Digital Revival: Mastering Cultural Heritage with Autodesk in the Longmen Grottoes Metaverse

PRESENTER: Ladies and gentlemen, esteemed colleagues, and attendees of the AU 2024 conference. It is a great honor to be here today to share with you a milestone project in my professional career, Digital Revival-- Mastering Cultural Heritage with Autodesk in the Longmen Grottoes Metaverse.

My name is Liu [INAUDIBLE], a seasoned professional with extensive experience in company listing, information technology, and international exchanges. You can also call me Daniel. I hail from Xuhui Design Company in Zhengzhou, Henan Province, China, where I serve as the Deputy General Manager and the Secretary of the Board. I hold a Bachelor's degree in English from Beijing Jiaotong University, and a Master's degree in Business Administration from Zhengzhou University.

I have always been passionate about innovation and cultural preservation. My academic pursuits have been further enriched through my participation in the AI Asia-Pacific Urban and Rural Sustainable Development Research Initiative, launched by the University of Hong Kong and Tsinghua University, where I delved into the delicate balance between technological advancement and heritage conservation.

My career has taken me through diverse fields. My first job after graduation was to serve as a translator and office director for an aid project in Angola, Africa. It is my first time stepping foot outside of China, and I realized that countries beyond our borders also needed our assistance. The people there were gripping with dangers of war, poverty, and disease. Our work was to help them restore their national road network as part of the China road and bridge corporation, building from the capital of the country to every provincial capital, and from there to their borders.

[INAUDIBLE] was the first time I realized the value of infrastructure, construction, and architectural design work, providing better mobility and connectivity for humanity, making people live more comfortably, safely, and authentically.

Returning to China, I entered the vibrant business world as the Deputy General Manager and Secretary of the Board of Xuhui Design. Experiencing the company's rapid growth from 100 persons to 800 employees, and the challenges of managing during the real estate downturn in recent years. These unique experiences have given me a comprehensive perspective on project management, cross-cultural communication, and the critical importance of information technology in modern infrastructure projects.

The Longmen Grottoes Metaverse project, which I had the privilege to lead, demonstrated the power of technology in preserving and promoting cultural heritage. As the project leader, I selected a team of 10 from over 500 designers and engineers to create a virtual replica of the Longmen Grottoes, a UNESCO World Heritage site. Our efforts culminated in a first prize win, highlighting the project's success in combining cutting-edge technology with the rich cultural narrative of the Longmen grottoes.

At the AU 2024 conference, I look forward to delving into the complexity of this project, discussing how we use advanced digital tools to create immersive experience and how we allow global users to explore and appreciate the Longmen grottoes comfortably from home through the NetEase Yamatai platform. I will also share the challenges we faced and the innovative solutions we implemented to ensure the project's success. I'm eager to engage in meaningful discussions with you and explore how we can collectively use technology to protect our cultural treasures for future generations all over the world.

First, I would like to introduce our company, which is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year. We have a short video for you to watch. This is the record of my AIRI sustainability fellowship. These are the works we have done in China. A lot of buildings, residential buildings. And these are some works of restoration of the old industrial factory. This is a theme park for children. This is a memory pavilion, residential.

Today I would like to introduce you the protagonist of this project, a cultural treasure of our country, a historical encyclopedia carved in stone, the Longmen grottoes in China. However, before delving into this project, I would like to start with another topic that has recently swept the globe, the game called Black Myth:Wukong. Has anyone heard of this game? Great. Let's watch the promo fiction video together.

Since its launch, the game has continued to gain popularity, creating a Black Myth [INAUDIBLE] worldwide, sparking extensive discussions and heated debates. It has not only captive a vast number of players with its profound cultural background and exquisite graphic design, but has also sparked a strong interest in Chinese culture globally. On the [INAUDIBLE] review aggregation website Metacritic and Opencritic, the game has achieved excellent scores of over 80 points. A total of 52 institutions worldwide has reviewed the PC version of Black Myth:Wukong with an overall score of 82 points. Among them, 43 institutions gave positive reviews, nine gave average reviews, and there were no negative reviews. Some foreign review, [INAUDIBLE] media even gave full marks or near full marks, such as the Spanish gaming media Gamestar, which praised its artistic concept, graphics, scenery, and soundtrack as breathtaking and a candidate for the Game of the Year.

Gamingbolt and [INAUDIBLE] also highly praised the game's combat and monster design, calling it "one of the best action games of the year." This is the last data from Steam, which has already exceeded 19.6 million units sold. The sales revenue has exceeded 6 yens billion, approximately $1 billion US.

Analyzing the reasons for its popularity, apart from excellent game design, a significant factor is the cultural elements embedded in the game. Many ancient buildings are beautifully presented in Black Myth Wukong, allowing players to experience the unique charm of Chinese aesthetics, including the exquisite design of architectural structure, the delicate carving of decorative arts, the harmonious unity with the natural environment, and the profound cultural heritage and historical connotation they contain.

The game's high degree of restoration and the integration of real ancient buildings is due to the game production team's extensive field research across various provinces and regions. Through means such as real scene scanning, they have included a large number of real, lasting Chinese culture relics into the game. For example, the Pangu Hangman in the game is based on one of the three remaining gates of the Baiya Fortress, known as the Little Great Wall of the South. The gate tower is built of large stones, and although large in reality, the game features a wizard [INAUDIBLE]. However, the compaction shows that the game's modeling is identical to reality, clearly generated through real scene scanning.

In addition, there are many ancient architectural elements from Shaanxi, such as the towering pavilions similar to the real life Feiyun Pavilion, a pure wooden structure and a treasure among Chinese ancient buildings. Its main body is built according to the terrain, possibly drawing on the characteristics of Tungning Temple, which is embedded in the cliff, cleverly supported by rocks with holes drilled and beams inserted as the base, and the beams and columns interlocking vertically with corridors and the railings connected horizontally.

The integration of these real ancient buildings gives the game a greater sense of realism and historical [INAUDIBLE] depth. Furthermore, there is a presentation of traditional Chinese architecture [INAUDIBLE]. The game presents a variety of traditional Chinese authentic styles, such as symmetrical composition [INAUDIBLE]. In some scenes, the double gives the [INAUDIBLE] building built against the mountains on both sides stand facing each other, showing the beauty of symmetry. However, upon closer inspection, they are not the same, but have their own characteristics.

In the Shaolin Temple scene, the production team has adopted a large number of Buddhist elements to present a visually impactful, authentic spectacle. The suspended sculpture arch is impressive. It is a type of colored sculpture with vivid, three-dimensional, multi-layered and visually impactful characteristics, a perfect combination of scientific structure and artistic technique.

For example, the Buddha statue sculpture in the game have restored the Yuan Dynasty 28 constellation colored sculptures of the [INAUDIBLE] carvings in Chongqing and the Yuan Temple in Jincheng Shaanxi, showcasing the beauty of Chinese traditional art, architecture, and sculpture to the fullest.

There are many similar buildings in China, but one of the most influential is the theme of our art project, the Longmen Grottoes. I would like to ask, have anyone heard of Longmen Grottoes? How about [INAUDIBLE]? China?

OK, I prepared some short videos for you to give you a basic understanding of the background about Longmen Grottoes Henan and Luoyang city.

Henan is the central provincial of China with a popularity more than 1,000 million. It is a big province. And you can remember Henan province for some shortage-- H for hometown. It's the hometown of old Chinese people. E for energy-- It has a lot of young people there. N for network-- Henan is the center of China, and it has a lot of railways, highways, and it is building a network of high-speed railways, and also the airlines. So you can have a look at the high-speed railways from Henan. It's similar to the Chinese character named as [CHINESE].

And A for attraction-- it has a lot of attractions. We have the Shaolin Temple, Longmen Grottoes. And the nature-- the last N is for nature. Nature also has a lot of beauty. The Yellow River is in the center of Henan province. You can have a lot of scenes there.

This is a video about Luoyang city. This is the Longmen Grottoes.

OK. Hope you enjoy the scenes of Luoyang City. And Longmen Grottoes is a society in Luoyang city, and it is the UNESCO Heritage site. It is a more significant, magnificent that all the buildings I just mentioned in the game Black Myth:Wukong. The Longmen Grottoes are located in Luoyang city, Hunan province, China, and were initially carved during the Northern Wei dynasty. At that time, Emperor Xiaowen of the Northern Wei moved the capital from Luoyang and began large-scale cave carvings activities to promote Buddhism.

Since then, it has gone through continuous large-scale construction across multiple dynasties, such as the Eastern Wei, Western Wei, Northern Qi, Sui Tang-- five dynasties, and a zone spanning over 400 years. It began in 493 AD, and, as of 2024, the Longmen Grottoes have been carved for 1,531 years.

The artistic value of the Longmen Grottoes is extremely high. It preserves 2,345 caves, over 100,000 statues, and more than 2,800 stone inscriptions. Each statue is vividly lifelike, as if telling the stories of history.

The cultural value of the Longmen Grottoes is immeasurable. Firstly, from an artistic perspective, the Buddha statues in the grottoes have various shapes and expressions, some with kind faces, some solemn and dignified, and some majestic and powerful. Each Buddha's statue embodied the superb skills of efforts of ancient artistics. The carving skills are exquisite. Whether it is the facial expressions of the Buddha statues, the textures of their clothing, or the decorative patterns in the background, all are depicted in meticulous detail, showcasing the peak level of ancient Chinese sculpture art and providing valuable physical materials for our study of ancient art history.

Secondly, the Longmen Grottoes are an important witness to the spread and development of Buddhist culture in China. The Buddha statue and the Buddhist story carvings in the grottoes reflect the characteristics and evolution of Buddhist beliefs in different dynasties, as well as the integration of Buddhism with traditional Chinese culture.

Furthermore, the Longmen Grottoes also carry historical memories. They have witnessed the rise and the fall of ancient Chinese dynasties, reflecting the social landscape, economic conditions, and technological levels of the time. By studying the Longmen Grottoes, we can understand various aspects of ancient China, such as politics, economy, and culture. It is like a historical encyclopedia carved in stone.

The architectural style of the Longmen Grottoes is also unique. The grottoes built against the mountain, blending with natural environment. The external shape of the grottoes is simple and generous, but the interior is quite different. The Buddha statues in the grottoes are orderly and well-arranged, giving a sense of humanity and harmony. There are also many scriptures and inscriptions carved on the walls of the grottoes. These texts are not only important carriers of Buddhist culture, but also precious legacies of ancient Chinese calligraphic art.

In traditional Chinese culture, there are many elements related to the Longmen Grottoes. For example, in poetry, many ancient [INAUDIBLE] has visited the Longmen grottoes and left behind beautiful poetic works. These poems not only praised the magnificent scenery of the Longmen Grottoes, but also expressed the author's reverence for Buddhist culture and their insights into life. In terms of painting, ancient Chinese painters also often used the Longmen Grottoes as a subject for creation, showcasing the grandeur of the grottoes and the solemnity of the Buddha statues through their brushes.

In terms of protection and inheritance, the Longmen Grottoes were listed as a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit by the State Council in 1961, announced as one of the first batch of national scenic spots by the State Council in 1982, and included in the World Cultural Heritage list by the 24th World Heritage Committee of UNESCO in November 2000.

The Chinese government has always attached great importance to the protection of the Longmen Grottoes, especially the Fengshan Temple. A series of protective measures have been taken, such as reinforcing the mountain body, repairing Buddha statues, and installing monitoring equipment to ensure that this precious cultural heritage can be inherited and promoted. At the same time, digital technology and other means are also used to spread the artistic charm of the Fengshan Temple to the world, allowing more people to understand and appreciate the treasure of ancient Chinese art.

Now I will do the case study. First, I will show you an AI-generated overview of our project.

[VIDEO PLAYBACK]

- The digital realm of metaverse innovation has been honored. Xu Hui Design Co. Ltd.'s virtual masterpiece, Longmen Grottoes claims victory. A prestigious first prize at the Henan Metaverse Creator Competition. This accolade comes with a recognition of excellence, a yuan award. The project stands as a beacon, guiding the way for digital cultural preservation. Now, let us delve into the creative odyssey that brought the Longmen Grottoes to life. The team embarked on a journey, fusing artistry with the precision of Autodesk tools. Each digital chisel and virtual stroke, a tribute to the ancient artisans.

The vision is to transcend physical boundaries, to make heritage accessible in the digital expanse. The challenge is capturing the essence of stone, recreating it in a sea of pixels. The result is a digital Longmen Grottoes that invites exploration, inspires reflection. This is more than a replication. It's a reinterpretation for a new era. It's a bridge connecting the past with the present and opening doors to the future.

In the project's initial phase, AutoCAD was employed to meticulously refine specific details. Autodesk Maya then became our medium, where team members modeled different regions and handled various materials. We harnessed Revit's practical features to model regular objects and exported them in the necessary formats for integration. Autodesk Platform Services APIs played a transformative role, integrating 3D modeling capabilities into our metaverse projects.

This allowed us to create and manipulate complex 3D assets directly within the metaverse environment, enhancing our virtual construction. The combination of these Autodesk tools and services not only accelerated our workflow, but also elevated the quality of our digital designs. Our project stands as a testament to the fusion of human creativity and technological prowess, bringing the Longmen Grottoes into the digital realm. The metaverse is the canvas and Xu Hui Design's creation is the art that inspires.

As visitors step into this virtual space, they embark on a journey through time, a journey that respects the legacy of our ancestors while embracing the potential of tomorrow. It is an invitation to experience culture in a way that was once only imagined. The legacy of the Longmen Grottoes, now preserved in the metaverse, for all time.

[END PLAYBACK]

PRESENTER: OK. We'll give you another show, this. We have won the first prize award at the provincial level in China. And here is a photo of me at that time. We have also received a lot of media coverage and reporting. Next, I will introduce in detail the progress of the project and the tools used. Our team has a set of 10 technical specifications during the work process, and the entire Longmen Grottoes project presented to you is also completed based on this specification.

Before starting the work, we analyze the effort effect design of the plan and the decomposition of the structure. In the production work, it is necessary to consider the reuse of the texture, the distribution of phase numbers, and the processing plan of [INAUDIBLE] at all level. In the entire process, we used multiple Autodesk products and the complete production process is the PBI process, medium model, high model, low model. UV baking texture, 2U load.

The medium model is to confirm the model ratio. The high model is used for model card line or carving, and to increase sulfur status. Therefore, in our work, everyone can clearly see the expression of the Buddha statues, the details of the carvings, and the patterns of the stone walls. The low model UV has a low face number and is the basis for baking and texturing. After that, baking transfers the details from the high model to the low model. And the texturing is a combination of coloring details.

2U is used to place the scene and bake lighting information, and load automatically switched the number of faces according to different distances. The higher face number will cause the scene to be stuck, so we controlled the face number of the entire scene to about 500,000 faces.

Throughout the creative process of the entire project, choosing the right software can greatly improve the effect and work efficiency of the work. In addition to the main use of Autodesk Maya mentioned in the technical specifications above, we also used AutoCAD for overall planning in the early stage, including some detailed deliberation and verification, which is undoubtedly a very convenient tool.

During the modeling process, our team will collaborate with different software. Using different software for different areas to be restored will greatly improve our work efficiency. Revit is also a software we frequently use. It can accurately convert our [INAUDIBLE] planning two-dimensional plans in AutoCAD into three-dimensional models, which does not compromise our creativity while reducing work time. As mentioned earlier, during the creation of this work, it was the period when the COVID-19 pandemic was rampant, which prevented our team from working together. And we could only work from home. Under such circumstances, we could not timely and accurately convey problems, nor could we accurately grasp the process of the project because the entire project is very large. Even after being split and running on other software, it still frequently stalled due to the low configurations of home computers. Due to the situation at the time, we could not upgrade the equipment in time. Therefore, Autodesk viewers undoubtedly brought us a lot of convenience. We can easily upload even large models on this platform for other members to view. There is a famous saying in our country. "If you want to do a good job, you must first sharpen your tools."

Therefore, choosing the right and efficient software is undoubtedly the first problem to face in this [INAUDIBLE] project. When we have done this work well, the foundation for subsequent success has been laid. At present, the entire work can be accessed on the NetEase Yamatai platform. And we have also received a lot of media coverage and promotion. We hope that more people will pay attention to the role of digital technology in the protection of World Cultural Heritage and also hope that more people will pay attention to the progress of China in digital technology. Thank you all.