52,000-piece Transformer designed by Michael Bay melts artist's computer

Michael Bay, wanting a larger, more detailed Transformers, transformed one of them into a gigantic creature, made up of 52,000 parts. This large-scale project literally melted an artist's computer.

An unprecedented visual spectacle

Michael Bay, known for his spectacular scenes, did not disappoint with Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. Rassoul Edjia visual effects artist, revealed on Twitter that Bay requested a larger, more detailed depiction of the villainous Devastator after an initial preview.

Devastator: a technical challenge

In response to Bay's request, the Devastator character nearly doubled in size and complexity. The artists at Industrial Light and Magic (ILM) decided that the character “should be composed of several different structures, the two arms, the two legs, the torso and the head”in the words of Edji.

The result was so complex and cumbersome that computers of the time had difficulty handling it. Edji explained: “It was so complex and heavy that it melted some of the artists' computers at ILM. »

A giant among giants

Despite these difficulties, the result was breathtaking. Devastator stood 100 feet tall, was made up of 52,362 individual parts, and its parts, when deployed, stretched 14 miles. A true technical and artistic feat.

Devastator was later surpassed in size by the Driller Bot from Dark of the Moon, but remains one of the most impressive characters in the franchise.

The future of Transformers

Despite the Transformers One animated prequel's middling performance at the box office, the live-action portion of the franchise continues to evolve in surprising ways, with a crossover film in the works starring GI Joe.