“The Destruction of Opium at Humen” – Historical 3D Animation Scene Creation Share (Blender EEVEE)
Hi everyone! I recently completed a 3D animation scene in Blender recreating the historical event “The Destruction of Opium at Humen” (虎门销烟) , and I’d like to share my creative process and technical approach.
Background & Theme
The destruction of opium at Humen was a landmark event in modern Chinese history, symbolizing resistance against foreign aggression. My goal was to use 3D animation to recreate that historic moment of "destroying opium and demonstrating national pride" — from soldiers and laborers working together, to officials and foreign witnesses observing the scene — conveying the profound weight of that era.
Technical Implementation (Blender Core Workflow)
Scene Building
Smoke effects were achieved using Geometry Nodes + Volume materials
Grass and trees were scattered using Geometry Nodes
Wooden platforms and bridges were also modeled procedurally through Geometry Nodes
Character Animation (All Hand-Keyframed)
Characters including Qing Dynasty soldiers, laborers, and foreign envoys were based on historical portraits and traditional opera costumes
Used basic meshes + armature rigging for simplified animations (e.g., laborers carrying loads, soldiers supervising)
Historical Accuracy
Referenced materials from The Opium Wararchives and old photographs
Adjusted details such as official hats with peacock feathers, military uniform patterns, props (bamboo baskets, tools), etc.
rendered with EEVEE .
Performance Optimization
Used low-poly characters for viewport playback to avoid lag (though playback is still only a few frames per second)
Future Plans
I plan to further refine character facial expressions, the chemical reaction during opium destruction (such as lime reacting with water to produce heat and steam), and possibly add narration/subtitles to turn it into an educational short film.
—— imdjs
