Chapter 70: Yunhan Technology's First Target

Lu Yu said, “The next step for Nebula Beyond is to acquire several special effects companies or teams and establish another company dedicated to special effects production.

“What we at Yunhan Technology need to do is provide them with the necessary tools—we’re going to develop the most advanced special effects software.

“You heard me right, we’re developing a suite of special effects software, and it has to be the very best.”

He listened as the people below gasped in surprise, whispering among themselves, while he calmly sipped his tea.

After giving them a moment to digest this information, he continued:

“Up until now, everyone at the company thought I was just someone selling face masks, but what they didn’t realize is that I’m actually a programmer—a pretty capable one, at that.

“I’m not joking about this. I’ll be developing this software with you, and you’ll see for yourselves in the days to come.

“Today, we’re not discussing technical details. Apart from welcoming you to the team, I just want you to get your company-assigned computers ready, set up your development environments, that sort of thing.

“Once you’re done, get to know each other better. From today forward, you’re all part of this team, and you’ll be coding together every day.

“That’s it for today’s meeting. We’ll talk about work tomorrow—get on with your own tasks for now.”

…

The programmers filed out of the meeting room, discussing the topics just covered—some even began sharing their thoughts on special effects software.

Once everyone had left, Lu Yu sat alone, sipping tea and reflecting on matters at Yunhan Technology.

The current team of thirty-two programmers was far from enough. According to his plan, the first phase would require at least two hundred programmers to get started.

More hiring would be needed, perhaps doubling or tripling the team.

With so many people developing for six months to a year, the software would only then begin to take shape.

This was already a compressed timeline, given that he had a clear vision and would be personally devoted to developing the entire software suite.

Otherwise, just designing the architecture would take ages, not to mention the rest—endless lines of code and testing.

He was grateful for the vast amount of internet technology knowledge he had accumulated.

Since unlocking the primary technology archives, Lu Yu had focused on internet technology more than anything else, delving deeply into it.

He’d even written numerous small applications based on those methods and ideas, though most weren’t currently useful. Still, this boosted his practical programming skills and logical thinking.

Without that foundation, he wouldn’t have the confidence to create such an advanced special effects suite.

…

After pondering for a while, Lu Yu left the meeting room. Not lingering at Yunhan Technology, he went downstairs to find Liu Shichang and urged him to accelerate recruitment.

They needed not only people for other departments but, more importantly, a great many programmers. For certain key positions, higher salaries could be offered.

As long as the candidate had ability, Lu Yu didn’t mind improving the compensation package.

He listed all the detailed positions, sent them to Liu Shichang, gave him a few instructions, and then left the company.

Once home, Lu Yu finished reading the remaining books and went to the library to return them.

As expected, starting tomorrow, he would begin the relentless, round-the-clock life of coding, with little time left for reading or returning books.

When he returned from the library, Shi Zixuan and Qin Xiaomian were also home, and the three of them went for a run together.

During their break, the two women asked about the company upstairs.

Lu Yu briefly explained that he was working in software development and would be working upstairs for the foreseeable future—overtime would likely become the norm.

Neither of them understood programming, so they didn’t press further.

—

After dinner, the three gathered in the living room to watch an episode of a variety show, then went for a stroll around the neighborhood.

The heat from the day had finally begun to fade.

By the small artificial lake, the air was somewhat cooler, though a few pesky mosquitoes hovered about.

After walking for over half an hour, they returned home to rest.

…

The next morning, Lu Yu went to work with the two women. Once they entered Nebula Beyond, he headed straight to Yunhan Technology upstairs.

A few programmers had already arrived and greeted him.

Lu Yu smiled and nodded, carrying his laptop bag into the office.

Shortly after nine, everyone was present, and Lu Yu had someone call a meeting.

The programmers trickled into the meeting room.

Once everyone was present, Lu Yu had someone bring in a small blackboard before beginning:

“Yesterday, I told you what the company intends to do. I’m sure you’ve discussed it among yourselves, looked into special effects software, and have your own insights. So, let’s talk about that today.

“The most widely used software on the market right now is Maya. To be honest, it’s powerful and user-friendly, but if you want to create truly remarkable effects, you also need to master Python, MEL, and PyMEL.

“There’s no need to elaborate on Python; MEL and PyMEL are Maya’s own scripting languages. For those without a programming background, these can be hard to grasp—beyond the reach of most people.

“Another frequently used tool is Houdini, which was designed specifically for special effects and also supports Python.

“It allows artists without coding skills to achieve the same results as programming by using built-in visual programming features.

“That’s an excellent feature and something we should learn from.”

…

As Lu Yu spoke, he paced the meeting room, stopping at the blackboard.

“So, what kind of special effects software are we going to develop at Yunhan Technology?”

With that, he drew a circle in the middle of the blackboard and wrote “Core” inside.

“I want to develop a suite that integrates all the existing special effects functions. To do that, we first need a central core.

“The core’s purpose is to enable 3D modeling and import digital images. Simply put, it can create virtual special effects scenes and also import footage shot with a camera for effects work.

“We’ve already discussed Houdini’s visual programming, which we should emulate. Its functionality can be divided into ten categories:

“Modeling, Materials, Animation, Lighting, Keying, Erasure, Color Grading, Compositing, Scene Integration, and Rendering.

“Virtually all steps in both virtual and live-action special effects production fit within these ten functions. This is what our core will encompass.”

…

He then drew nine smaller circles around the central one, labeling each:

“Surrounding this core, we’ll have nine modules.

“Scene Editing, Surface Editing, Particle Editing, Image Compositing, Material Editing, Channel Editing, VEX Module, Dynamics Editing, and Rendering Output.

“When combined, these nine modules will perfectly realize the ten main functions mentioned above.

“This is the basic framework for our software—a special effects suite built on nine modules, supporting ten key visual programming features.

“But no single suite can possibly include every function and trick in the industry; there will always be better special effects techniques created.

“What do we do then? You all know Linux, right?”

—

The programmers in attendance stared at Lu Yu in disbelief.

He took in their expressions and, after a moment, nodded slowly:

“That’s right—you didn’t mishear me. What we’re developing is open-source software. What I’ve just described is only the basic structure and modules.

“We’ll also develop a series of small plugins, and of course, others can develop their own. That way, even those without coding knowledge or special effects skills can easily achieve certain effects.

“This is the mission of Yunhan Technology.

“These foreign special effects software companies profit from annual licensing fees every year. We’ll develop something even better.

“We’re late to the market, so instead of competing head-on, we’ll open it up—let more people participate in special effects creation. We’ll go open source.

“Moreover, we’ll make the entire suite visual and modular, just like the photo editing apps on smartphones. With so many people in this country, surely some will become masters of effects creation.

“I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to see another cheap, low-quality domestic special effect.”

…

The programmers were visibly stirred by Lu Yu’s vision.

Was he planning to challenge every foreign special effects software company out there?

If they could truly create something superior and open source, it would be a direct blow to those foreign firms.

But honestly, everyone liked the sound of that.

They looked at each other, excitement in their eyes.

Lu Yu sat down and took a sip of hot water before continuing:

“Of course, there’s no way we can do this alone; we’re still recruiting.

“For now, divide yourselves into nine groups according to your programming strengths and interests, each corresponding to one of the nine modules. Future team members will do the same.

“Get ready. This afternoon, we officially start coding.”

…

The employees left the meeting room, discussing the modules they were interested in, exchanging ideas with growing enthusiasm.

They didn’t know why the boss was investing so much in this open-source suite or how the company planned to profit in the future.

But that wasn’t their concern, nor did it interest them.

They cared more about what their code would accomplish.

If the foreign special effects companies were dragons, then they would be the sword-wielding immortals slaying them with lines of code.

The thought gave them an odd sense of satisfaction.

Once everyone had left, Lu Yu remained in his seat, studying the circles and words on the blackboard, mentally reviewing the entire software architecture.

He already had a rough idea, but as with all things, there were bound to be oversights.

It never hurt to think things through one more time.

After frowning in thought for a while, he decided it was best to hire more software architects to help identify and fix any gaps.

With that in mind, Lu Yu headed downstairs to find Liu Shichang and have him post new job listings.

…