There are plenty of huge Lord of the Rings projects in the works, but for fans who cannot wait for more content from J. R. R. Tolkien’s iconic Fantasy franchise, a few 3D Artists have come through. Having fully recreated The Shire from Lord of the Rings, players can get a look at the land of the Hobbits in Unreal Engine 4.
The release of this custom Shire map comes at a perfect time, as Amazon’s Lord of the Rings show recently added multiple members to its cast. Players looking to celebrate the casting news can do so by looking at Liam Tart’s incredible mockup of The Shire, which sees the gorgeous countryside homes of the Hobbits perfectly rebuilt in Epic Games’ powerful creation engine. With the artist sharing that they returned to the project after a long time away, Lord of the Rings fans will be glad that he returned when they see the finished product.
The artist made The Shire using numerous overlays, with audio effects added to give it a “British countryside sorta feel.” A video was released alongside numerous screenshots for the project, all of which capture the feel that the Lord of the Rings films established. Birds can be heard chirping as Tart pans through parts of the map, showing off a bench and bushes as well as the area’s memorable paths. The Hobbit Hole is particularly well-realized, with the bricks, glass windows, and wooden doors all standing out.
While it is unclear if the upcoming Lord of the Rings game will see players exploring The Shire, Amazon Game Studios will have a challenging task ahead of them if they plan on topping this fan-made design. With the Lord of the Rings MMO set to have a different art style from previous projects in the series, though, this creation will likely be the closest players get to exploring a realistic Shire. If it is, thankfully the artist nailed the hills and valleys of The Shire with this design.
Though Tart’s inspired take on The Shire is one of the best fan creations in Unreal Engine 4 thus far, the artist is among some talented company. Indie developer Fat Dino created a realistic take on Among Us, and the less-cartoony version of the game is genuinely cool to see. Another awesome creation saw an artist by the name of Ivan Fernandez rebuilding Half Life 2’s Plaza in Unreal Engine 4, making for a brilliant custom map that shows just how far technology has come over the years.
With What Remains of Edith Finch assets recently being made available to Unreal Engine users for free, more mind-blowing creations are sure to come from talented artists like Liam Tart. For now, though, players can appreciate The Shire from a brand-new perspective.
Source: Liam Tart