Nuke Exercise

Roto Running Man

Shoting & Retime Exercise

Maya Exercise

Moodboard

Dunhuang culture, a gem of the ancient Silk Road, is best known for the Mogao Caves. Its blend of Chinese, Indian, and Persian influences is highlighted by the iconic celestial dancers of Dunhuang art.

Working Process

Roto mountains

Modeling

At the start of the project, my design direction was cyberpunk, so I used cyberpunk balloons as reference images for modeling. However, during production, I switched to a more suitable style.

Texturing

Animation in UE5

To add rotation animation along with lighting and shadow effects for the hot air balloon, I created a simple rotation and ascent animation in UE5 and exported a sequence with a transparent background. The process was quick, convenient, and delivered ideal results.

Workflow in Nuke

Merge celestial dancers in Premiere

Final Work

Inspiration & Reference

I was inspired by a video of Bolivia’s salt flats, where the sunset seamlessly merged with the water and sky. This led me to design a scene focused on the salt flats and sunset—after all, a salt flat is still a kind of lake, right?. The wooden cabin, influenced by European styles, combines practicality and elegance to evoke a warm, inviting feel.

Modeling & Blocking

Scene Layout in UE5

Landscape & Material

I tried applying a salt flat texture to the lakebed, but after adding the water system, the results didn’t meet my expectations. Perhaps my understanding of the material isn’t deep enough yet. I hope to explore solutions as I continue learning.

Lighting & Atmosphere Design

Interior Decoration

Final Result