Shanghai team behind visual spectacle at Winter Olympics opening ceremony

The team at Nuctopus Studio even bought real ice to study how they could best replicate a block of ice in digital form.

As for the snowflakes, rehearsals with the dancers were essential so the visuals would be in sync with the choreographed movements.

According to Xiang Qian, a member of the Nuctopus Studio team, dozens of revisions were made to each movement of a single snowflake before the opening ceremony.

"Participating in the opening ceremony of the Winter Olympics is one of the most special experiences for us. This is a project that provided us with much inspiration," said Huang.