Fantasy environments are perhaps the most challenging of all types of CG environments. Traditional fantasy works combine realistic settings with surrealistic touches. Unlike sci-fi, where the primary driver is technological progress, fantasy focuses on the romantic side of existence, bending and shaping ancient objects into new forms or adding a hint of the unbelievable to otherwise mundane settings.

Where a fantasy environment is set is entirely up to the artist. There are no hard and fast choices like the distant future or “a long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away.” Modern developments like steampunk show that fantasy is still developing and pushing its own boundaries in regards to where it can be set. Whether it’s 19th century industrial factories or 7th century battlefields, fantasy environments are as diverse as they are unique. Though the cliche fantasy environment is the green pasture of some hilly region (think LOTR), fantasy environments can come close to breaching category barriers and cross over into sci-fi or realism territory.

The key to most fantasy environments is grandiosity. The superb works listed below have one common denominator: they aren’t constrained to a room or a city or a planet. If there is a theme in a fantasy work, that theme is visible and pervasive in every element contained within it. Magical forests, unruly seas, and enormous castles are just some of the interesting and vibrant fantasy environments you can find.

 

Reaching Out, Soenke Maeter

 

“Priceless Friends”, Y.Soner Yurtseven

 

Rock Iron Town, Franck lefrancois

 

10 Yard to the future ( Game art UT3), Baolong Zhang

 

Empire In My Mind, Kerem Gogus

 

the perfect storm, benoit Patterlini

 

Notre Dame de Paris :Growing by myself 2, Olivier Defaye

 

Towards the wind, Marco Rolandi

 

The Station, Marcelo Eder Cunha

 

Welt 1 , Frank Meinl

 

Steam City, Stefan Morrell

 

Golden Moment, Ricky Linton

 

Power #5: watering desert plants

 

Late again

 

Vox tempus album cover

 

Untitled, Ognian Bonev

 

Wooden World, Alexandr Melentiev

 

Fantasy Forest, Wei Wei Hua

 

Above The Heaven, Mitiuc Alexander

 

The Valley, Stefan Morrell

 

Orc, Peter Zoppi

 

War Of The Worlds – Men Hunting, Robert Czarny

 

Life Elixier, PETER HOFMANN

 

North Star Castle, Arseniy Chebynkin

 

Defend Garth , Ruidan Lv

 

Stalactite Inc., Tobias Trebeljahr

 

Breeding Season, Vitya

 

Myth of the ‘Floating Islands’, Khalid A. Al-Muharraqi

 

Forgotten Kingdom, Jaroslaw Handrysik

 

Berth Of A New Don, Khalid Al-muharraqi

 

The Walled City, Stefan Morrell

 

Door Of Eternity, George Pourikas

 

Extreme Frigidity, He Sun

 

Water Mill ( Game Art), Baolong Zhang

 

The Gold Light Of Morning, Stefan Morrell

 

Deep in the woods, Amberland Sebastian Storz

 

A Palace In The Moutains, Meng De Cai

 

The Last Journey, Toni Bratincevic

 

Rage Over Babylon, Ziv Qual

 

Waterworld, Stefan Morrell

1. Mark Harrison says:

   very beautiful and creative, i am inspired.

   ( 198 days ago )
2. sriganesh says:

   thanks for adding the links in our community links. and do comment and visit our blog | nice collection you do here

   ( 197 days ago )
3. tripwire magazine | tripwire magazine says:

   [...] 40 Amazing CG Fantasy Environments [...]

   ( 197 days ago )
4. 40 Amazing CG Fantasy Environments | favSHARE.net says:

   [...] Read the original article [...]

   ( 197 days ago )
5. Jared says:

   I love all of them. Amazing.

   ( 192 days ago )