Numinor, Marketplace Version 27. The large Builder's Guild building was changed out for another version. Linework below buildings was the 'phone pole placement for the NZ backlot. The buildings on the lower end of the plaza were by another designer.
Numinor, Marketplace Version 27. Reverse view. The buildings on the upper left corner were made by an associate and integrated into my model. Green indicates set extensions by VFX. Modeled in SketchUp.
Numinor, Marketplace Version 27. lateral view. The buildings to the right were made by an associate and integrated into my model. The high version numbers here were due to the number of buildings in the set. Change one and the whole city jumps a version.
Numinor, Marketplace Version 27. lateral view. All the buildings in this view were modeled by me. Green indicates set extensions. Modeled in SketchUp.
Numinor, Marketplace Version 29. Builder's Guild Building in its final form. All the buildings in this view were modeled by me. Green indicates set extensions. Modeled in SketchUp.
Numinor, Marketplace Version 29. View up Armorer's Alley. All the buildings in this view were modeled by me. Green indicates set extensions. Modeled in SketchUp.
Numinor, Finished set. This is a view of the set looking at the entrance to Armorer's Alley. BG building camera left is the Armorer's Workshop shown below with door plugs in place.
Numinor, Finished set. This is a closer view of the set looking at the entrance to Armorer's Alley. The armorer's shop has its door plugs in place.
Numinor, Armorer's Shop final Version. The entrance to Armorer's Alley is camera-right. Modeled in SketchUp.
Numinor, Armorer's Shop final version. The entrance to Armorer's Alley is beyond at R. Green indicates set extensions. Modeled in SketchUp.
Numinor, Armorer's Shop Final Version. The entrance to Armorer's Alley is at R. beyond. Green indicates set extensions. Modeled in SketchUp.
Numinor, Armorer's Alley, finished set. The shrine changed, but everything else remains! I swoon from shock!
Numinor, Armorer's Shop Final Version. The view is a reverse from Armorer's Alley looking towards the Builder's Guild building (Version 28). Green indicates set extensions. Modeled in SketchUp.
Numinor, Armorer's shop, finished set. The entrance to Armorer's Alley is camera-right. This is the version of the facade with the doors open and dressed as the armorer's workshop.
Numinor, Armorer's Shop Final Version. Interior view. This was not how the set was ultimately dressed, but it gives an impression of what was wanted in development. Modeled in SketchUp.
Numinor, Armorer's Shop final Version. Interior view. Modeled in SketchUp.
Numinor, Armorer's Shop final Version. Interior view. Modeled in SketchUp.
Numinor, Armorer's Shop final Version. Interior view looking out over plaza. Modeled in SketchUp.
Numinor. Marketplace, Builders Guild façade version 18. I include these to show the variety of different styles we used to develop the façade. Some of which required some pretty complex modeling. Modeled in SketchUp.
Numinor. Marketplace, Builders Guild façade version 27. I include these to show the variety of different styles we used to develop the façade. Modeled in SketchUp.
Numinor. Marketplace, Builders Guild façade version 27a. I include these to show the variety of different styles we used to develop the façade. Green indicated set extension. Modeled in SketchUp.
Numinor. Marketplace, Builders Guild façade version 28. I include these to show the variety of different styles we used to develop the façade. Figures are made in Poser, rug and loincloths were done with the ClothWorks plugin. The rest was SketchUp.
Numinor. Marketplace, Builders Guild façade version 28. IFigures are made in Poser, rug and loincloths were done with the ClothWorks plugin. The rest was SketchUp.
Numinor. Marketplace, Builders Guild façade final version. The director wanted a monumental façade so our version 28 façade was stretched and the Atlantids (yep that's what you call them) were reposed and placed on pedestals. Figures were imports from VFX
Numinor, Marketplace, finished set. Builders Guild façade final version. The facade to camera right is the armorer's. Everything above the second story with the blue wainscot is CG.
Numinor, Marketplace, finished set. Builders Guild façade final version.
The Courtyard That Was Never Used (at least in season 1). As season 2 is being shot in Great Britain I suppose it will stay in the Limbo of Lost Sets. Modeled in SketchUp.
Courtyard That Was Never Used. View in from the entry. Modeled in SketchUp.
Courtyard That Was Never Used. More views. Modeled in SketchUp.
Courtyard That Was Never Used. More views. Modeled in SketchUp.
Courtyard That Was Never Used. More views. Modeled in SketchUp.
Numinor, Marketplace, finished set. View from the Builder's Guild steps. The Building Formerly Known as Elven is at R, still unchanged (a minor triumph).
Numinor, Marketplace, finished set. View from the roof of the Building Formerly Known as Elven, towards the Armorer's Shop. Builder's Guild facade starts camera left.
Numinor. Small Canal. More from the Limbo of Lost Sets. These are sets that were eliminated. We had started with the asperation that there would be a lot of water in the city, but that got chased away by the budget monster. Modeled in SketchUp.
Numinor. Small Canal. All are modeled in Sketchup. I developed custom textures in Photoshop.
Numinor. Marketplace Mk1. Back when we thought how nice the city would be if it were threaded with waterways. This building hung around until the end. It was moved to a different street (our backlot had several) and became a stable.
Numinor. Marketplace Mk1. This building wound up being kitbashed by another set designer into one side of our final marketplace. Modeled in Sketchup, Rendered in Fluid Interactive's Ambient Occlusion plugin.
Numinor. Marketplace Mk1. The grey facade was replaced by an extension of our future stable. The alley at L was then added with its tile-roofed building on the corner. Modeled in Sketchup, Rendered in Fluid Interactive's Ambient Occlusion plugin.
Durin's Mansion, Final Set. View towards the forge in BG.
Durin's Mansion, View towards the forge. As you can see This did not alter much. Modeled in SketchUp.
Durin's Mansion. Forge close-up. Modeled in SketchUp.
Durin's Mansion, Forge. Final Set.
Durin's Mansion, Forge. Final Set.
Durin's Mansion, Forge. Final Set. Originally our production designer wanted the stonework to look like a marble quarry, but that gradually morphed over time to a rougher surface. A good choice, if you ask me.
Durin's Mansion. View towards the Tree of Lindon. Modeled in SketchUp.
Durin's Mansion, Entry, finished set The Tree of Lindon is out of frame camera left. This shows off the columns as designed in the section below.
Durin's Mansion, finished Set. View towards the the Tree of Lindon.
Exterior Durin's Mansion. One of three versions. Modeled in SketchUp. Rendered in Ambient Occlusion Pro.
Exterior Durin's Mansion. One of three versions. Modeled in SketchUp. Rendered in Ambient Occlusion Pro.
Exterior Durin's Mansion. One of three versions. This is the one that was preferred. Modeled in Sketchup, rendered in Ambient Occlusion Pro.
Exterior of Durin's Mansion, final. Rendered in Unreal Engine. Rock face modeled in z-Brush by VFX. Mansion's Geometry is modeled in Sketchup by me and exported.
More from the Limbo of Lost Sets. A version of Durin's kitchen. This became the forge eventually. We went through a number of versions of the set's layout. This was driven by script changes and the director's evolving needs. Modeled in Sketchup.
One of our versions of Durin's kitchen called for a cast iron fireback and brick hearth. These were some studies of cast iron details. Modeled in Sketchup.
Durin's kitchen, Orthographic view. A version with a cast iron fireback and brick hearth. Modeled in Sketchup.
Durin's kitchen, perspective view. A version with a cast iron fireback and hearth. Modeled in Sketchup.
These are studies of various column types for Durin's mansion. We wound up using version 3 and pieces of version 8 in the general architecture. Modeled in Sketchup.
Ornament studies for Column 4 for Durin's mansion. There was a request that the columns look like they had grown from the rock. That went away. Modeled in Sketchup.
Render of an Ornament study for Column 4 for Durin's mansion. Modeled in Sketchup rendered in Keyshot. Custom rock texture in Photoshop and CrazyBump (I don't name 'em, I just use 'em).
Render of an Ornament study for Column 4 for Durin's mansion. Modeled in Sketchup rendered in Keyshot. Custom rock texture in Photoshop and CrazyBump.
Render of an Ornament study for Column 4 for Durin's mansion. Modeled in Sketchup rendered in Keyshot. Custom rock texture in Photoshop and CrazyBump.
Render of Column 6 for Durin's mansion. Modeled in Sketchup rendered in Keyshot. We were playing around with the notion that lighting in the set came from glowing gemstones.
Render of Column 7-ish for Durin's mansion. Modeled in Sketchup rendered in Keyshot. a variation on the glowing gemstone lamps.
King's Chamber, Numinor. The colors were for the illustrators to base their materials on. We kept the lamps but ultimately raised them. Modeled in Sketchup.
King's Chamber, Numinor. An earlier version of the room. Drapes and bedclothes in ClothWorks, custom textures in Photoshop. This is a plain vanilla Sketchup render, believe it or not.
King's Chamber, Numinor. Modeled in Sketchup, drapes, and bedclothes in ClothWorks custom textures in Photoshop.
Numinor, King's Chamber, finished set. I include this to show the floor. I found a picture on a brochure in a museum catalog and texturized it in Photoshop. It was a placeholder until someone had a better idea. I guess they didn't...
King's Chamber, Numinor. This is a massing study of the bedstead and windows. this was the basic design of the openwork moving forward. Modeled in Sketchup, Green is set extension.
Numinor, King's Chamber, finished set. With that floor. Heh! snrk...
King's Chamber, Numinor. Changeover to the Palantir room. We added a "gazebo" to the center. We plugged the windows with shelf units. This is one of the few sets I was asked to dress. The dressing ultimately changed.
King's Chamber, Numinor, Palantir Room, changeover, finished set. The carved backing with the star of Elendil was behind the drapes in the King's Chamber.
King's Chamber, Numinor, Palantir Room, changeover, finished set. The bookcases were just pushed in front of the windows in the end. Outta time, Outta money.
King's Chamber, Numinor. The start of the window development for the set.
King's Chamber, Numinor. Window concepts. Modeled in Sketchup drawn in Layout. Green is set extension.
King's Chamber, Numinor. Modeled in Sketchup drawn in Layout. Green is set extension.
King's Chamber, Numinor. Modeled in Sketchup drawn in Layout. Green is set extension.
Throne Room Numinor, prelim spotting plan. We made this drawing to verify that we could spot the set on stage and that the process photography to extend the set was workable. There were doubts, but this is basically what got built.
Throne Room Numinor, The pylons at the ends of the room changed, and the water went away. We sent the massing model to our illustrator and he worked from it. They got approved as-is. So, this was it.
Throne Room Numinor, Modeled in Sketchup, rendered in Ambient Occlusion pro.
Throne Room Numinor, Modeled in Sketchup, rendered in Ambient Occlusion pro.
Throne Room Numinor, finished set.
Throne Room Numinor, finished set.
Throne Room Numinor, finished set.
Throne Room Numinor, finished set.
Throne Room Numinor, finished set.
Lord of the Rings, The Rings of Power was…complicated. Half of the art department was in New Zealand and the other half was in Santa Monica. New Zealand was concerned with drawings and construction. LA was responsible for pre-conceptualization (that’s not a real word, but it should be). LA produced models describing the spaces, which went to the illustrators for further development, and was handed to the New Zealanders to be drawn and built. Did you follow all of that? The upshot was I turned out variations on floorplans for the sets and all sorts of bits and pieces as well; leaving a trail of columns, moldings, and buildings in my wake. Crazy as it sounds, what we modeled, they built, pretty closely to what we gave them. But the upshot is that I have a lot of pretties to show, but few actual drawings. I have included images of the finished sets where possible.
