We saw quite an impressive lineup for the Post-Apocalypse's #KB3Dcontest's In-Motion entries this time around and Cheng Liu snagged first place by conveying an emotional story, mesmerizing atmosphere and excellent composition-- all in just 6 seconds! Though we are still not sure we believe him, Cheng has only been in the industry for 2 years and is ecstatic to share his thoughts and processes below!
Cheng, how long have you been an artist?
While I have been working for almost two years now, I still consider myself very naive, so I cannot claim to be an artist.
My first independent film was a very childish short film called “Single Lamp”. When I first started my internship, I wanted to prove myself, so I spent almost half a year to complete this short film.
Single Lamp from Cheng LL on Vimeo.
Wow I think the folks at Pixar might be giving you a ring soon! It's incredible that you've only been in the industry for 2 years and you can produce works like these. Please tell us your secrets! What is your process before starting a project like this?
Don't jinx me! Generally, I will start my process by gathering references from other works to analyze how other artists frame and light their scenes. From there, I will start to conceptualize my own visions based off the work I've digested, then I will start to build approximate scenes with boxes, and then move on to enrich those scenes with detail.

Right about now is when I start pulling out the KitBash3d models :) After I've played around with my composition, I will move onto the last part: lighting and rendering. I usually use octane or redshift as the renderer, and I work mainly in 3d since I can't draw!


It took me two days to set up the scene. In the beginning, the lighting part and the material felt very ugly to me. I nearly wanted to give it all up, but I thought about how much effort I had already put into it, so chucking it all out would have been an even bigger waste if I did not continue. So I swallowed my pride and rearranged the scene, and the lighting materials finally began to complete this picture.

And finally, why do you make art?
For as long as I can remember, I have always been a huge fan of American dramas and movies, and recently in the Golden Age of television, shows like Game of Thrones have especially inspired me. It is a dream of mine to one day be as good as the artists I have admired so much over these past few years.
Well, Cheng Liu, by looking at your portfolio and what you've accomplished so far in just 2 years, we'd say you'll have no problem doing just that.
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