In the French animated television series Code Lyoko, one of three important places in the show is the factory, which houses the supercomputer that contains Lyoko. Codelyoko.net shows that the factory in the show is based on an old Renault automobile plant, located on the Seine River in Boulogne-Billancourt, France. Both internal and external pictures of the since demolished Renault factory indicate that the factory in the series was modeled after it.
Parts of the factory
The factory contains the equipment used to house and access Lyoko. It consists of four levels: the factory floor, the lab, the scanner room, and the supercomputer room. The latter three levels are all protected by large, electromagnetically-sealed security doors. The factory is separated from the sewer system by the river; it can only be reached by the bridge or by boat.
Factory floor
The factory floor contains old equipment that has long since been abandoned by the original owner. One can assume that the various conveyor belts and other machinery were originally meant to design automobiles like the actual factory that this one is based on. The factory floor, since it is below street level, can only be accessed by swinging from ropes or a ramp large enough for vehicles.
The factory floor consists of three levels. The first two are joined by a wide open space known as the cathedral hall, where the elevator is located. Near the back of the cathedral hall are the machine rooms, which are settled on top of one another. There is a control room near the upper machine room.
From the elevator, the lower levels pertaining to Lyoko can be accessed. Though it appears to be a normal freight elevator, it has been upgraded with several security features that protect the advanced equipment in the lab. The right wall of the elevator lifts up, revealing the security doors leading to the various lower levels. Hidden within the switch that operates it is a keypad, which opens the security doors when the correct code is used. It is also linked to the computer in the lab, allowing it to be controlled remotely. There is a ladder in the elevator shaft available if the elevator can't be used. Backup keypads are located on the outside of each security door.
The turbine room, which is located below the machine rooms, can also be taken to get to the lab. It leads to a corridor that leads to an opening just below the ceiling of the lab.
Lab
This area is below the factory floor. In the center of the room is the Holosphere, a circular projector which displays a three-dimensional representation of Lyoko or Carthage depending on the location of the people within. There is also an interface that provides access to the supercomputer. The interface is connected to a track on the ceiling, allowing the user to spin it to any point around the Holosphere. There is a chair connected to a similar track on the floor so the user has somewhere to sit. The interface can also be used to view camera feeds from strategic points around the factory. There is a hatch on the floor near the elevator allowing access to the scanner room.
Scanner room
This area is below the lab. Within it are the three scanners that provide access to Lyoko. In the center of the room is a hatch that provides access to the supercomputer room. A winch can be used to lower someone down to the floor below.
Supercomputer room
This room is the last level of the factory. It is just as large as the scanner room, but a large portion of it is blocked off by a second ceiling attached to the hatch in the scanner room.
The supercomputer, which hosts both Lyoko and Xana, is located in a compartment in the center of the room, which conceals much of its structure. The supercomputer was referred to in the first season as the "super calculator." This is a direct translation of the French term "super calculateur." After the episode "False Start", the term "supercomputer" is used. When Xana activates or someone enters the room, part of it rises up from the compartment so it can be turned off or refueled. As it does, fog can be seen filtering away from its base, suggesting that the room it hides in is supercooled, probably for use as a heat sink.
The supercomputer itself is split into two parts. The first part is a large circular base, most of which remains hidden in the compartment. Only the parts necessary to operate rise up. The second part is a circular pillar that sits in the middle of the base. This part is roughly the same height as the base, and rises completely, unlike the base. On the front of the base is a panel marked with the Eye of Xana, which opens to reveal the power switch for the device. Near that panel is another panel that opens to reveal the power cell for the device. Uranium is used as a power source. Finally, on the side of the pillar that faces the back wall, extensive scarring can be seen. The cause of the scarring is unclear.
