major study

Making the final adjustments before submission. The resolution of the projector isn’t the best, but it looks alright when the lights are all off. I adjusted the shadows to be darker so it gives more depth, and also adjusted the position of the bowls so their sides don’t get cut off on the projector screen.

I also made the text clear of the bowls, however, I can’t really make it into a circle anymore, it’s now an ellipse which looks still fine.

3D Models – SketchUp 3D Warehouse

Marie-E B, 2019. Lanterne. [3D model] SketchUp 3D Warehouse. Available at: https://3dwarehouse.sketchup.com/model/83f862cb-4b1a-4ce3-8b66-c38ba8ab35bd/Lanterne [Accessed 10 August 2025].

BA NYAR PHONE MAUNG, 2021. SOFA. [3D model] SketchUp 3D Warehouse. Available at: https://3dwarehouse.sketchup.com/model/9f775a6a-049e-4abb-81a9-a3c21ed47fc1/SOFA [Accessed 10 August 2025].

Ad Z, 2019. Glass. [3D model] SketchUp 3D Warehouse. Available at: https://3dwarehouse.sketchup.com/model/981cb367-909e-4ae3-8ea3-f67316bab440/glass [Accessed 10 August 2025].

Hermes, 2019. Wine bottles. [3D model] SketchUp 3D Warehouse. Available at: https://3dwarehouse.sketchup.com/model/ac13f17b-804e-4f49-94d5-9b5ce17f4f77/Wine-bottles [Accessed 10 August 2025].

JessieDP, 2020. Sushi Chiller. [3D model] SketchUp 3D Warehouse. Available at: https://3dwarehouse.sketchup.com/model/e30882a5-8d58-4ec1-a7ab-dbf482ddeba7/Sushi-Chiller [Accessed 10 August 2025].

Ariana Dantas, 2016. SUSHI. [3D model] SketchUp 3D Warehouse. Available at: https://3dwarehouse.sketchup.com/model/u1774c22f-078a-4ccf-852b-5c5452808bf5/SUSHI [Accessed 10 August 2025].

3D Models – BlenderKit

PiyalakNuchim, n.d. Stir-Fried Noodles. [3D model] BlenderKit. Available at: https://www.blenderkit.com/asset-gallery-detail/294b88a5-d5d6-453b-b667-6b7047032e0f/?query=NOODLE%20order:_score [Accessed 10 August 2025].

Images – Canva

Author unknown, n.d. Hotpot. [image] Canva. Available at: https://www.canva.com/ [Accessed 10 August 2025].

Author unknown, n.d. Background. [image] Canva. Available at: https://www.canva.com/ [Accessed 10 August 2025].

Sound Effects – Pixabay

TanwerAman, 2025. Wind. [sound effect] Pixabay. Available at: https://pixabay.com/sound-effects/search/wind/ [Accessed 10 August 2025].

Author unknown, 2024. Fountain. [sound effect] Pixabay. Available at: https://pixabay.com/sound-effects/tonal-fountain-sound-effect-241390/ [Accessed 10 August 2025].

BRG_Music, 2024. Cinematic Strings Chords Loop v2. [sound effect] Pixabay. Available at: https://pixabay.com/sound-effects/cinematic-strings-chords-loop-v2-264024/ [Accessed 10 August 2025].

ShidenBeatsMusic,2022. Harp Glissando Down. [sound effect] Pixabay. Available at: https://pixabay.com/sound-effects/search/harp-glissando-down-69334/ [Accessed 10 August 2025].

Ahmed_Abdulaal, 2025. Explosion. [sound effect] Pixabay. Available at: https://pixabay.com/sound-effects/search/explosion-6055/ [Accessed 10 August 2025].

floraphonic, 2024. Flying Free. [sound effect] Pixabay. Available at: https://pixabay.com/sound-effects/flying-drone-whoosh-4-185327/ [Accessed 10 August 2025].

freesound_community, 2022. Creature Squealing. [sound effect] Pixabay. Available at: https://pixabay.com/sound-effects/creature-squealing-2-47639/ [Accessed 10 August 2025].

ET11LX, 2024. Music Transition Ancient Chinese Style. [sound effect] Pixabay. Available at: https://pixabay.com/sound-effects/music-transition-ancient-chinese-style-flashback-et%E5%8D%81%E4%B8%80lx%E5%8F%A4%E9%A3%8E%E8%BD%AC%E5%9C%BA%E8%BF%9B%E5%85%A5%E5%9B%9E%E5%BF%86-247347/ [Accessed 10 August 2025].

Graphic Elements – CapCut

In our last lecture, Ian gave me some feedback on both my project and my 2 minute promotional video. I will make some slight changes according to his suggestions. The promotional video is actually promoting myself as a designer instead of promoting my project and the restaurant, which is also something I need to adjust. I also need to start preparing for the 15-minute presentation.

I've rendered the dragon's path again, the most complicated part will be adjusting the speed in capcut.

Also, Ian mentioned that the bowls sometimes get in the way of the animation, so I will try to move the dragon away so it doesn’t touch the bowls and get split in half.

I've created a 3D model scene in SketchUp to simulate the restaurant environment so that I can create some clips for the 2 minute promotional video.

With the ending QR code, it's not clear enough from the projector. I will make it bigger so that it can be scannable. I feel like the small projector doesn't have good resolution, so I might need to ask Phil if it's possible to change it to a better one.

I added a new element to the animation — flowers in the bowls. I wanted something to interact with the white bowls, and I think it's lovely to include a Chinese symbolization in this clip.

Mixed Stir-Fried Noodles

This stir-fried noodle dish features a mix of ingredients, including a type of Asian mushroom known for its distinctive flavor. It's a unique taste that's rarely found in the UK, which I definitely recommend to people visiting Here Japan.

Red flower

This design is from traditional Chinese character "喜", featuring red and gold colors and a circular floral pattern that symbolizes happiness, unity, and prosperity. The central geometric element "喜" expressing good fortune. This pattern can also easily find on moon cake and other items offers good luck.

Tonkotsu Ramen

This is the most popular dish at Here Japan. The rich, hearty broth pairs beautifully with tender seared pork belly slices. It’s a comforting favorite for all ages, especially in the cold English winter.

Hotpot

I've removed the Tonkotsu Ramen from the last scene because Ian suggested that the image would look better as a photo to match the one at the beginning. So I chose hotpot instead, as it symbolizes family reunion, something very common in Chinese family gatherings.

699pic, n.d.聚會吃火锅. [image] 699pic. Available at: https://699pic.com/tupian-501088276.html [Accessed 18 August 2025].

BlenderKit, n.d. [Fried Noodle]. [online] Available at: https://www.blenderkit.com/ [Accessed 10 August 2025].

Canva, n.d.[Tonkotsu Ramen]. [online] Canva. Available at: https://www.canva.com/ [Accessed 10 August 2025].

Canva, n.d.[Hotpot]. [online] Canva. Available at: https://www.canva.com/ [Accessed 16 August 2025].

CapCut, n.d.[Chinese red flower]. [online] CapCut. Available at: https://www.capcut.com/ [Accessed 10 August 2025]

Miss Suki Wedding, 2025.婚禮結婚囍字利是封紅包 (中式典雅款式). [image] Miss Suki Wedding. Available at: https://www.misssuki.com/products/婚禮結婚囍字利是封紅包 [Accessed 18 August 2025].

I need to enhance the lighting in Blender so the shadows are more visible.

Some shots need to be edited in Photoshop to add the shadows.

I’m trying to twist the dragon into the right path, but sometimes when I edit the ending, the beginning shifts on its own and I have to fix it again.

I’m looking up how to create shadows in CapCut, because the shadows in Blender are too subtle.

I also tried to enhance the shadows in Blender by changing the spotlight to sunlight to make them stronger.

We had a tutorial today, and I showed Ian how it looks at the moment. I got some feedback, like the dragon doesn’t need to stop at the beginning, and I should create more contrast in the speed and exaggerate the shadows.

I’ll adjust the video based on Ian’s feedback. I also want to add some lanterns to the scene — they’ll float upward as the dragon flies up. At the end, I want the dragon to hold onto the new dish. So I’ll continue working in Blender and render more images.

The Le Petit Chef projection has now become a worldwide dining experience. I noticed that they use a lower angle perspective for the 3D models in the animation, making the characters appear as if they’re standing on the table.

In my animation, however, I want it to be shared between 2 people, so I mainly use a stright top-down view so that both sides can see the animation clearly. Otherwise, I would have tried using a lower camera angle in Blender to create shadows for the 3D models, which would make them look more three-dimensional.

The dining setup has a dark background that puts more focus on the plate in front of the customer. I could use the same approach by making the table setting darker instead of plain white.

DancingBacons, 2024. Le Petit Chef Full Dining Experience | The World's Smallest Chef. [video] YouTube. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nx90hH6kepo [Accessed 22 July 2025].

I’m going to use the small projector — Optoma ML750E for my project, since the larger ones are being used by my peers for their bigger projection works. I asked the loan store about extending the rental, but they told me they'll be closed in August. So I’ve asked my tutor, Ian, to see if he can help me arrange an extension.

I’ve also made the dragon a bit thicker as Ian pointed out so that it appears larger from a distance and its details are more visible.

I've rendered out the video, but in lower resolution, because the proper render would take more than 3 hours. I'm also a bit worried about how to handle the final render if it takes that long.

This is the first part of the animation. I used an editing app called CapCut to edit the video. After testing it on the projector, I felt like the sides looked a bit empty, so I plan to add more material there later. I’ll also add more effects to the dragon, like making it blow fire.

In class today, my classmates gave me some suggestions — like adding some lantern elements, and Ian suggested that the dragon could be a little fatter.

I’ll continue editing the animation over the next week, and I hope to finish it before August!

This is the website I got the sound effect from.

Last time, Steve suggested that I ask Phil to help build the mount for the projector so we could hang it up. This week, Phil came with it already done! We tried to match the projection size with the table I want to use. The projection screen is still a bit smaller than the size I was hoping for. Mafalda helped me remove the table’s wheels to see if that would make the screen appear bigger, but it didn’t help much. So Phil said he could build a new table that’s slightly lower to match the screen, and that’s it! Huge thanks to Phil for building everything for my projection setup!

I like the glowing effect on its eyes, so I added more glow to its tail and tentacles, and a little on its body as well. However, I'm not sure how to make the glow appear brighter when the background is black.

I also tried capturing some pictures of the dragon to see if I could use AI to create a full animation. Unfortunately, most of the AI software requires a subscription(expensive payment) to access more advanced features.

The 3D model I created turned out to be too large for my laptop to handle efficiently. I scaled it down and repositioned all the components accordingly.