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Christmas Eve in District 9
3D Render by BelmonttyChristmas Eve in District 9
"The Heat They Didn't Program"
The broth was far too salty, but it was the only way to feel any warmth in a district where even the sun was a pay-per-view simulation.
Elias rested his fingers on the damp counter, listening to the hum of the cook’s servomotors.
He wondered if the android, as it served him the noodles,
was also programmed to feel pity for the men who hunted machines just to afford their rent.
It was Christmas Eve -or at least that’s what the flickering holograms, projecting synthetic fir trees and forced smiles in the shop windows, claimed.
The steaming broth in his hands couldn't stave off the cold that had settled deep in his bones,
a chill that went beyond the street temperature, seeping in from his very soul. While the city celebrated its mockery of a holiday,
amidst the constant drone of spinners and the distorted carols drifting from some alleyway,
Elias watched the steam from his food mingle with his frozen breath, thinking about the few traces of humanity he had left.
------------------------
Medium: 3D-Digital – Cyberpunk-Noir Fantasy.
Blender, Daztudio, Ps
Dec-2025
-----------------------------
Model Genesis.
HDRI stonemason, Contrast ,saturation and color adjustment in Ps.
Iray render NO AI.
Camera:
Focal Length: 85 mm.
Focal Distance: 2.92 mts.
F/Stop: 45
Tone Mapping:
Burn Highlights: 0.06
Crush Blacks: 0.05
Saturation: 3
Gamma: 1.7
Bloom Filter Radius: 0.8
Bloom Filter Threshold: 80k
Bloom Filter Brightness Scale: 0.7
Spectral Rendering:
Spectral Conversion Intent: natural
Spectral Observer: cie1964
Lighting: 1 HDRI environment + Neon emiters
"The Heat They Didn't Program"
The broth was far too salty, but it was the only way to feel any warmth in a district where even the sun was a pay-per-view simulation.
Elias rested his fingers on the damp counter, listening to the hum of the cook’s servomotors.
He wondered if the android, as it served him the noodles,
was also programmed to feel pity for the men who hunted machines just to afford their rent.
It was Christmas Eve -or at least that’s what the flickering holograms, projecting synthetic fir trees and forced smiles in the shop windows, claimed.
The steaming broth in his hands couldn't stave off the cold that had settled deep in his bones,
a chill that went beyond the street temperature, seeping in from his very soul. While the city celebrated its mockery of a holiday,
amidst the constant drone of spinners and the distorted carols drifting from some alleyway,
Elias watched the steam from his food mingle with his frozen breath, thinking about the few traces of humanity he had left.
------------------------
Medium: 3D-Digital – Cyberpunk-Noir Fantasy.
Blender, Daztudio, Ps
Dec-2025
-----------------------------
Model Genesis.
HDRI stonemason, Contrast ,saturation and color adjustment in Ps.
Iray render NO AI.
Camera:
Focal Length: 85 mm.
Focal Distance: 2.92 mts.
F/Stop: 45
Tone Mapping:
Burn Highlights: 0.06
Crush Blacks: 0.05
Saturation: 3
Gamma: 1.7
Bloom Filter Radius: 0.8
Bloom Filter Threshold: 80k
Bloom Filter Brightness Scale: 0.7
Spectral Rendering:
Spectral Conversion Intent: natural
Spectral Observer: cie1964
Lighting: 1 HDRI environment + Neon emiters
very impressive I used chatgpt for translate my feeling :
This video genuinely unsettled me at first, in a bad way.
The lighting, the motion, the way the layers interact… it all felt wrong.
So wrong that my first reaction was: This feels AI-generated.
But after reading the description, something clicked.
The visual incoherence, the artificial crowd, the strange lighting and pacing they perfectly match the narrative.
A world that looks functional, festive, alive… but feels hollow, synthetic, and disconnected.
What initially felt like a failure became, in hindsight, a narrative success.
The image lies and that lie is the story.
Its uncomfortable, dissonant, and strangely effective.
Well done.
This video genuinely unsettled me at first, in a bad way.
The lighting, the motion, the way the layers interact… it all felt wrong.
So wrong that my first reaction was: This feels AI-generated.
But after reading the description, something clicked.
The visual incoherence, the artificial crowd, the strange lighting and pacing they perfectly match the narrative.
A world that looks functional, festive, alive… but feels hollow, synthetic, and disconnected.
What initially felt like a failure became, in hindsight, a narrative success.
The image lies and that lie is the story.
Its uncomfortable, dissonant, and strangely effective.
Well done.
REPLY
! REPORT
Belmontty
Karma: 9,613
Sun, Dec 28, 2025Wow, I love your comment! I usually give each of my illustrations a story and a concept; I draw a lot of inspiration from my many hours of reading.
When I'm in the workflow, I listen to soundtracks that match the mood of what I'm creating, hoping to capture and portray a glimpse of that feeling.
It makes me happy to think I came close to achieving it.
Thank you so much, happy holidays, and happy rendering! =)
When I'm in the workflow, I listen to soundtracks that match the mood of what I'm creating, hoping to capture and portray a glimpse of that feeling.
It makes me happy to think I came close to achieving it.
Thank you so much, happy holidays, and happy rendering! =)
Okay, but it would have been better if AI wasn't used for animation because we're here to showcase human art, not AI.
REPLY
! REPORT
Belmontty
Karma: 9,613
Sun, Dec 28, 2025I see your point, and that’s exactly why I shared the screenshots and the step-by-step workflow video.
100% of this work consists of Daz Studio (Iray), Blender, and Photoshop; the art, concept, and technical execution are 100% my own.
The final 4-second clip is simply a presentation resource to make the post more dynamic -a small visual aid to help viewers dive into the story, not the foundation of the illustration.
The AI only worked for 5 seconds to animate the video; I worked for 10 hours to create the image.
By the way, I am human (or so I think, unless I have implanted memories without knowing it).=D
Thanks for the comment, happy holidays, and happy rendering!
100% of this work consists of Daz Studio (Iray), Blender, and Photoshop; the art, concept, and technical execution are 100% my own.
The final 4-second clip is simply a presentation resource to make the post more dynamic -a small visual aid to help viewers dive into the story, not the foundation of the illustration.
The AI only worked for 5 seconds to animate the video; I worked for 10 hours to create the image.
By the way, I am human (or so I think, unless I have implanted memories without knowing it).=D
Thanks for the comment, happy holidays, and happy rendering!
Alojis
Karma: 1,301
Mon, Dec 29, 2025Yes, I know your work is yours, not AI. I just said the same animation. Good luck.
EresValkyrie1212
Karma: 112
Fri, Jan 02The work is not Ai, but the end product is def AI enhance, that why the face doesn't look like a render. But looking at his gallery and deviant art, that's what he's known for, is doing a render and compensating with AI enhance. What bothers me is how it says "NOAI" but he shamelessly adds AI at the end anyway, like a laugh in the face
Alojis
Karma: 1,301
Sat, Jan 03Yes, that's what I'm saying. I'd like him to win, but it might not be good this way.
Belmontty
Karma: 9,613
Sat, Jan 03My portfolio goes back to 2006 -just check the timestamps on my Daz, Renderosity,deviantart, and ArtStation galleries.- I’ve always hated that plastic Daz finish and used my illustration skills in PS to fix it. Was that AI too? I must be a time traveler then, lol. It seems shitgardnumbers has nothing better to do than be my hater =)
Belmontty
Karma: 9,613
Sat, Jan 03By the way, I’m a big fan of the bimbos in shitgardnumbers' gallery. They're so cute and have that very specific 'Daz' look. Just adorable!. =)
Says NOAI but posts AI anyway.......it's obvious you just use AI Enhance at the end and AI to animate so why lie? You think adding grain to the AI face is going to hide it? Your scene is nice so is the base character model you use so bad that you always need to use AI to enhance it?
Daz characters dont look that smooth
Daz characters dont look that smooth
REPLY
! REPORT
Belmontty
Karma: 9,613
Fri, Jan 02And here we go again... Well, fortunately, I make my own characters for Daz, as well as many of my add-ons and items in Blender using stock photos and FaceTransfer. I don't rely exclusively on Daz vendors and those cookie-cutter 'Daz dolls' characters.
I’m also showing the raw render here. The 'noise' is because I only render at 60%, plus I added a paper texture layer in Photoshop for that extra grit. If you say that can only be achieved with AI, then you have very little knowledge and a lot of malice
I’m also showing the raw render here. The 'noise' is because I only render at 60%, plus I added a paper texture layer in Photoshop for that extra grit. If you say that can only be achieved with AI, then you have very little knowledge and a lot of malice
Christmas Eve in District 9
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Sun, Dec 28, 2025
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Adobe Premiere
Blender
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Nvidia Iray RenderMarketplace Items Used
