Quest: A Long Ray's Journey Into Light (1986) Apollo Computer 24fps IVTC

[@rbus]

This animation mesmerized me as a kid. I also later owned an Apollo DN460 as a unix-obsessed teen! That crazy huge "SPAD" math processor board on that thing yet still this animation took forever to render. Would be fascinating to see the code that went into this and possibly run it on modern hardware, re-rendering these frames at 4K would probably just take seconds if not realtime. from paper titled Distributed Computation for Computer Animation by John W. Peterson, Computer Science Deptartment of University of Utah: Apollo Computer's lm Quest-ALong Ray's Journey Into Light was computed on a few hundred workstations at Apollo. Although the machines were connected with a local area network, in the rush to complete the lm little software was written for coordinating the computation. Instead, a person (given the screen credit `Node Hunter and Gigabyte Master') typed the necessary commands into individual nodes. Since that pro ject, more advanced software has been developed for starting the computations [1].2

[@KieferSkunk]

I would imagine you'd get about 10 to 20 frames per second at 4K resolution if you were to use the original programs (modern equivalents of the instructions used). The techniques used at the time were probably reasonably efficient for the networked hardware and its capabilities at the time, but these days it would be horribly inefficient. However, figuring out what they did and using modern tech and techniques to accomplish the same goals would easily get you 60 FPS or better - by today's standards, these scenes are very simple. Even true ray-traced reflection and refraction are now possible to do in real time, and it could be convincingly simulated with older techniques.

[@jordanscherr6699]

I actually ran some numbers on exactly this. I.E. figured the combined memory and processing potential behind the method. One source claims 108 such computers where used. I'm guessing DN660 or something along those lines. Now if that's roughly accurate, then we're talking the combined processing ability of an overclocked and hyper-upgraded Pentium 3 here, and more or less as much memory and perhaps a bit less hard drive space. Still ridiculously slow, but at least (Sane) to handle something of this nature. Even raytracing and material properties aren't out of "proprietary code" reality by that point.

[@jordanscherr6699]

@@KieferSkunk Something like what you're describing has been done with "Polygon Nightmare." A recreation of "Dactile Nightmare" that was re-coded from scratch for Oculus headsets. It has ways of mimicking most of the original's limitations, but not the framerate. Fair to say, even the original quest could play the recreation at 60fps. I'd be interested to see someone re-create this film in real-time using the Nvidia raytracing system!

[@rbus]

@@jordanscherr6699 Sounds about right. The DN460 had a 68010 which had dismal floating point math which is probably why there was this massive multilayer board loaded with I think PAL chips. All that still wouldn't have a mounted to an early 90s FPU but would have been the needed boost for CAD work this series of Apollo machines were designed for.

[@jordanscherr6699]

@@rbus Do you have any theories how the render work was distributed? I know it was networked from a master control program to several headless units. But there's no way each system had enough power to tackle even one single raytraced frame solo and return the result. If that was how it was done, 12Mhrtz would take days to handle even a single one of these images!

[@idioticeskimoe5149]

Why has nobody used this for a vaporwave sample, but Death Grips used it?

[@buklau8782]

Because Death Grips is noided.

[@leppaberry]

Man, 80s cgi is so hypnotic.

[@wizardcoolio]

me at 0:00 through 2:09: woah that’s really good cgi for the time me at 2:10: I PAY DA PRICE TO ROLL WIT IT me at 2:11: woah this is still really good cgi for the time

[@cuppajoesugar]

2:09 sampled in Death Grips' Known for It

[@CYON4D]

This is one of the best 3D shorts I have ever watched.

[@andrewdowell6474]

I like to imagine that this world still exists on some old, forgotten hard drive just waiting for decades to be powered on again.

[@Akira625]

They just don’t make CGI like this anymore. These 80’s CGI films were so incredibly surreal and experimental in nature, something you just don’t see in modern CGI, where the focus is often to make things as photorealistic as possible.

[@wendi-bnkywuv]

Not just photorealistic, but realistic overall. it's so boring! I want the weird stuff of dreams, not a reality check.

[@KieferSkunk]

I have been looking for this video for a long time. Thank you for posting it - only just now found it, because I couldn't remember the title or the name of the group that created it. Another in a line of videos produced by Apollo and several other big houses (MAGI, etc.) at the time to prove that computer animation was a viable art form. I kinda miss those days when this sort of thing was new, exciting, and mesmerizing. Today, we take it all for granted.

[@wendi-bnkywuv]

We also practically demand that it be realistic.

[@puppable]

Here you go: 2:09 3:10

[@threebythestreet]

This would make an interesting map to import into a video game. Like super mario 64.

[@wendi-bnkywuv]

I know right?

[@reedyd]

The Apollo Conniption Christmas 1986 - Volume 1 Number 9: "Hottest graphics videos! Get in the mood with last year's biggest hit, :QUEST: A Long Ray's Journey into Light. A wandering traveler loses his innocence and enters adulthood in an exploding climax that leaves you breathless! His ultimate penetration of the last remaining barrier adds a whole new dimension to your experience! $39.95. Specify Beta or VHS format."

[@Draco_Alpha]

reedyd They had that in the description? Not very family friendly...

[@adabrew2310]

That's a hilarious description.

[@wendi-bnkywuv]

Did they really put that as the description? Kinda bleak yet amusing.

[@reedyd]

@@Draco_Alpha ​ @wendi-bnkywuv The Apollo Conniption was an internal employee newsletter with lots of innuendo and entendres. It's still available online.

[@reedyd]

@wendi-bnkywuv @Draco_Alpha ​The Apollo Conniption was an internal employee newsletter with lots of innuendo and entendres. It's still available online.

[@Amadourrr]

I PAY THE PRICE TO ROLL WITH IT

[@ChristopherSobieniak]

Wouldn't surprise me they charged that much for this.

[@trashbinmedia-3do]

How did you find this on a LaserDisc?

[@trashbinmedia-3do]

I cannot even find it on VHS no less!

[@reedyd]

Compilation video, if I recall correctly.

[@jjdunne6969]

reedyd you’re a hero for ripping this from laserdisc. King format forever, this is the best quality upload of this particular piece on KZbin. Thank you.

[@Takeshi357]

Which compilation?

[@misiwasy]

@@Takeshi357 This. kzbin.info/www/bejne/iGa9hZ2Cr9Jlrck

[@RaquelSantos-99]

0:49

[@Coastal_Cruzer]

Death grips sampled this 2:09

[@space_1073]

Gentlmen.

[@RaquelSantos-99]

1:17