GM everyone!
EKCO here, co-founder of Miinded, and lead developer.
I’m back again to give you some behind-the-scenes content on ChainZoku. This article follows up on the previous chapter: Episode 1 — How it started. The topic today is to dig deeper into what a Zoku is, technically — what makes them exist!
As a starter, if you haven’t already, you should take 5 minutes to read the extremely well-done Guide to ChainZoku, which will cover the basics of the project.
To make this article a bit more interesting, I’ve decided to interview myself using the questions we asked ourselves throughout the development process, and the answers we found.
The Zokus
The Zokus are avatars in the ChainZoku universe. They are divided into 2 clans: the OniZoku and the BosoZoku.
They’re pretty easy to tell apart: the Oni’s have beautiful horns on their heads, and colorful skins. The Boso’s have more human-like features — what makes them different is the technology they have inside of their bodies.
You can read more about them here.
An NFT, first and foremost
Each Zoku corresponds to a unique NFT, i.e. a number (TokenID) stored on the Ethereum blockchain in the ZokusByChainZoku Smart Contracts (ERC721A).
Each TokenID (and therefore each Zoku) is owned by someone, and this ownership is materialised in the Smart Contract, which is storing the user’s wallet address. When a user decides to transfer a Zoku, the Smart Contract replaces the Wallet of the current owner of the TokenID with the Wallet of the new owner.
That’s it, I think I’ve managed to sum up in a few simple sentences (or not) how an NFT compliant with the ERC721 standard works. So far, nothing crazy, right?
For ChainZoku, we use the ERC721A standard, which allows a significant reduction in gas costs when many NFTs are minted at once.
But my Zoku isn’t just a number, it has an image, features, doesn’t it?
Absolutely! A Zoku is indeed a TokenID in a Smart Contract, but it’s also metadata. The ERC721 standard allows us to add additional information about each TokenID individually.
We can add :
- A name: the name of the Zoku, e.g. OniZoku #218
- An image: the image of the Zoku rendered by our render farm
- A description: a simple description, identical for all Zokus
- A list of attributes: unique traits corresponding to the Zoku
- Additional media: the zoku’s 3D viewer
The great thing about metadata is that it can be permanently modified in real time. It is therefore possible to add/modify/delete traits on a Zoku. That’s what enables us to create dynamic NFTs, and make Zokus customisable.
You can find all the Zoku on the collection’s OpenSea page.
The heart of Zoku
Thanks to the ERC721 Metadata standard, we can build complex things.
Each Zoku has its own traits: Gender, Clan, Background, Skin, Eyes, Haircut, Mood, Teeth, Facewear, Accessories, Earrings, Flying Object, Clothing and Hand Object. Some of these traits are visible directly in the NFT metadata, others are not.
Each trait refers to an “Asset” which has its own attributes. Each trait asset also refers to other assets, which also have their own attributes, etc.
With this system, we can create an almost infinite variety of interlocking asset associations.
Assets are unique and contain all the data needed to create the Zoku: name, description, ID, Blender file name, GLB file name, rarity, etc. This is the heart of Zoku.
For ChainZoku we have 3 types of Assets: fixed, activable or modifiable:
- Fixed : Non-modifiable assets, unique combination (example: Skin, Eyes, Haircut,…)
- Activable: Assets that can be activated or deactivated by the user — toggled on or off. These assets are no longer visible but remain linked to the Zoku. (Accessories, Facewear)
- Modifiable: Assets that can be added or removed by the user (Flying Object, Clothing, Hand Gear, etc.)
As each Zoku is customisable, wouldn’t it make it possible to have doppelgangers?
No, because the combination of fixed Zoku assets is unique and is generated procedurally only once.
During quality control, we made sure that no Zoku could have more than 2 identical fixed assets.
NFTs everywhere
You may have noticed, but Assets have 2 things in common with Zoku: they’re unique and they have traits.
Unique + trait = … ?
Yes, assets are also (N)FTs. But not all of them, only the modifiable assets because it wasn’t useful at the time ChainZoku was created to make all the assets of a Zoku On-Chain (ERC6551 standard didn’t exist yet).
Each Asset also has a TokenID stored in the ZokuGearByChainZoku Smart Contract (ERC1155).
There is one difference between Assets and Zokus: Assets are Fungible Tokens (unlike Zokus which are Non Fungible Tokens), which means that a Fuwa Katata asset is strictly identical to another Fuwa Katana Asset, which is normal.
You can find the list of Assets on Opensea.
Why aren’t all the Assets in the Zokus Gear collection?
Because the choice to display an Asset On-Chain is up to the user who owns the Asset. The user must pay a transaction fee if they wish to display it in the collection. In order to have the least costly experience for the user, there is no obligation to mint the asset.
However, if the user wishes to trade the asset against ETH on the blockchain, it must be minted. For all other use cases, there is no obligation to do so.
In the next article, I will be exploring the 3D renders and the amount of hair we’ve lost…
See you in the next one!
EKCO
-Every simple solution has its limits-
About Miinded
Miinded is a French-based multi-disciplinary web3 studio founded in 2021. We focus on creating unique experiences for creators and guide brands in their transition to web3. We offer a range of services to assist you develop, launch and scale your innovative projects, with our team providing expertise and guidance needed to make it a sucess.
We believe that blockchain lies at the core of this new era of data interaction and digital experience creation. Web3 represents the future of web development, going beyond apps to create a comprehensive ecosystem that supports our digital world.
Our services include custom smart contracts developed using the latest blockchain technologies, UX/UI design focused on intuitive user experiences, webdesign and development tailored to individual project needs, strategic consulting to ensure effective planning, and hosting services that meet specific requirements.
Our last collaborations include Pudgy Penguins, The Sandbox, Snoop Dogg, MekaVerse, and ChainZoku, which highlight the fusion of blockchain technology, digital tokens, and creative concepts to offer immersive digital experiences.
Get in touch to build with us: bonjour@miinded.com
X and Instagram accounts: @MiindedStudio
