Zhuoran Yang – VCD Thesis Showcase

The Enigmatic

Taoist Relic

This 3D Motion project is an innovative and visually captivating exploration of the traditional Chinese Taoist culture, aims to redesign and modernize the iconic artifacts, by infusing them with a sci-fi twist and reinterpreting their purposes, blending the ancient with the contemporary to create an immersive experience that will captivate audiences worldwide.

Concept

I picked 4 iconic Taoist artifacts: the Gourd, the Sword, the Lotus and the Flute, each embody their own distinctive symbolism and significance in Taoist mythology. The final work will present the newly designed 3D models and animations of these four artifacts, as well as their visual identities.

The Gourd: Symbolizing vitality and healing, which is usually depicted as a container.

The Sword: Representing the power to vanquish evil and protect lives, often associated with spells such as thunder and lightning.

The Lotus: An emblem of purity and sanctity, can be used as ornaments and magic tools.

The Flute: A symbol of harmony and balance in a simple shape, usually made by bamboo.

Design Direction

3D Design

Traditional Gourd Shape

This design fully utilizes the traditional gourd shape. The cables not only simulate the gourd's vines, but also add a futuristic touch to the overall design. The transparent materials make the gourd appear lighter, evoking associations with life and growth.

Healing Energy

To emphasize the gourd's mysterious healing energy, I used test tube elements in its internal structure, symbolizing science and experiment. At the same time, the green luminescent material represents vitality and recovery.

Functional Container

The design of the gourd's mouth adopts a form similar to a container's opening, making the gourd more like a practical vessel. These decorative elements may include metallic materials, intricate carvings, and cutting-edge designs, further emphasizing the technological aspect of the gourd.

Thunder Sword Hilt

The hilt design of this sci-fi sword exudes a sense of power. The ring-shaped luminescent material symbolizes lightning energy, showcasing the formidable power of the sword. The metallic connection not only enhances the sword's stability, but also its shape, inspired by gun muzzles and engine nozzles.

Replaceable Spell Tube

Test tube representing lightning spells. Since Taoist swords are often used for rainmaking or summoning lightning, I designed a replaceable test tube interface, with the test tube containing concentrated spell energy.

No Sword Blade

The design of this sci-fi sword follows the Taoist spirit of universal love, and the absence of a blade places emphasis on the sword's function to protect all beings. The energy in lightsaber mode replaces the traditional blade, highlighting the concepts of peace and protection while showcasing a unique futuristic style.

Metallic Flower Stem

I used a rotating transmission structure to simulate the process of petals blooming, and employed metallic materials to emphasize the inorganic and sci-fi theme. The design of the metallic flower stem not only showcases the aesthetics of modern technology but also emphasizes the inorganic characteristics of the sci-fi lotus.

Specular Petal

By observing the shapes and colors of petals in nature, I employed a gradient subsurface scattering material to reinterpret the organic texture of the lotus petals. I also added some honeycomb indentations to enrich the texture details of the petals and give unique charm to this sci-fi lotus.

Ring-shaped Pistil

The use of luminescent material creates a visual focal point at the center of the pistil, manifesting the mysterious energy source of the lotus. This design also adds a layer of mystique to the sci-fi lotus, making it a visual feast full of fantasy and technological elements.

Modular Design

Since traditional flutes are usually made of bamboo, I designed the flute to consist of many modules that can be freely combined by extracting the segmented features of bamboo. This modular design gives this sci-fi flute greater customization and flexibility, allowing users to adjust the length, timbre, and functionality of the flute.

Multimodal Mouthpiece

I designed the mouthpiece to be of different colors, which can be switched by rotating, since the flute has both calming and evil-repelling effects in Taoist culture, which adds more expressiveness to the sci-fi flute, allowing users to change the timbre and functionality with simple operations.

Buttons in the Instrument

Due to the sci-fi style design, I referenced many modern MIDI devices, including Teenage Engineering, and replaced some of the finger holes with buttons and sliders, and added some MIDI ports to enhance the instrumentality.