How Devastator Pushed CGI to Its Breaking Point
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- Опубліковано 9 лют 2025
- In this video, we dive into the creation of Devastator, the massive Constructicon combiner from Transformers Revenge of the Fallen, and explore how ILM tackled the monumental challenge of bringing this CGI titan to life. With 52,632 individual parts-more than five times the complexity of Optimus Prime’s model-ILM had to overcome a series of technological hurdles just to animate him, all while pushing the boundaries of what CGI was possible back in 2009. Join me as I give you a behind-the-scenes look at the innovative process that made Devastator one of the most complex and iconic visual achievements in cinematic history!
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I love the level of research and detail going into this video, it is of such good quality that it feels better than most behind-the-scenes featurettes on movies. The explanation in particular of the shifting number of component Decepticons in Devastator was really clear and well-done in being clear where fact and theory began. The theorizing is sober but intriguing. Great video!
Also, the fact that Devastator can punch at 390 miles per hour is absolutely insane.
Dude thank you so much man, I really wanted this video to be solid, which is why it took almost 2 months to make XD
@@klikssiikubra314 Agreed
@Theorymus taking 2 months to make is insane but ik every video u make it's always gonna be on top no doubt but I seriously thought smth happend to u but now ik u was making another video an time to watch this awesome video
@@TheorymusHow is your Transforming Weekend?
absolutely bonkers
Devastator is so powerful, his rampage went beyond fiction and destroyed something in real life
Which makes him outerversal. Devastator solos
@rickythereaper1943 donald trumps ego?
rampage ‼️‼️???
is that a devastator reference/pun msjjesnskj hiee
Devastator really lived up to his name
Devastator solos Scarlet king
Devastator really lives up to his name by devastating the computer he was being animated on into flames
As an IT guy I can tell you that the computers overheating and breaking by loading a model that's too big is just nonsense.
it doesn't matter what kind of computer it is, the worst thing that can happen is the computer crashing and rebooting as if nothing happened.
The only way something went physically wrong with the components is if there was an existing issue or a factory defect, computers aren't mechanical machines aside from the fans. They don't fail catastrophically, they just turn off.
@@racknehmeh meh meh
Alright thank you for the information!
@@racknehfr I still don’t understand how people believe that video is real.
@@racknehunless there is overcloking
Devastator: Breaker of Motherboards
Devastator of motherboards*
Pitbull
As an IT guy I can tell you that the computers overheating and breaking by loading a model that's too big is just nonsense.
it doesn't matter what kind of computer it is, the worst thing that can happen is the computer crashing and rebooting as if nothing happened.
The only way something went physically wrong with the components is if there was an existing issue or a factory defect, computers aren't mechanical machines aside from the fans. They don't fail catastrophically, they just turn off.
@@rackneh meh meh meh
@@Sniper-0475 he is right
Devastator in Transformers 2007: *actually named Brawl, one of the Combaticons*
Devastator in Revenge of the Fallen: *a massive gorilla-looking Combiner with a giant vortex mouth*
Yah it's a wierd one. Like the subtitles name drop him as Devastator, but then we get a combiner in the next film named Devastator. This isn't a case where a guy dies and seems to come back to life or at least a clone of them like Blackout and Grindor, or bears no resemblences to past itterations of the character as everyone knew Brawl was the tank Con's real name either from seeing the toy in stores or due to him being a tank like G1 Brawl was. My guess is Brawl is just a case where he had a placeholder name and they just didn't fix it post production, or Devastator was meant to be his name but Hasbro didn't want it to be and used Brawl for the toys. Who knows. Bay wasn't exactly a Transformers super fan, I'm guessing things that did remain familiar was because either they were the more famous characters like Optimus, Megs, Bee, and Starscream, or Hasbro put their foot down for specific details.
I do have feeling that in terms of lore. "Devastator" is a nickname for brawl due to his bulky and strong firepower like the combiner.
and unnecessary wrecking ball testicles 🙄
Also, Rampage(the red Skipjack clone that fights Bumblebee) is the name of the tiger Predacon that makes up G1 Predaking's right arm.
That's why back then when I looked for that toy named devastator, it never had form, only a tank bot with similar shape named decepticon brawl
0:21 Optimus Prime falling apart to pieces as if he was shot by Sentinel's Cosmic Rust Gun.
Optimus after having to save the humans from their own mistakes for the 10000th time in the bay films:
(Lego fall apart sound)
Optimus Prime: *dies of cringe*.
💀
I can't believe Optumus used killbind
I love how in the thumbnail it looks like he’s showing us his certificate.
That was the goal 🤘
5 year old me showing my mother a drawing I made:
Most complex visual effect done on testicles that was his reward hahaha
Usually, ideas like this are the ones left on the cutting room floor that we look back on and say, "Huh, that would have been neat to have in the film, but too expensive to pull off."
When i was a kid and saw devastator for the first time i was stoked. when i learned about how ilm was having trouble with the files for the model my respect to the animators and designers had grown.
Thats why The Fallen was so skinny, Devastator used up all the polygons
The Fallen were Anorexicons
Transformers Revenge of the Fallen was the most creative Bayformers film by far. The amount of Transformers with unique designs in that film is beyond impressive and groundbreaking.
Dont forget the toys
All that work, but at the end of the day, Devestator and the movie itself became defined by, "the enemy scrotum".
@@RickStralenprobably the best toyline for the bay verse. The right level of complexity and detail. The leader class Optimus is still one of my favorites.
RotF also gave us the seekers in their movie designs -- Dirge, Ramjet, Thundercracker, Skywarp were all amazing. Thundercracker in the Bayverse comics is one of the most intimidating versions of the character we've ever gotten.
I remember my younger version CRAVING for some transformers content like the one you put out
In the time of early 2010s there was no content of bayformers back then and non of my friends were interested in it nor my family so i was left alone with no one to share my love for the franchise.
Younger me could've used you back then but oh well I'm just grateful i could fulfill his wants a dacade later with a dedicated awesome channel like yours !
Thank you Theorymus sincerely ❤
Anytime dude, I was in the same boat as you, the only thing we really had back then was the toy reviews, reviews on the movies which were usually negative, and people talking about set photos. No one did what I do back then, and younger me would have ate the content I make now up haha.
Sometimes when you want something so bad you got to do it yourself
@@Theorymus "Rarely have critics been more disconnected from what audiences want and love."
John Horn, The Los Angeles Times, June 29, 2009
0:37 Theorymus, you look like you're gonna be a main protagonist as a member of Sector 7 who was transferred to NEST and want to know more about Cybertronians.
there should have been a jumpscare warning
When I first saw the material handler bot I wanted to know what the construction vehicle was, I searched high and low for it but was unable to find it, thank you for making me finally know what the vehicle is.
Anytime 👍
He *DEVATSTATED* the computers
(Ba dum…tsh)
Thank you, thank you. I’ll be here all night, folks
You know who else saids "Ba dum...tsh"? :)
😐
@@MrWaSpY-TrnMY MOM!!!!!!
Devastator would devastate your computer literally
I really loved Devastator design in the Bayverse more than the G1 design
I agree. G1 Dev is great, but the movie version is just so much more dangerous. G1 Dev is just a bigger humanoid robot who fights pysically or with a gun. Movie Dev is just a big hulking gorilla like dude bristling with weapons, huge ability to smash, and the Vortex Grinder can either cause huge damage by suckign things in, or cause Bots to run in terror disrupting their tactical positions, or if not braised can get sucked into the Grinder. Overall dude is very powerful and capable. The twins did some damage but it took a really powerful weapon to take him down.
I love it more too. Guy was a monster
Same bro, the ROTF design sold 3 year old me on combiners
Same
I grew up with the Bayverse design and I even have the classic toy of him
I still prefer the G1 one imo
I can't wait for a story on the driller, there isn't much discussion of it on the internet and that video would satisfy my hunger of knowledge of it.
Hopefully in the future. Theorymus will get to Interview Michael Bay himself!
We NEED that
ROTF devastator was my introduction to this character and one of my all time favorite designs ever. I still respect the originals but I’ve never grew up with it. So this is what I had before.
Theorymus, I watched you 6 years ago when you where once called transtheory, i come back after all these years to see your still making peak content, really awesome to see
Haha thanks man, really appreciate it 👍
Great choice to change that btw i remember my mom found wme subscribed to transtheory and she had a couple questions 🤣
Damn, after you said that my brain just clicked on it, no wonder I felt like I know his voice somewhere, it's good that he is still going
pushed the staff and technology to the breaking point for a whirlwind of tat and a ballsack joke, so many thousands of hours of suffering for balls
0:44 why do you look like Bruno Mars but younger
You've got a point there
Bro's Bruno April
Jump scared me lmao
Bruno Pluto
Walmart*
Pov when the computer crashed while making Devastator:
"This is Fine."
This is basically constructicons misconceptions 3.0
I’ll never forget when I was 8 and seeing ROTF in theaters when Devastator combining and began sucking up Egypt
The theater was shaking from the sound effects and my body parts felt it
I still get chills to this day when I watch his transformation come to life, amazing to think that this was accomplished way back in the 2000s
Who would have thought that devastator would devastate ILM's computers??? Bayverse devy is quite crazy but I still love em. This video was truly a fantastic "Constructicon misconceptions 3.0"!
"Constructions Unite!"
Computers: *"NO WAY!"*
I felt bad for one of the computers that got melted and set on fire while the animators are animating the absolute beast which is Devastator
You know-- Drillworm might technically be more complex than Devastator, but Devastator _looks_ more complex than Drillworm.
11 mil polygons still feels very well optimized for something this extremely detailed
Nah fam 11mil polys is still crazy. At that point I'd start taking a "game-ready assets" approach
The story and humans in Michael's Bay films might have been trash, but the Transformers, the CGI and the action was spot on every single time.
ONE HOUR OF THEORYMUS?! HELL YEAH!!!
Im really glad to see someone do a detailed breakdown on how technically impressive the effects and models were in these movies. It tends to fly under the radar since they dont generally look like the original designs, and because the movies werent great in general. But despite those things, the artistic effort that had to go into creating what went on screen is unbelievable
I'm glad I was able to show off how much work truly went into these guys 👍
I did not know SO much went into Devastator's design
He always makes good theories that makes the movies more amazing.
Great Work Theorymus!
I only knew about the driller being more impressive now, I in turn need that video now too.
I don’t think it’s physically possible to describe how insane it was to watch Devastator for the first time! It’s good to see their incredibly hard work payed off
Say what you want about these movies, the level of work in the Transformers themselves will never not be impressive. And as an artist now, I appreciate the work the concept artists, cgi artists and animators did even more because the intricacies of it all is just, CRAZY. Great video my guy 👍🏼
Thanks man, these films truly don't get the praise they deserve
The amount of research put into this and the respect to the artists and their intentions really make this one of the best analyzed videos on transformers, absolutely phenomenal work as usual.
A computer exploded into flames while making Devastator
The downfall of CGI really needs to be studied, like in modern films. Like how did we go from THIS, by that i mean Devastator and the Transformers in general to whatever newer CGI is doing now?? The Transformers films were ahead of their time
money to time spent vs quality assurance for maximum results.
Even the newer Transformers films have worse looking cgi than the movies from 15 years ago
Even the best models with detailed textures can seem out of place with real objects in a scene if the artificial lighting isn’t right. The “CGI” (software tools) wasn’t the issue and it’s the issue now. To answer your question: The hardware didn’t exist to do things faster such as NVIDIAs GPU accelerated features seen in the RTX series. The render engines relied of pure CUDA core performance which is why it was a challenge. They likely had to wait hours, if not days just to get a few seconds of a full preview reference, even if they rendered layers separately.
Computers trying to load Devastator: "WHY AM I HERE...JUST TO SUFFER"
This was an Incredible Masterpiece for Transformers Film Series Devastator.
this video essay is amazing on how much info it has on the topic
Thanks man, I really tried to get everything publicly available about his creation into this video
Damn man! This mini-doc deserves praise for the meticulous attention to all details that goes waaay beyond general fanfare. This is amazing. Def subbed!
Thanks man, that's kind of my thing when it comes to these "production" mini documentaries, I attempt to grab any shed of info I can and present it in a fun engaging video 👍
Devastator, the strongest fictional character imo, nothing but NOTHING can match up to him literally breaking a motherboard with just him existing.
Yes you're back after so long love your content man
The amount of research here is crazy! Best theory channel on youtube! How come you don't have 1 million subs lol. You seriously deserve that. Pls do a theory on why TLK depicted bumblebee fighting in WW2 while TF1 showed that bumblebee only arrived shortly before the autobots did.
The Constructicons should be proud that their ultimate form pushed the limits in CGI in Revenge of the Fallen.
0:21 *Optimus after having to save the humans from their own mistakes for the 10000th time in the bay films:*
Devastator is a definition of - hell yeah
incredibly well researched video, this deserves ten times the attention it already has
Thanks man, hopefully the algorithm will give it a boost 👍
@@TheorymusHow is your Crackin' dug-dag Tuesday?
When CGI meant something more than a just a character or object, they really delivered, nowadays this kind a CGI is only a distant memory
I hope one day it will make a return
with the large use of the word MASSIVE, it made me remember something else that's MASSIVE
8:52 massive?
:)
LOWWWWW TAPER FA-
You know what else would be massive? LOOOOO-
Bro you nailed this video so hard. I never usually watch such long videos, but the pacing was perfect. So much cool information and research. Massive respect. It must have been a very long process!
Thanks man that means a lot! It took a while, roughly 2 months due to how much info had to be covered, but I'm glad the info came together well!
No wonder Infernocus would be easier to animate as he would just be taller than The Last Knight Megatron and unlike Devastator, Infernocus can walk with two legs.
It's an insane feat of visual effects that i don't think anything else has come close to competing with.
It's crazy that they pulled this off in 2009 🤯
3:15 that's like... that's like the guy from the game...
Ultrakill?
Benjamin
OK, you’re telling me that we could’ve had a almost sort of accurate G1 devastator but that we end up getting devastator that walks on all fours man. This is so pitiful yeah I prefer that design over the one that walks on all four design. 2:33
Jesus, I knew Michael Bay loved practical effects, but a jet engine ON SET?! Yeah, that's dope lol.
I think having mix master being a undercover agent for the cons could have been a interesting twist
Imagine what a Titan like Metroplex and Tryticon would like in this universe…
And I thought my respect for the designs of the MovieVerse and ILM and Devastator himself couldn't get any higher.
I was so wrong because Holy Primus....
This is why the TF Films were the Gold standard for Live Action CGI to this day... Very few films can even meet this standard and stand eye to eye with the TF Films in this space.
And why I always defended these films. Thank you for telling this colossal story about this monumental feat of design and animation.
Anytime man, I knew their was a whole chunk of the Devastator story that wasn't known as widely to the public besides him breaking a computer, so I'm glad I was able to tell that story
0:21 WHO KNOCKED OVER MY LEGO OPTIMUS PRIME?!
You know Bay was real when a CGI from 2009 is better than most of the Marvel movies after Endgame
Can we all at least agree that morbious was better tho
@PenguinBoi27 truly the movie of all time
Glad you pointed out buckethead’s appearance which was kinda bugging me for years
Bays vision of showing the endless potential of possibilities totally backfired because every transformer feels the same.
They all feel like they are bound to the same rules.
Ramdomly getting suggested random content with a random bruno mars stunt double
Just a reminder that this movie was never even nominated for an Academy award for best VFX
The Oscars are garbage, just look at the disaster that is the musical Emilia Perez
Transformers CGI still holds up as some of the best ever
Hey atleast I didn't break ILM's computers anyway great video thoerymus I thoroughly enjoyed it
Fantastic mini documentary. You made talking about a CGI model for an hour incredibly interesting. I loved the video because I was watching the sequence the other day trying to figure out where everything goes and if it was actually feasible. Like you said in your video, a lot of parts don't line up due to Bay insisting on the model being made more complex. I could provide an explanation for Payload though, maybe he comes apart and partsforms all the nonsense parts, like Scrapper's green bits and the yellow parts on Devastator's back around the grinder's exit.
I'm also going to choose the believe the forgotten excavator forms the left leg with Skipjack, it explains the treads on the front and back and fixes the size disparity with Long Haul. On that note, the use of the smaller dumptruck in the shot with Simmons and Leo where it begins to transform may be an intentional error. Long Haul is intended to be a larger dumptruck, but the absolute huge size of the larger model wouldn't have allowed for the actors to be seen closely enough while still having the dumptruck visible enough to look cool transforming. Solution? Use a nearly identical dumptruck that's half the size.
Something no one talks about, Devastator actually mass shifts enormously. In particular in the shot where he stands up from the side, you can tell the Scrapper arm is at least twice the size it should be compared to the surrounding vehicles. He seems to be roughly double the size he actually should be, likely to both look scary and allow him to eat Mudflap. No idea if he scales correctly during the pyramid scene, no way I'm doing that math.
I've never thought to much about the size discrepancies, but you're totally right, in that one shot where the camera goes around him he is WAAAY to big
Epic video
Correction: that is Khafre’s pyramid. The Great Pyramid is the northern most one with a flat top. Khafre’s is identifiable by the fact it retains the top of its casing stones.
I never knew that, thanks for letting me know 👍
Would be planning to make another video for Driller then? This was really enjoyable.
o7 computers, you will be missed
Devestator looks 1000 times better than most modern cgi marvel characters
Josh Shnizzy: Now i know that my place is with the Decepticons. May i join you?
Megatron: (Looks at John's Deviant Art page.) I like your resume.
theorymus: this is how devastator was made
me: that thing had a name?
theorymus: it's made up of these 7 constructicons that we see earlier in the movie
me: when did we ever see even 1 of these?
theorymus: 'shows clip of the constructicons jumping off the cargoship'
me: ... ooooohhhh
as you can see i very clearly understood all of these things while watching the movie i've seen 6 times...
yea no, i had absolutely no idea of anything this video explained in the slightest
i grew up watching and loving transformers but there was nothing about what's being explained in this video that was clear to me when watching the movie at any point
very interesting video though, well put together and easy to follow
keep it up man!
Man was so powerful he cooked supercomputers with his mere presence.
Welcome back theorymus it's good to have you back
Ah yes i waiting for peak to drop. Thanks Theorymus
Anytime 👍
I am simply inspired by the time not only you put into this research but inspired by the achievement.
Appreciate the love man! I'm glad you enjoyed it.
@ i’m gonna be posting my Devastator deigns soon as I was inspired by the video. I’m in the process of making a 5 part miniseries where the transformers are battling extermination. And in this story Devastator is not one entity, but rather a mass produced machine that is used in the process of Terraforming by the quintessons
Cant wait man! l
Love the work you do 🔥
@ preciate it
The only character that doesn’t just Break the 4th Wall and World Records but Computers in Real life
This year we get
A new superion
A new devastator
Constructicons misconceptions 3.0
A full channel dedicated to transformers is what I need 🔥
🫡
The plot of these movie aren't great but the effect are always outstanding
DEVASTATOR TRANSFORMATION IS STILL FREAKING AMAZING ALMOST 16 YEARS LATER!!!!!!!!!!!
Devastator vs Nasa supercomputer would be epic to see
24:12 as someone who watched this movie in theaters, the color change did not remedy this issue. Kinda a problem when your robots look like a collection of unpainted parts, and don’t have a clean silhouette to make them distinguishable. I know they’re supposed to transform, but you would think these alien robots would try to minimize the number of jagged edges on their bodies, to try and limit injury. A smooth outer shell allows for more glancing blows, while their bayverse designs allow for “oh shit, I got grazed and can’t transform back, because these tiny parts on this one limb are now bent out of shape.”
Scrapmetal Will never be forgotten by my books
This video is so detailed I cant imagine how long it would take to gather all the info. Its sad that most people see this sequence and think "cool robot thing" when it was such a complex task to make happen.
Exactly! So much work goes into some of the smallest things, and its a shame most folks dont recognize the true amount of work that went into these films
All else aside, your overview and research on this staggeringly complex Transformer are masterclass. Interesting, detailed, insightful, and enjoyable!
Well done!
Thanks man, glad you enjoyed it!
When I was a kid, my father owned a game copy of this movie. I didn't know the game was based on this movie back then, but I do remember seeing Devastator in the game for the first time. It takes a full mission and loads of missiles just to take him down, and that was one the most memorable moments in the game for me (Even though that mission got frustrating fairly quickly)
Years later, I discovered that an actual movie of it existed, and I was even more fascinated by Devastator. The movie might not be well-written and paced, but the CGI and fight scenes were sure fun as hell.
I don’t care what anyone else says, but Transformers revenge of the fallen was quite a spectacular film and was heavily carried by Devastator. Mostly because he’s the largest and most complex thing in CGI history but also because he looks cool.
I loved the deep dive and anecdotal tidbits! I've always enjoyed behind the scenes stuff. This one truly pushed the limits of what's possible.
Wow, Devastator, “Devastated” the animators and the computers!
"Contructicons!! Form.. Devastator!!" Is the first thing I hear in my head.