Threshold Between Realities
Built by the same four-person team behind Topological Breach — directed by Felix, with VFX by Cosimo (Xingyu Chen), Cedric, and Yaqi — this site-specific experimental animation was installed in the Muru Giligu Tunnel on the UNSW Art & Design campus in Paddington, Sydney. Using particle simulation and symbolic visual language rather than narrative, the work explores the inner experience of decision-making and transition.
Muru Giligu Tunnel, Sydney ↗Particle City
Particle City went through three iterations. The first used Geometry Nodes to animate a grid of cubes — clean and rhythmic, but ultimately rejected in favour of something more fluid. The second and third moved to a particle-based approach, which introduced a technical problem: Blender has no equivalent to Unreal Engine's Niagara mesh-resampling. Converting falling particles into architecture-shaped geometry meant particles only landed on upward-facing surfaces, producing an incomplete silhouette.
The solution was a particle emitter box enclosing the full city model, firing from all directions simultaneously. Combined with tightly controlled particle lifetimes, this creates the visual impression that falling particles assemble the buildings from the air — matching the design intent without relying on features Blender doesn't have.
Particle Flow
Particle Flow handles the morph between two objects. The requirements from the storyboard broke down into three logical blocks: particle emission and morphing, colour transition during flight, and controllable trajectory. These were built as separate Geometry Nodes sections and connected after individual testing.
Performance was the main obstacle. One of the two target models required a high particle density, and moving that many particles together caused severe lag. The fix drew on the same visual-deception logic used in Particle City: particles are gradually added and removed during the flow transition, so the density increase at the target is built up incrementally rather than all at once. The entire simulation renders in under 10 seconds on a MacBook.
Handoff & Outcome
Once the Particle Flow system was stable, the file was handed off to Yaqi with all adjustable parameters clearly labelled — tail length, colour, speed, and the density transition curve. She tested it across multiple model pairs and settled on the final configuration independently. Particle Flow was a late addition to the original plan, added because it creates a smoother bridge between Particle City and the zipper-close ending.
Every element in the storyboard was delivered on schedule. The audio direction from Felix elevated both scenes considerably — the final sync between particle movement and sound exceeded what the team had imagined at the outset.