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elevated by Rgba & TBC | 4k intro (FullHD 1080p demoscene demo)

Demoscene High-Quality Videos (Annikras) · demo · Watch on YouTube

Demoscene & retrocomputingComputer graphics & renderingCreative coding & generative art

What it is

Elevated by Rgba and TBC, the winner of the 4k intro compo at Breakpoint 2009. It is a realtime procedurally generated 3D flythrough with music, all in a 4096-byte executable.

Why Hacker News recommends it

Held up as the landmark demoscene production and a counterpoint to software bloat.

  • 7 people recommended it
  • 10 different months
  • 7 strong recommendations
  • first 2013, last 2025

What HN commenters said

  1. “are recommended to watch this demo generated in realtime by a 4KB executable”

    Realtime demo from a 4KB executable contrasts with bloat.

    userbinator, 2015-04 · Strong recommendation · in “Code Inflation [pdf]”

  2. “It still blows my mind 7 years after release...”

    Everything is procedurally generated by a 4096-byte executable.

    jsheard, 2016-06 · Strong recommendation · in “Source code for 4kb demoscene production “Elevated” released”

  3. “achieving something like this in 4k is just mindblowing.”

    4KB animated 3D demo with music.

    M4v3R, 2016-11 · Strong recommendation · in “Making graphics in 4 kilobytes (2008) [pdf]”

  4. “Inigo Quilez, a demoscene programmer who does amazing work”

    Four-kilobyte demo by a standout demoscene programmer.

    twic, 2019-11 · Strong recommendation · in “Ask HN: Who are your programming rockstars, and why?”

  5. “It demonstrated that 4k was more than sufficient for impressive effects and music”

    Landmark 4k demo that reshaped the demoscene.

    duskwuff, 2020-04 · Strong recommendation · in “Finland adds the demoscene as a UNESCO intangible world cultural heritage”

  6. “It’s truly amazing what can be done in just 4 kilobyte!”

    Showcase of what a 4 kB intro can do, winner of Breakpoint 2009.

    onename, 2025-05 · Strong recommendation · in “Inigo Quilez: computer graphics, mathematics, shaders, fractals, demoscene”

  7. “responsible for a number of amazing demos”

    Iq's 4kB demo Elevated.

    david-given, 2015-05 · Recommendation · in “Voxel Quest Fluid Dynamics and New Rendering Method”

Excerpts from Hacker News comments, linked to the originals. Summaries and labels were written by a language model from those comments.

Topics: 4k intro, procedural generation, inigo quilez, size coding, realtime graphics

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