The requirements for this competition are very simple: a dynamic door-opening and shuttling effect, or something else.
In other words, it could be a celestial being pushing open the door of the clouds to enter the Heavenly Palace; it could be a tomb raider pushing open an ancient gate to arrive at the magnificent site where the Terracotta Army stands; or it could be a submarine parting the seaweed in front of it to see a huge ancient creature deep in the ocean.
Basically, the requirement is that a dynamic object passes through something like a door and then sees something.
The work submitted by this contestant, "xiaohei," is quite interesting.
It begins as a desolate, abandoned cyber city, where a beam of light passes through a portal of light and shadow representing time—
The next moment, a robot made entirely of mechanical metal rose from the city's skies, and a huge mech poked its head out from the bustling cyber city, punching the robot in the air.
That was a shot brimming with tension.
The light that had been streaming in fell onto the mecha, giving it a more vibrant color, as if enhancing its power. The mecha was positioned below, level with the camera, making the audience's perspective almost identical to that of the mecha. As for the robot floating in the air, it was hidden in the haze, with only the chaotic beams of light from Cyber City shining on it, giving its presence a sense of imposing danger from above.
An epic battle is about to erupt.
This is a story without a beginning or an end. The style of Cyber City is similar to the modern construction of China, but what is that light sphere that came from the distance, and ❖ Nоvеl𝚒ght ❖ (Exclusive on Nоvеl𝚒ght) who are the mechs and robots that are fighting? Nobody knows.
I initially thought this mecha was a model from Gundam, and that it was based on a Hollywood movie. However, after searching through various popular movies and games, I couldn't find any prototype for this mecha.
That was most likely designed by the author himself.
And as for the story, there's absolutely none.
Laymen see the aesthetics and the story, but experts see the modeling and rendering effects.
First, let's talk about the details. Although the light sphere at the beginning is the main subject, the cyber city construction in the background is very well done overall. This includes the other city model used in the second half of the video, which is clearly meticulously constructed and not just a perfunctory effort.
In other words, the author created two very complete city models.
Upon closer inspection of the project files, it was indeed the case; there were even unused models and buildings.
This is normal, though. The author may have already set it up before and is now just using it directly, which is not against the rules. Many contestants do this.
Then there are the other dynamic model motion effects, which are smooth and fluid, with overall dynamic effects during mecha combat and dynamic changes in photons on both sides. Anyone who sees them will say, "The budget is burning!"
—This work exudes the feeling of a master showing off his skills.
Aside from the minimal storyline, such large-scale sci-fi fight scenes are a favorite among many major studios.
Therefore, this work sparked a lot of discussion as soon as it appeared.
What surprised everyone was that there was very little information about the contributor. Apart from the name "xiaohei", the only clue that he was Chinese could be inferred from the city scenery. As for other details, nothing was known, and no one in the industry had ever heard of him.
That's very strange.
"xiaohei" seems to have appeared out of nowhere.
Several major companies that originally wanted to learn more about the situation, like Shieldscreen, have fallen into doubt.
What exactly is going on with this "xiaohei"?
Why do people disappear after submitting their work?
Some people even suspect that the organizers leaked the questions and then had a team from a certain studio prepare in advance.
Otherwise, how could it be such a coincidence? The competition had only just started a few days ago, and such a large-scale project was submitted.
Even the most dedicated hardcore gamer can't do this!
It couldn't be AI, could it? But the project files are complete, the organizers have already denied it, and the scene details don't seem like something AI could accomplish right now...
That's really strange...
However, they cannot let the person in question know about these thoughts for the time being.
And they naturally have no idea that this so-called storyless plot actually has a real story behind it.
However, the story is still being filmed.
Before I knew it, it was mid-October.
...
My overseas package?
Xiao He, who had just finished filming a scene, looked surprised.
"Yes, Mr. Xiao, the package has been picked up by the property manager you authorized. You can schedule a pickup anytime after you return."
Specialized overseas courier services?
Xiao He racked his brains, wondering who had sent it.
It was mainly work-related. Usually, things would be sent to the company, where staff would handle the receipt and sign for them. But this time, it was sent directly to his home...
"Please take a look for me first and tell me where it was sent from."
Xiao He became more vigilant.
Could it be some kind of hater or sasaeng fan who deliberately forwarded the package overseas and sent it to him?
We need to be extra careful! It might be something dangerous.
"Uh, Mr. Xiao, it seems to have been sent from the United States. The package was put in a transit bag that had been through customs, so the detailed address is not clear, but the sender's name seems to be Parniel Flander..."
Xiao He was even more bewildered after hearing this.
Who is this? He doesn't recognize him!
Judging from the name, it doesn't seem like it was sent by a friend from overseas...
However, Xiao He quickly slapped his forehead: "Oh, I think I remember now. Could you please keep this for me? I'll contact you later."
"Okay, Mr. Xiao, I wish you all the best in your work..."
After hanging up the phone, Xiao He quickly logged into his alternate account's email to check, and was shocked to find that his alternate account's inbox was already full of emails from major overseas companies.
Among the jumbled pile of documents, Xiao He finally found the organizer's email.
【to xiaohei:】
Dear Xiaohei, congratulations on achieving third place in the 20XX World 3D Rendering Competition! With your contributions, we hope the world of 3D rendering can gain even more vitality and allow more people to experience its charm...
Oh, you really did win an award.
Xiao He clicked his tongue lightly: "Only third place—"
That was a complete failure!
However, Xiao He quickly came to terms with it.
After all, he had only been learning for a short time, and many big names in the industry participated in the competition. His achievement was mostly due to his high level of completion.
Moreover, in recent years this competition has become "correct," emphasizing a high level of storytelling and requiring profound meaning, while his mech battle really has no meaning and was purely for practice.
Xiao He was quite open-minded and didn't take the setback to heart, instead opening other emails.
Well, most people want to know more about his work, as it seems his work has caused quite a bit of controversy.
Xiao He frowned.
Huh? What's there to doubt?
How did he become part of a team?
What's going on?
Xiao He opened his emails and checked the situation on the internet, finally understanding why.
The main issue is that he didn't speak up when people first had doubts, and he didn't appear after winning the award. His alternate social media account was also clearly a bot. So when a question arose, more and more people blindly followed suit and started to doubt him. No one stopped him, making his eventual disappearance seem more like a sign of guilt.
Xiao He remained silent.
No, this works too? No response means you're guilty?
He really didn't know!
