Computer Graphics World

January/February 2014

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C G W Ja n u a r y / Fe b ru a r y 2 014 ■ 7 are Mirkwood, Lake-Town, Thanduil's realm, and the treasure trove and forges inside the Lonely Mountain. All the actors had digital doubles. Notable creatures include the bear Beorn, the Orcs and the Wargs they ride on, the spiders in Mirkwood, and, most of all, the fire-breathing dragon Smaug. "Smaug is the main event of this film, and that's what we were working on all year," Clayton says. Designing Smaug The dragon had made a brief, cameo appearance in the first Hob- bit film, but in this one, he commands the center of the entire third act once inside Lonely Mountain. Bilbo is the first to en- counter him after the dwarves send the Hobbit "thief" to look for a large, white, glowing gem called an "Arkenstone." Bilbo finds himself in an immense cavern filled with a sea of gold coins and other treasures. He spots the Arkenstone, but the coins move like sand on a beach when he tries to reach it. As the coins slide, they reveal Smaug's eye. It's nearly as large as Bilbo. Modelers at Weta Digital began work on Smaug before the first Hobbit, referencing illustrations by John Howe who, with Alan Lee, were chief conceptual designers for The Lord of the Rings trilogy and the first Hobbit film. For this feature, Howe and Lee, who had illustrated many of Tolkien's books, joined the Weta Digital crew. "John Howe did intricately detailed drawings," Saindon says. "The dragon's claws, teeth, tongue, every bit he could." Initially, the dragon had four legs and wings, much like a typi- cal fairy-tale dragon. But, that design evolved into a creature with two legs and membraned wings with bat-like features. "He has to grip things, so we put a thumb and forefingers on his wing that he can use like a hand," Clayton says. "When he moves around in Erebor, he uses his wing hands on the artists at weta digital push the state of the art of visual effects once again with a second epic film in the hobbit trilogy from director peter jackson by barbara robertson that habit habit habit Hobbit Hobbit Hobbit Hobbit Hobbit Hobbit that Hobbit that Hobbit that Hobbit that that Hobbit that Hobbit that Hobbit that Hobbit Hobbit Hobbit Hobbit Hobbit Hobbit that Hobbit that Hobbit that Hobbit that that Hobbit that Hobbit that Hobbit that Hobbit Hobbit Hobbit Hobbit Hobbit Hobbit Hobbit Hobbit Hobbit Hobbit Hobbit Hobbit Hobbit Hobbit Hobbit that Hobbit that Hobbit that Hobbit that that Hobbit that Hobbit that Hobbit that Hobbit Hobbit Hobbit habit Hobbit habit Hobbit habit Hobbit habit habit Hobbit habit Hobbit habit Hobbit habit VIDEOS: Go to "Extras" in the January/February 2014 issue box .com .com

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