Just in case you were wondering, I discovered how the 3d concept art by John Howe and Alan Lee which was featured in one of the ‘making of’ videos was actually made. There has been a fair amount of speculation online has to how the 3D concept art was created, so I decided to put stop any further speculation and reveal the machine John and Alan used. The Thria Dimensio Transerer was developed in New Zealand in 2008, though it took a year or so to get the gremlins ironed out and the machine into full working order.
How the machine works is difficult to describe, but I’m sure you get the idea from this illustration…
3D concept illustration is copyright to its respective owners and not me 😉