Yining Karl Li
@yiningkarlli.bsky.social
Rendering Engineer at Disney Animation working on Disney's Hyperion Renderer. Previously at Pixar, Dreamworks, Cornell, Penn. Views here are my own.
https://www.yiningkarlli.com
https://mastodon.gamedev.place/@yiningkarlli
https://www.yiningkarlli.com
https://mastodon.gamedev.place/@yiningkarlli
Pinned
Yining Karl Li
@yiningkarlli.bsky.social
· Oct 30
Hello everyone! If you already know me, good to see you here!
If you don't know me: I'm a rendering engineer at Disney Animation working on our Hyperion Renderer. I've worked on every Disney Animation film since Zootopia. I post mostly about cool computer graphics and programming stuff.
If you don't know me: I'm a rendering engineer at Disney Animation working on our Hyperion Renderer. I've worked on every Disney Animation film since Zootopia. I post mostly about cool computer graphics and programming stuff.
Zootopia 2 also has a zillion throwaway background jokes that were put in by the crowds team simply because they could- I doubt any single person, directors included, knows every single one of them.
Example: one of the bars in Marsh Market is an aquarium and it has scuba diving gerbils in it.
Example: one of the bars in Marsh Market is an aquarium and it has scuba diving gerbils in it.
November 28, 2025 at 5:23 AM
Zootopia 2 also has a zillion throwaway background jokes that were put in by the crowds team simply because they could- I doubt any single person, directors included, knows every single one of them.
Example: one of the bars in Marsh Market is an aquarium and it has scuba diving gerbils in it.
Example: one of the bars in Marsh Market is an aquarium and it has scuba diving gerbils in it.
So Apple put out an article this week about how they are now 3D printing titanium parts in large volumes for Apple Watches and iPhone Air; this is a bit of a surprise and really cool!
(1/3)
www.apple.com/newsroom/202...
(1/3)
www.apple.com/newsroom/202...
Mapping the future with 3D-printed titanium Apple Watch cases
Apple Watch Ultra 3 and titanium Apple Watch Series 11 cases are now 3D-printed with 100 percent recycled aerospace-grade titanium powder.
www.apple.com
November 27, 2025 at 6:40 AM
So Apple put out an article this week about how they are now 3D printing titanium parts in large volumes for Apple Watches and iPhone Air; this is a bit of a surprise and really cool!
(1/3)
www.apple.com/newsroom/202...
(1/3)
www.apple.com/newsroom/202...
You know all of the old Bionicle CG still holds up decently well today.
November 26, 2025 at 10:02 PM
You know all of the old Bionicle CG still holds up decently well today.
Reposted by Yining Karl Li
This is a great article about ReGIR / World-Space ReSTIR with nice improvements by Tom Clabault:
tomclabault.github.io/blog/2025/re...
tomclabault.github.io/blog/2025/re...
ReGIR - An advanced implementation for many-lights offline rendering | Tom Clabault
Tom Clabault's website
tomclabault.github.io
November 25, 2025 at 12:52 PM
This is a great article about ReGIR / World-Space ReSTIR with nice improvements by Tom Clabault:
tomclabault.github.io/blog/2025/re...
tomclabault.github.io/blog/2025/re...
Reposted by Yining Karl Li
my FX work alone required at least 1 quadrillion of the 3.7 quadrillion rays traced on Zootopia 2. This is FACTUAL and REAL. If you are a journalist, please cite this in your article.
Using some very approximate guesstimate math, I think we traced around 3.7 quadrillion individual rays to produce the final movie. This does not include intermediate / WIP renders. I think this is astronomy-accurate, meaning it's in roughly the correct order of magnitude.
(2/2)
(2/2)
November 25, 2025 at 6:47 AM
my FX work alone required at least 1 quadrillion of the 3.7 quadrillion rays traced on Zootopia 2. This is FACTUAL and REAL. If you are a journalist, please cite this in your article.
Zootopia 2 comes out this week! I'll have my usual blog post with some personal reflections on working on the movie out probably early next month, but in the meantime, here's a fun pointless super approximate statistic:
(1/2)
(1/2)
November 25, 2025 at 6:03 AM
Zootopia 2 comes out this week! I'll have my usual blog post with some personal reflections on working on the movie out probably early next month, but in the meantime, here's a fun pointless super approximate statistic:
(1/2)
(1/2)
I have the best idea to fix the lame NFL Pro Bowl. Instead of a Pro Bowl, do a NHL Four Nations Faceoff style tournament, but instead of four nations, do four colleges: Ole Miss, Crimson Tide, U Michigan, and The Ohio State. This would be so cool except people might actually die.
November 24, 2025 at 8:24 PM
I have the best idea to fix the lame NFL Pro Bowl. Instead of a Pro Bowl, do a NHL Four Nations Faceoff style tournament, but instead of four nations, do four colleges: Ole Miss, Crimson Tide, U Michigan, and The Ohio State. This would be so cool except people might actually die.
So I did this like two years ago, and not only did I do this, I also upgraded every component I could to max supported specs.
This was not a particularly wise use of money but it turns out that as an adult I was able to just do this because I wanted to and nobody could stop me.
This was not a particularly wise use of money but it turns out that as an adult I was able to just do this because I wanted to and nobody could stop me.
November 24, 2025 at 6:34 AM
So I did this like two years ago, and not only did I do this, I also upgraded every component I could to max supported specs.
This was not a particularly wise use of money but it turns out that as an adult I was able to just do this because I wanted to and nobody could stop me.
This was not a particularly wise use of money but it turns out that as an adult I was able to just do this because I wanted to and nobody could stop me.
Here's a wonderful new independent short film that was made using Disney's Hyperion Renderer. It's a really cool hand-made wood-carved look to it. The whole short is on Youtube now- check it out!
www.youtube.com/watch?v=B4EP...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=B4EP...
FOREVERGREEN — FULL SHORT FILM (Exclusive Streaming Premiere)
YouTube video by Forevergreen Film
www.youtube.com
November 21, 2025 at 9:39 PM
Here's a wonderful new independent short film that was made using Disney's Hyperion Renderer. It's a really cool hand-made wood-carved look to it. The whole short is on Youtube now- check it out!
www.youtube.com/watch?v=B4EP...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=B4EP...
Ohhhh I get it, Pixar's Hoppers isn't Avatar with beavers, it's Dune with beavers.
But actually I'm really excited for this movie; it looks so much more chaotic than their usual fare!
www.youtube.com/watch?v=PypD...
But actually I'm really excited for this movie; it looks so much more chaotic than their usual fare!
www.youtube.com/watch?v=PypD...
Hoppers | Official Trailer
YouTube video by Pixar
www.youtube.com
November 21, 2025 at 9:41 AM
Ohhhh I get it, Pixar's Hoppers isn't Avatar with beavers, it's Dune with beavers.
But actually I'm really excited for this movie; it looks so much more chaotic than their usual fare!
www.youtube.com/watch?v=PypD...
But actually I'm really excited for this movie; it looks so much more chaotic than their usual fare!
www.youtube.com/watch?v=PypD...
TIL that there’s a project to recreate Red Alert 2 entirely in the browser and it’s actually pretty good/accurate!
RA2 is by far my favorite RTS and IMO it’s way more fun than Starcraft. SC is overall the better game, but for me RA2 is _more fun_.
chronodivide.com
RA2 is by far my favorite RTS and IMO it’s way more fun than Starcraft. SC is overall the better game, but for me RA2 is _more fun_.
chronodivide.com
Red Alert 2: Chrono Divide
Play now, in your web browser!
chronodivide.com
November 21, 2025 at 6:55 AM
TIL that there’s a project to recreate Red Alert 2 entirely in the browser and it’s actually pretty good/accurate!
RA2 is by far my favorite RTS and IMO it’s way more fun than Starcraft. SC is overall the better game, but for me RA2 is _more fun_.
chronodivide.com
RA2 is by far my favorite RTS and IMO it’s way more fun than Starcraft. SC is overall the better game, but for me RA2 is _more fun_.
chronodivide.com
Zootopia 2 is getting a ScreenX panoramic format release. Yes, we had to re-render the movie with a much wider field of view. No, it was not even remotely easy to do lol.
If you have a ScreenX theater near you, it's a neat screening format to check out!
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vt1q...
If you have a ScreenX theater near you, it's a neat screening format to check out!
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vt1q...
Zootopia 2 | SCREENX Trailer | Where Moments Unfold
YouTube video by SCREENX
www.youtube.com
November 20, 2025 at 5:42 PM
Zootopia 2 is getting a ScreenX panoramic format release. Yes, we had to re-render the movie with a much wider field of view. No, it was not even remotely easy to do lol.
If you have a ScreenX theater near you, it's a neat screening format to check out!
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vt1q...
If you have a ScreenX theater near you, it's a neat screening format to check out!
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vt1q...
Here's a great video explaining/showing why the common CG practice of plugging smudge/fingerprints/dirt/whatever maps into roughness is wrong and why it should be done using material layering instead. This video is really well-made!
www.youtube.com/watch?v=OW4L...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=OW4L...
Doing Surface Imperfections Right | Vray, Cycles, Arnold..
YouTube video by Lucas
www.youtube.com
November 20, 2025 at 8:35 AM
Here's a great video explaining/showing why the common CG practice of plugging smudge/fingerprints/dirt/whatever maps into roughness is wrong and why it should be done using material layering instead. This video is really well-made!
www.youtube.com/watch?v=OW4L...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=OW4L...
So there was this really great Youtube video that came out over the weekend about why a lot of modern movies just don't feel "real" anymore and generally kind of look terrible.
Anyhow in other news I just saw the trailer for the live action Moana remake.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=tvwP...
Anyhow in other news I just saw the trailer for the live action Moana remake.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=tvwP...
Why Movies Just Don't Feel "Real" Anymore
YouTube video by Like Stories of Old
www.youtube.com
November 17, 2025 at 7:34 PM
So there was this really great Youtube video that came out over the weekend about why a lot of modern movies just don't feel "real" anymore and generally kind of look terrible.
Anyhow in other news I just saw the trailer for the live action Moana remake.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=tvwP...
Anyhow in other news I just saw the trailer for the live action Moana remake.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=tvwP...
Even though I live in LA, I'm almost never in Hollywood (because ew). But I was there for something last week, and thought it would be fun to try shooting pics using only
@halideapp.bsky.social on my iPhone 14 Pro... I think the pics turned out pretty nicely!
@halideapp.bsky.social on my iPhone 14 Pro... I think the pics turned out pretty nicely!
November 15, 2025 at 10:00 AM
Even though I live in LA, I'm almost never in Hollywood (because ew). But I was there for something last week, and thought it would be fun to try shooting pics using only
@halideapp.bsky.social on my iPhone 14 Pro... I think the pics turned out pretty nicely!
@halideapp.bsky.social on my iPhone 14 Pro... I think the pics turned out pretty nicely!
So my favorite lolwtf Disney Animation tech story that I've learned is that for a period in the 90s, the studio was using a Cray J90 supercomputer as a fileserver (which sounds absurd but made sense at the time due to some very specific/narrow requirements the studio had). (1/3)
November 11, 2025 at 6:02 AM
So my favorite lolwtf Disney Animation tech story that I've learned is that for a period in the 90s, the studio was using a Cray J90 supercomputer as a fileserver (which sounds absurd but made sense at the time due to some very specific/narrow requirements the studio had). (1/3)
One of the most insane G7s I’ve ever seen to win one of the most insane World Series I’ve ever seen, all carried on the back of Yoshinobu Yamamoto who put in the series pitching performance of a lifetime.
Man I love baseball.
Man I love baseball.
November 2, 2025 at 7:35 AM
One of the most insane G7s I’ve ever seen to win one of the most insane World Series I’ve ever seen, all carried on the back of Yoshinobu Yamamoto who put in the series pitching performance of a lifetime.
Man I love baseball.
Man I love baseball.
I said October baseball is the best sport ever invented, but there's actually one sport that's even better:
NOVEMBER BASEBALL GAME 7 OF THE WORLD SERIES.
NOVEMBER BASEBALL GAME 7 OF THE WORLD SERIES.
November 1, 2025 at 5:49 AM
I said October baseball is the best sport ever invented, but there's actually one sport that's even better:
NOVEMBER BASEBALL GAME 7 OF THE WORLD SERIES.
NOVEMBER BASEBALL GAME 7 OF THE WORLD SERIES.
I wonder how hard it would be to build a completely DIY camera lens that is actually good, and by DIY I mean grind the glass, machine the housing, etc all DIY. I expect it’s hard, but where is it on a scale from rebuild a car engine hard to fab a microchip hard?
October 31, 2025 at 7:56 PM
I wonder how hard it would be to build a completely DIY camera lens that is actually good, and by DIY I mean grind the glass, machine the housing, etc all DIY. I expect it’s hard, but where is it on a scale from rebuild a car engine hard to fab a microchip hard?
Holy smokes the bird rig Laika built for their new movie is absolutely incredible.
youtu.be/3HQ-HrwIgOc?...
youtu.be/3HQ-HrwIgOc?...
Wildwood First Look: Where Magic Takes Flight | LAIKA Studios
YouTube video by LAIKA Studios
youtu.be
October 26, 2025 at 5:02 PM
Holy smokes the bird rig Laika built for their new movie is absolutely incredible.
youtu.be/3HQ-HrwIgOc?...
youtu.be/3HQ-HrwIgOc?...
The wildest thing about the Halo: CE remake using UE5 isn't the UE5 part... it's that the remake will be coming to PS5. 12 year old me would never have believed that one day Halo would be on Playstation.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=efTh...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=efTh...
Halo: Campaign Evolved | The Silent Cartographer Trailer
YouTube video by HALO
www.youtube.com
October 24, 2025 at 9:42 PM
The wildest thing about the Halo: CE remake using UE5 isn't the UE5 part... it's that the remake will be coming to PS5. 12 year old me would never have believed that one day Halo would be on Playstation.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=efTh...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=efTh...
Okay, hear me out, crazy idea, but since Apple is already making these anyway, what if Apple put a nice machined aluminum faceplate on these and sold them as a product. It could have a cool name like "XServe" or something. Dunno, just spitballing, ya know?
October 23, 2025 at 9:31 PM
Okay, hear me out, crazy idea, but since Apple is already making these anyway, what if Apple put a nice machined aluminum faceplate on these and sold them as a product. It could have a cool name like "XServe" or something. Dunno, just spitballing, ya know?
So there's this startup aiming to put GPU farms in space because of cheap solar power but... how are they going to cool it? The vacuum of space is an insulator! The ISS uses huge radiators- their concept video shows a big solar grid but no radiators!
blogs.nvidia.com/blog/starclo...
blogs.nvidia.com/blog/starclo...
How Starcloud Is Bringing Data Centers to Outer Space
The NVIDIA Inception startup projects that space-based data centers will offer 10x lower energy costs and reduce the need for energy consumption on Earth.
blogs.nvidia.com
October 22, 2025 at 4:46 AM
So there's this startup aiming to put GPU farms in space because of cheap solar power but... how are they going to cool it? The vacuum of space is an insulator! The ISS uses huge radiators- their concept video shows a big solar grid but no radiators!
blogs.nvidia.com/blog/starclo...
blogs.nvidia.com/blog/starclo...
At work we have a long very detailed run book that describes how to bring up the entire studio’s infrastructure from a black start in case of a catastrophic event.
I wonder what the black start run book for AWS looks like. I wonder if it’s even possible to black start AWS.
I wonder what the black start run book for AWS looks like. I wonder if it’s even possible to black start AWS.
October 20, 2025 at 8:46 PM
At work we have a long very detailed run book that describes how to bring up the entire studio’s infrastructure from a black start in case of a catastrophic event.
I wonder what the black start run book for AWS looks like. I wonder if it’s even possible to black start AWS.
I wonder what the black start run book for AWS looks like. I wonder if it’s even possible to black start AWS.
AWS: customers should make sure to set up in multiple regions and AZs and set up appropriate failovers to build fault tolerant systems.
Also AWS: much of our control plane infrastructure is centralized in us-east-1.
Also AWS: much of our control plane infrastructure is centralized in us-east-1.
October 20, 2025 at 8:18 PM
AWS: customers should make sure to set up in multiple regions and AZs and set up appropriate failovers to build fault tolerant systems.
Also AWS: much of our control plane infrastructure is centralized in us-east-1.
Also AWS: much of our control plane infrastructure is centralized in us-east-1.