Castle would have looked if it hadn't been destroyed almost 400 years ago:
The Bankes family regained their properties with the restoration of the monarchy in 1660, but decided not to rebuild the castle. It remained in their ownership until it was bequeathed to the National Trust in 1982.
The castle - a Grade I listed building and a Scheduled Ancient Monument - is open to the public and receives about 190,000 visitors a year.
Pam White, from the National Trust, said: 'We are absolutely delighted with the video. It really shows the castle as it would have been in medieval times as a castle and then a massive country house. It's brilliant the way it then falls away to show it as it is now.
'One of the problems we have is trying to get people to envisage what it would have looked like. Ciprian has done a very good job of it. The reconstructed castle looks very authentic.'
The castle was one of the most important strongholds of its day, but less than 40 per cent remains now.
The English Civil War took place between 1642 and 1651. A series of armed conflicts took place between the Parliamentarians, known as the Roundheads, and the Royalist Cavaliers. The Battle of Naseby, one of the key battles from the war, is illustrated
THE TURBULENT HISTORY OF ONE OF ENGLAND'S MOST IMPRESSIVE STRONGHOLDS
Corfe Castle sits on a hill on the Isle of Purbeck, in Dorset.
It was originally built in wood sometime in the 10th century but was rebuilt in stone by William the Conqueror in the 11th Century.
It was a royal fortress for almost 500 years until Queen Elizabeth I sold it to Sir Christopher Hatton, her Lord Chancellor, in 1572 and in 1635, Lord Chief Justice Sir John Bankes bought it as a private residence.
Corfe Castle (illustrated) was a royal fortress for almost 500 years until Queen Elizabeth I sold it to Sir Christopher Hatton, her Lord Chancellor, in 1572
Lady Bankes and her supporters successfully withstood a six-week siege by Parliamentarians in 1643 and by 1645 Corfe Castle was one of a few remaining strongholds in southern England under royal control.
But a garrison officer colluded with the Parliamentarians and they seized the castle in February 1646.
The family was allowed to leave but the castle was then destroyed on Parliament's orders in march of that year. Carried away were rich tapestries and furniture from the days of Sir Christopher Hatton as well as goods belonging to Lady Bankes and her family.
The Bankes family regained their properties with the restoration of the monarchy in 1660, but decided not to rebuild the castle. It remained in their ownership until it was bequeathed to the National Trust in 1982.
Ciprian Selegean's footage of Corfe Castle in Dorset is so realistic it looks as if someone has filmed the medieval hilltop fortress in its prime today.
The 22-year-old used computer animation technology to digitally rebuild the castle that was destroyed by Oliver Cromwell's Parliamentarian army in the English Civil War.
Selegean spent months researching the history of the important monument and studying drawings of it to determine exactly how it used to look.
He then brought it to life using several software programmes to create a realistic moving 3D representation.
The historical reconstruction makes it look as if the impressive stronghold was never destroyed and even has a period guardsman standing watch outside the impressive castle gate.
As the footage rolls, the digital reconstruction is morphed with real images today to reveal how it actually looks.
Staff at the National Trust, which owns the historic tourist attraction, are so impressed with Selegean's work they are showing the video in their ticket office to help visitors understand what the castle looked like when complete.
Bringing Corfe Castle back to life: Digital reconstruction restores the iconic Dorset ruin to its former glory 400 years after it was destroyed during the English Civil War
Ciprian Selegean, 22, used computer animation technology to digitally rebuild Corfe Castle in Dorset
The monument was destroyed by Oliver Cromwell's Parliamentarian army in the English Civil War in 1646
Selegean spent months researching the history of the monument, as well as studying 17th century drawings of it
He then brought it to life using several software programmes to create a realistic moving 3D representation
By Victoria Woollaston for MailOnline
14 April 2016
Daily Mail
A university student has produced a stunning digital reconstruction of how a famous ruined castle would have looked if it hadn't been destroyed almost 400 years ago.
Ciprian Selegean's footage of Corfe Castle in Dorset is so realistic it looks as if someone has filmed the medieval hilltop fortress in its prime today.
The 22-year-old used computer animation technology to digitally rebuild the castle that was destroyed by Oliver Cromwell's Parliamentarian army in the English Civil War.
The 22-year-old used computer animation technology to digitally rebuild the castle (ruins pictured) that was blown up on the orders of Parliament in March 1646 during the English Civil War. Corfe Castle sits on a hill on the Isle of Purbeck (which is actually a peninsula jutting out into the English Channel), in Dorset. It was originally built in wood sometime in the 10th century but was rebuilt in stone by William the Conqueror in the 11th Century
Selegean spent months researching the history of the important monument and studying drawings of it to determine exactly how it used to look.
He then brought it to life using several software programmes to create a realistic moving 3D representation.
The historical reconstruction makes it look as if the impressive stronghold was never destroyed and even has a period guardsman standing watch outside the impressive castle gate.
As the footage rolls, the digital reconstruction is morphed with real images today to reveal how it actually looks.
Staff at the National Trust, which owns the historic tourist attraction, are so impressed with Selegean's work they are showing the video in their ticket office to help visitors understand what the castle looked like when complete.
This view of the digital reconstruction would have been similar to the imposing view faced by the Parliamentarians when they seized the castle from Chief Justice Sir John Bankes and his family in February 1646
Selegean spent months researching the history of the important monument and studying drawings of it to determine exactly how it used to look. He then brought it to life using several software programmes to create a realistic moving 3D representation (model pictured)
Selegean said the biggest challenge was making the castle look accurate and blending the CGI model with the real footage. The entire project took about four months and two field trips to create. The castle - a Grade I listed building and a Scheduled Ancient Monument - is open to the public and receives about 190,000 visitors a year
Selegean, who is from Romania but moved to Britain to study in September 2012, is doing a masters degree in computer animation and the Corfe Castle project is part of it.
He said: 'I'm interested in medieval culture anyway and wanted to reconstruct a castle.
'I found out about Corfe Castle and thought it would be perfect because it is in ruins but it is still a really beautiful castle with great views. It really captured my attention.
'I started gathering material about the history of the castle and found some illustrations but the problem was all of them were different in some way. I managed to find more detailed descriptions in a few history books.'
The historical reconstruction makes it look as if the impressive stronghold was never destroyed and even has a period guardsman standing watch outside the impressive castle gate (pictured)
He admitted he struggled to determine what kind of battlement the castle had from pictures, so visited the castle and found a small area that still contains preserved battlements.
'I wanted to combine real live action film with digital effects, it's the same techniques they use in films,' Selegean continued.
'The biggest challenge was making it accurate and blending the CGI model with the real live action footage. It took about four months and two field trips to create but I'm really pleased with it.'
Corfe Castle, which sits on a hill on the Isle of Purbeck, was originally built in wood sometime in the 10th century but was rebuilt in stone by William the Conqueror in the latter half of the 11th Century.
It was a royal fortress for almost 500 years until Queen Elizabeth I sold it to Sir Christopher Hatton, her Lord Chancellor, in 1572.
As the footage rolls, the digital reconstruction is morphed with real film shot today to reveal how it actually looks (storyboard shown). Selegean, who is from Romania but moved to Britain to study in September 2012, is doing a masters degree in computer animation and the Corfe Castle project is part of it
The designer admitted he struggled to determine what kind of battlement the castle had from pictures, so visited the castle and found a small area that still contains preserved battlements. This image shows part of the castle being digitally constructed
The ruined Corfe Castle overlooks the Dorset village of Corfe
The castle was bought in 1635 by Lord Chief Justice Sir John Bankes as an occasional private residence, but the family moved in permanently when the English Civil War broke out.
Lady Bankes and her supporters successfully withstood a six-week siege by Parliamentarians in 1643 and by 1645 Corfe Castle was one of a few remaining strongholds in southern England that remained under royal control.
But a garrison officer colluded with the Parliamentarians and they seized the castle in February 1646. The family was allowed to leave but the castle was then destroyed on Parliament's orders in March of that year. Carried away were rich tapestries and furniture from the days of Sir Christopher Hatton as well as goods belonging to Lady Bankes and her family.
The castle (early stages of the animation pictured) was bought in 1635 by Lord Chief Justice Sir John Bankes as an occasional private residence, but the family moved in permanently when the English Civil War broke out. Lady Bankes and her supporters successfully withstood a six-week siege by Parliamentarians in 1643 and by 1645 Corfe Castle was one of a few remaining strongholds that remained
The Bankes family regained their properties with the restoration of the monarchy in 1660, but decided not to rebuild the castle (animation model pictured). It remained in their ownership until it was bequeathed to the National Trust in 1982. The castle was one of the most important strongholds of its day, but less than 40 per cent remains now
Watch Ciprian Selegean's stunning digital reconstruction of how Corfe Castle would have looked if it hadn't been destroyed almost 400 years ago:
The Bankes family regained their properties with the restoration of the monarchy in 1660, but decided not to rebuild the castle. It remained in their ownership until it was bequeathed to the National Trust in 1982.
The castle - a Grade I listed building and a Scheduled Ancient Monument - is open to the public and receives about 190,000 visitors a year.
Pam White, from the National Trust, said: 'We are absolutely delighted with the video. It really shows the castle as it would have been in medieval times as a castle and then a massive country house. It's brilliant the way it then falls away to show it as it is now.
'One of the problems we have is trying to get people to envisage what it would have looked like. Ciprian has done a very good job of it. The reconstructed castle looks very authentic.'
The castle was one of the most important strongholds of its day, but less than 40 per cent remains now.
The English Civil War took place between 1642 and 1651. A series of armed conflicts took place between the Parliamentarians, known as the Roundheads, and the Royalist Cavaliers. The Battle of Naseby, one of the key battles from the war, is illustrated
THE TURBULENT HISTORY OF ONE OF ENGLAND'S MOST IMPRESSIVE STRONGHOLDS
Corfe Castle sits on a hill on the Isle of Purbeck, in Dorset.
It was originally built in wood sometime in the 10th century but was rebuilt in stone by William the Conqueror in the 11th Century.
It was a royal fortress for almost 500 years until Queen Elizabeth I sold it to Sir Christopher Hatton, her Lord Chancellor, in 1572 and in 1635, Lord Chief Justice Sir John Bankes bought it as a private residence.
Lady Bankes and her supporters successfully withstood a six-week siege by Parliamentarians in 1643 and by 1645 Corfe Castle was one of a few remaining strongholds in southern England under royal control.
But a garrison officer colluded with the Parliamentarians and they seized the castle in February 1646.
The family was allowed to leave but the castle was then destroyed on Parliament's orders in march of that year. Carried away were rich tapestries and furniture from the days of Sir Christopher Hatton as well as goods belonging to Lady Bankes and her family.
The Bankes family regained their properties with the restoration of the monarchy in 1660, but decided not to rebuild the castle. It remained in their ownership until it was bequeathed to the National Trust in 1982.
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