Walt Disney Imagineering has released a cool behind-the-scenes look at how they went about building the impressive spires of Black Spire Outpost in Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge. The video below shows the process of first creating a detailed, hand-sculpted scale model to then capturing it for 3D modeling. From the 3D model, chips are created to be put together like puzzle pieces, creating the mesh wire outline for the spires. From there, theming is added to give the spires the final look before the paint is applied to bring them to life.
We saw a similar process used to create the floating mountains of Pandora – The World of Avatar, and Expedition Everest before that.
At this point, I think there’s no denying that Disney has all but perfected this process, creating some of the most beautiful natural elements that you can find in a theme park. We recently visited Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge in Disneyland and the vistas that they created there are probably their best work to date.
From layered rockwork visible from the Rivers of America outside of the land, to standing under the 130′ spires surrounding the Millennium Falcon, the spires and rocks are some of the most convincing and otherworldly sculptures you’ll see.
Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge is now open at Disneyland and will open at Disney’s Hollywood Studios on August 29th.