The Scorch Trials: How Weta Digital Built a Post-Apocalyptic World
Summary
In this article, we discuss how Weta Digital created the post-apocalyptic world in the Maze Runner sequel, The Scorch Trials. The film’s budget was twice that of the first film, and the initial box office indicates that the money was well spent. The sequel gave director Wes Ball a bigger canvas to paint on, and the Weta team built and textured a mythical post-apocalyptic city with unique buildings that were accurately modeled and textured primarily through simulations.
Table of Contents
- Building the Mythical Post-Apocalyptic City
- Unique Buildings with Accurate Texturing
- CGI Motion-Captured Cranks
- Conclusion
Building the Mythical Post-Apocalyptic City
The Scorch Trials gave Wes Ball a much broader and bigger canvas to paint on, with vast horizons and huge empty cities. Typically, environment work or set extensions are built with kit componentry that’s then textured. However, Weta Digital built the city by running a series of destruction simulations on normal buildings to get the accurate ruin. The debris in the shots actually fell there, and there were no matte paintings, not even for the distant ruin. The entire world was built and rendered as one, and the texturing was done primarily by simulations and not by hand painting.
Unique Buildings with Accurate Texturing
All the buildings in the post-apocalyptic city were unique, and they were all there in the same environment, correctly reflecting light and shadowing each other thanks to Weta’s new Manuka renderer. The team ran water simulations, and all the flapping cloth and plastic were encased in giant sock cloth simulations. The buildings were weathered with particle simulation, and the patina of the worn concrete was accurately modeled.
CGI Motion-Captured Cranks
The underground sewers in the post-apocalyptic city are home to the zombie-like crank. The cranks were fully CGI motion-captured with double-jointed circus actors providing the motion. They were modeled with a cross between some kind of vine-like vegetation and a horrendous real disease called subcutaneous hor.
Conclusion
The Scorch Trials is a stunning visual effects masterpiece that showcases Weta Digital’s incredible talent for building and texturing a mythical post-apocalyptic city. The unique buildings and accurate texturing, along with the CGI motion-captured cranks, make the film a must-see for fans of the Maze Runner series.
