No, This Video Does Not Show a Real Incident of an Octopus Crushing Car in Qatar

We found that the viral video does not show a real incident and has been created using 3D tools.

Abhishek Anand
WebQoof
Published:
<div class="paragraphs"><p>Fact-Check | The video has been generated using 3D tools and does not show a real incident.</p></div>
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Fact-Check | The video has been generated using 3D tools and does not show a real incident.

(Photo: Altered by The Quint)

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A video of an octopus climbing on top of a car and eventually crushing its roof is being shared on the internet as a recent incident from Qatar.

What have users said: Those sharing the video have captioned it, "In Qatar from the sea to car park, an Octopus!!!."

  • Some users have shared the video claiming it to be from New York (archive here).

An archive of the post can be found here.

(Source: Facebook/Screenshot)

We received a query about the viral video on our WhatsApp tipline, too.

(You can view archives of similar claims can be found here, here, and here.)

What is the truth?: The video does not show a real incident and has been created using Computer-generated imagery (CGI) tools such as Houdini and Octane renderer.

What led us to the truth?: A closer look showed that the car's number plate carried text that said "@ghost3dee", as opposed to a genuine combination of letters and numbers.

The number plate carried a social media handle.

(Source: Viral video/Screenshot/Altered by The Quint)

  • Taking this as a hint, we searched for the handle on Google and came across an Instagram account named 'Alex Z'.

  • The bio mentioned words such as "CG generalist" and carried names of software like Houdini, Max, ZBrush, and Substance.

  • We found the same video uploaded on 25 September.

  • In the caption of the video, the user mentioned hashtags like #simulation and #creatureanimation. The user indicated that the video was rendered on Snaprender Farm.

  • For the unversed, Snaprender Farm is a tool which helps 3D artists a "simple and fast way to get a finished image."

  • We also came across different videos of the octopus that were uploaded on the account. You can view them here and here.

  • Team WebQoof noticed that the user regularly creates such kinds of videos on their account and calls the octopus 'Churro'.

  • We have reached out to the user and they confirmed that the video was created using CGI.

  • The creator told us that the video was created by putting the octopus into a real background. The simulation of the octopus was created using Houdini and Octane render.

  • The user also mentioned that their personal projects, created to demonstrate their technical skills are often stolen and shared with a distorted description.

  • They also shared the VFX breakdown of the video.

Conclusion: It is clear that a simulated video is being shared on the internet with a false claim stating that it shows a real incident of an octopus crushing a car in Qatar.

(Not convinced of a post or information you came across online and want it verified? Send us the details on WhatsApp at 9643651818, or e-mail it to us at webqoof@thequint.com and we'll fact-check it for you. You can also read all our fact-checked stories here.)

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