Sentient is on a mission to build a blockchain-powered ecosystem where AI builders can publish models, earn revenue, and contribute to a system that rewards participation instead of locking it behind closed platforms.
At the center of this ecosystem is The GRID: a growing network of AI models designed to be open, interconnected, and accessible. For the public launch, Sentient asked us for a video to communicate what openness means, and why it matters.
The concept was simple: a single brick breaking out of a closed system and moving into a flowing network that forms the GRID, the largest network of open intelligence.
Built across Cinema 4D and Houdini, the film moves from containment to expansion through procedural motion and evolving structure. Sound design and an in-house voice-over anchor the tension, giving weight and scale to the transition.
As with katana, where we visualized liquidity as a living system, the goal was not to illustrate mechanics literally but to let structure behave in a way people could feel.
The film spread quickly across social platforms, becoming one of Sentient’s strongest early signals. It didn’t feel like a typical tech launch. Instead, it became a moment of engagement through design. Built on tension and release, it resonated emotionally before the details even landed.
It became a rare example of a digital narrative communicating a complex system through pure atmosphere, and went viral for speaking directly to the hearts of AI builders.
This project moved fast. We had to trust our instincts and trust each other. Working alongside an evolving brand meant making decisions in motion. Instead of waiting for everything to be defined, we focused on the core feeling: pressure, rupture, expansion. Once that was clear, the rest followed.
For a small studio, delivering something of this scale in a short window became quiet proof of capability. The response confirmed something we’ve seen before, including with projects like Quantum 25: when the emotional core is strong, you don’t need to over-explain complexity. You express it clearly and let it travel.
- 3D Artist Nicholas Ellis Brown
- 3D Artist Alex Macek
- Sound Design Alberto Zampano