Project
Personal project — 100%
Period
Oct 2022-Dec 2022
Services
3D Modeling
Motion Graphics
Tools
Cinema 4D
Octane
X-Particles
After Effects
00 — Overview
01 — Objective
Reveal the watch through material and component motion
02 — Design Criteria
Connect each effect to the strap, case, or final reveal
03 — Deliverables
Simulation · Material development · 3D product film
Watch the work.
01 — Context
How can motion reveal the watch’s materials and structure?
I used liquid, particles, reflective panels, and cloth to introduce the strap and case before revealing the complete watch. Each effect was planned around the part of the product it would show.
02 — Approach
01
Building the narrative through symbols
I composed scenes around the changing roles of the spaceship and ark. Relationships within the imagery carry the message, leaving room for the audience to interpret it.
02
Taking the model into physical production
I split the geometry to fit the printer’s build volume and adjusted print orientation and wall thickness. Repeated surfacing and sanding removed print lines before metallic finishing.
03
Connecting film, poster, and object
03 — Design Decisions
Key decisions and why they mattered
Strap from Light
Iridescent panels move across the frame, fold along one axis, and resolve into the rubber strap. A custom Octane shader connects the strap language to the Sapphire Crystal case through the same dispersion logic.
Process · 01
Body Assembles
Liquid enters first. Screws and second-hand geometry drive X-Particles emitters, then flocking and orbital constraints pull each part toward the case until the body resolves.
Process · 02
Watch Settles
The body and strap meet. A black cloth drops over the assembled watch through a slowed C4D Cloth simulation, then the final frame holds on the Big Bang Sapphire Crystal. The hardest issue was flicker inside the transparent layers, solved by returning to the model and offsetting each internal layer by a small distance.
Process · 03
Particle Residue
After the body resolves, the same X-Particles system scatters outward as a final atmospheric trace. The frame stays still so the transparent case and inner mechanism remain readable; motion is limited to the particle cloud.
Process · 04
04 — Outcome
Outcomes and learning
I completed a film linking material changes to the watch’s structure. Two particle scenes were featured on the official Instagram account of INSYDIUM, the developer of X-Particles.
Featured by Insydium
Two particle scenes were featured on Insydium's official Instagram, the company behind X-Particles. The response confirmed that the simulation work could stand on its own, not only as support for the film.
2022 PI Exhibition
In 2022, I held an exhibition themed 'Elements' at the PI Exhibition of Chung-Ang University of Arts and Design.
Learning
Fixing flicker in the transparent case taught me to check geometry alongside material settings. I also learned to test rendered results early when a sequence depends on complex simulations and transparency.
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