FS-novel Chapter 561: Winning the Rendering Competition, A Master's Showcase of Skill!
Chapter 561: Winning the Rendering Competition, A Master's Showcase of Skill!
The theme requirement for this competition entry was very simple: a dynamic effect of pushing through a door or passing through something, with no other limitations.In other words, it could be a celestial immortal in the heavens pushing open a door in the clouds to arrive at the heavenly palace; it could be a tomb raider pushing open an ancient gate to arrive at the magnificent scene of standing terracotta warriors; it could also be a submarine at the bottom of the sea parting the kelp before it to see a giant prehistoric creature in the deep ocean.
Anyway, the general requirement was to have a dynamic object pass through something resembling a door, and then see something.
And the work submitted by this contestant "xiaohei" was interesting.
It started with a desolate, abandoned cyberpunk city. A beam of light passed through a luminous gate representing time—
The next moment, an entirely mechanical metal robot rose from the city's skyline, and a giant mecha also emerged from the bustling cyberpunk city, throwing a punch at the robot in the air.
It was a frame brimming with tension.
The light that had originally traversed through space fell upon the mecha, imbuing it with more vibrant colors, as if enhancing its power. The mecha was positioned lower, level with the camera angle, making the viewers' perspective almost identical to the mecha's own. As for the robot floating in the air, it was hidden within the smog, with only the chaotic light beams of the cyberpunk city illuminating its form, lending its presence an air of dangerous superiority.
An epic battle was on the verge of erupting.
This was a story with no clear beginning or end. The cyberpunk city's style leaned towards China's modernized construction, but no one knew what the traversing light sphere was, or who the battling mecha and robot represented.
Initially, some thought this mecha might be a certain model from Gundam, or that the referenced prototype was from a particular Hollywood movie. However, after scouring through the mecha designs from all major popular films and games, no one could find the original prototype for this mecha.
It was most likely designed by the author themselves.
As for narrative depth, there was even less of that.
While outsiders might appreciate the aesthetics or look for a story, those in the industry were looking at the modeling and rendering quality—
First were the details. Although the opening light sphere was the main subject, the cyberpunk city construction serving as the background was remarkably complete overall. This included the other city model set used in the latter half of the video, which was clearly meticulously built, not just slapped together casually.
In other words, the author had created two very complete city models.
Opening the project file for a closer look confirmed this. There were even unused models and buildings.
But this was also normal. The author might have built them previously and simply repurposed them for this entry, which wasn't against the rules. Many contestants did the same.
Then there were the other dynamic model movement effects—smooth as flowing clouds, seamless and fluid. The overall dynamic effect of the mecha combat and the photon dynamic changes on both sides, etc., made anyone who saw it exclaim, "The budget is burning!"
—This work exuded the vibe of a master showing off their skills from every angle.
Apart from the minimal story element, this kind of large-scale sci-fi combat special effect was precisely the type many major studios favored.
Therefore, as soon as this work appeared, it sparked a lot of discussion.
What surprised everyone, however, was the scarcity of information about the submitter. Aside from the name "xiaohei," one could only infer from the cityscape that he was Chinese. As for any other details, nothing was clear, and no one in the industry circle had ever heard of this person.
This was very strange.
"xiaohei" seemed to have appeared out of thin air.
Several major studios that originally wanted to learn more about the situation, like Dunmu, were also plunged into doubt.
What was the deal with this "xiaohei"?
Why did the person disappear after submitting the entry?
Some even suspected that the organizer had leaked the theme, allowing a certain studio team to prepare in advance.
Otherwise, how could it be such a coincidence? The competition had only just started a few days ago, and such a massive, labor-intensive work was submitted directly.
Even the most hardcore masters couldn't achieve that!
Could it be AI? But the project files were complete, the organizer had already debunked that rumor, and the scene details didn't seem like something current AI could accomplish...
It was truly baffling...
However, for now, their thoughts could not be known by the person in question himself.
And naturally, they wouldn't know now that this so-called story lacking in narrative actually had a real story behind it.
But that story was currently still being filmed—
And so, in the blink of an eye, it was mid-October.
...
"My overseas package?"
Xiao He, who had just finished filming a scene, looked surprised.
"Yes, Mr. Xiao. The package has already been collected by the property butler you authorized. You can schedule a pickup anytime after you return."
A special overseas package?
Xiao He racked his brain but couldn't figure out who sent it.
Mainly because work-related matters usually involved items being sent to the company, where staff would handle reception and signing. But this time, it was sent directly to his home...
"Could you please take a look for me first, see where it's from."
Xiao He became more alert.
Could it be some anti-fans or stalker fans deliberately routing an overseas package to send it to him?
He needed to be extra vigilant! Hopefully, it wasn't something dangerous.
"Uh, Mr. Xiao, it seems to be from the United States. The packaging is inside a transit bag used for customs, so the detailed address isn't clear, but the sender seems to be named... Parneel Frand..."
Xiao He was even more confused after hearing that.
Who was that? He didn't know them!
The name didn't sound like any overseas friend he knew either...
But soon, Xiao He slapped his forehead. "Oh, oh, I think I remember now. Please help me keep it for now, and I'll contact you later."
"Alright, Mr. Xiao. Wishing you smooth work..."
After hanging up, Xiao He quickly logged into the email account of his side account and was shocked to find its inbox flooded by major overseas studios.
Amidst this chaotic pile of documents, Xiao He finally found the email from the organizer.
【to xiaohei:
Dear xiaohei, congratulations on achieving the excellent result of third place in the 20XX World 3D Rendering Competition! We hope that with talents like you, the world of rendering can gain more new vitality, allowing more people to appreciate the charm of 3D rendering...】
Oh, so he really won an award.
Xiao He clicked his tongue lightly. "Only third place—"
What a complete failure!
But Xiao He quickly let it go.
After all, he hadn't been learning for very long. The competition participants included many industry masters. The fact that he could achieve such a result was probably mostly due to his high level of completion.
Moreover, in recent years, this competition had also started leaning towards "correctness," emphasizing strong narrative and profound meaning. His mecha battle indeed lacked any deeper meaning, it was purely a practice piece.
Hmm, mostly they were from people wanting to understand the situation with his work. It seemed his piece had sparked quite a bit of controversy.
Xiao He frowned.
Huh? What's there to doubt?
How did he become a "team"?
What's going on?
Xiao He skimmed through the emails and checked the situation on foreign websites, finally understanding why.
The main issue was that when doubts first arose, he didn't speak up. After winning the award, he still hadn't appeared. His side account's social media profile was clearly a "bot account." So when one voice of doubt appeared, more and more people mindlessly followed with suspicion, with no one stepping in to stop it. This led to his disappearance looking more like "guilty conscience."
The main issue was that when doubts first arose, he didn't speak up. After winning the award, he still hadn't appeared. His side account's social media profile was clearly a "bot account." So when one voice of questioning appeared, more and more people mindlessly followed with suspicion, with no one stepping in to stop it. This led to his disappearance looking more like "guilty conscience."
Seriously? That works? No response equals guilty conscience?
He genuinely didn't know about it!