InPark Magazine Issue #53 (August 2014)

#53 • volume 10, issue 3 • 2014 www.inparkmagazine.com

New tech for museums, parks & rides

18 Tommy Bridges, industry connector 22 The theme park brains behind Caesars’ High Roller 24 Las Vegas reinvents itself www.inparkmagazine.com

© SHOW: ECA2 - PHOTOS: JULIEN PANIE

THINK SPECTACULAR! S P E C I A L E V E N T S I T H E M E PA R K S & P E R M A N E N T S H O W S I E X P O S & PAV I L I O N S “WINGS OF TIME”

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#53• volume 10, issue 3

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Wings of Time

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IAAPA Beijing

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Civil war surround

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Leave it to Holovis

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Building Bridges

22

Caesars’ High Roller

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Tomorrow’s Vegas

29

RFID changes everything

31

The museum network

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Immersion with dinosaurs

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Gamification and dark rides

ECA2 creates new Sentosa spectacular• by Martin Palicki

Asian Attractions Expo: Martin Palicki reports

BPI produces video diorama for Kenosha museum • by Martin Palicki

Modern tools of simulation & visualization• by Stuart Hetherington

Tommy Bridges = technology + opportunity • by Judith Rubin

Theme park savvy reinvents the wheel

The new investments: Joe Kleiman reports

Disney’s MyMagic+ gets off to a strong start • by Martin Palicki

Artifact Technologies introduces Mixby platform• by Joe Kleiman

Movie Park Germany opens The Lost Temple • by Judith Rubin

Innovations from Triotech, Sally & Alterface Projects • by Joe Kleiman

staff & contributors

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EDITOR Martin Palicki

DESIGN mcp, llc

CO-EDITOR Judith Rubin

CONTRIBUTORS Stuart Hetherington Super 78

CONTRIBUTING EDITORS Joe Kleiman Mitch Rily Kim Rily

Alcorn McBride

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Alterface Projects

29

Artifact Technologies

34

All Things Integrated

19

Boston Productions Inc.

14

ECA2

SALES Martin Palicki

Holovis

COVER: Tommy Bridges, executive VP of All Things Integrated, stands in front of the widescreen digital signage his company installed at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Las Vegas. Full story on p 18. Photo credit Judith Rubin.

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IAAPA Attractions Expo

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Medialon

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Polin

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Smart Monkeys

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Super 78

back

Triotech

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WhiteWater West Zebec

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Themed entertainment’s great new storytelling tools

Sin city: the remix

Judith Rubin, IPM co-editor

Martin Palicki, IPM editor

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elcome to InPark’s annual Technology issue, exploring visible and invisible realms - such as binary, electronic, electrical, audiovisual, digital, engineering, networking, storage and control - associated products and processes, and their application to storytelling for visitor attractions.

You can hardly build an attraction or put up a structure without these ever more sophisticated products and processes. They are critical to telling the stories, realizing the concepts, building the buildings and running the show. Appreciate your great new storytelling tools and appreciate the technical specialists who are there to harness those hardware and software components to help deliver a seamless storytelling experience.

Just as the movie sector is remaking many classic pictures with the new tools of cinema, theme parks are re-inventing visitor attractions with the new tools of interactivity, immersion and media production.

It’s not just a matter of staying on the level of tech the average visitor now expects, but a matter of differentiation. The features of specialty cinema are being incorporated into the multiplex and that’s a clear signal to theme parks to up their game when it comes to media based attractions. Transmedia has been embraced, with IP owners holistically visioning their properties rolling out in many platforms. The theme park platform must bring something unique to its dimension of the unfolding story. • • • InPark News Editor Joe Kleiman (joekleiman@gmail.com) corresponds for IPM online and in print, specializing in design and technology for attractions, museums and giant screen cinema.

He lives in Sacramento with his dog, Bucky.

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here is one thing I greatly admire about Las Vegas: the city is able to reinvent itself constantly. While the city rose out of gambling fortunes, the 2013 Visitor Profile Study commissioned by the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority shows that only 71% of visitors gamble during their visit, part of a downward trend spanning several years. Only about 15% of visitors come for the purpose of gambling.

Roughly 20% arrive for a convention, and 41% (the largest group) come purely for a vacation.

Vegas is responding to these trends much as it did 20 years ago when it began building theme parks and themed resorts. While that trend wasn’t long lasting, the city didn’t flinch. Properties doubleddown on their core business: promoting gambling and providing cheap everything else. More recently, a wave of luxury experiences and high end venues have taken over, catering (wisely) to that large chunk of visitors who are either in town seeking a pampered getaway or impressing clients on a corporate expense account.

Today, Vegas is starting to feel more balanced. The introduction of media-enhanced visitor attractions, such as the High Roller observation wheel, is able to provide the entertainment options and excitement that any visitor to a vacation destination expects.

Downtown is catering to local entrepreneurs and visitors alike; the city is beginning to recognize its own cultural identity in the context of the bigger Las Vegas destination image.

While Vegas is only one town, it is a model for reinvention. Right now, Sin City is experiencing another renaissance, driven by demand and powered by technology. Every themed entertainment and cultural attraction professional should take note. • • •

InPark Magazine (ISSN 1553-1767) is published five times a year by Martin Chronicles Publishing, LLC. 2349 E Ohio Ave. Milwaukee, WI 53207. Shipping address: 2349 E Ohio Ave. Milwaukee, WI 53207.

Phone: 262-412-7107. Fax: 414-377-0769. Printing by Short Run Printing Contents © 2014 InPark Magazine. All rights reserved. Nothing in the magazine may be reproduced or used in any manner without the prior written permission of the magazine. InPark Magazine is not responsible for unsolicited manuscripts, photographs or illustrations. Such material must be accompanied by a self-adressed and stamped envelope to be returned.

Postmaster: Send address changes to InPark Magazine 2349 E Ohio Ave. Milwaukee, WI 53207. Subscriptions are available annually for $40 per year ($55 international).

Opinions expressed in editorial matter are not necessarily those of InPark Magazine or its publishers, Martin Chronicles Publishing, LLC.

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Turn-key immersive and interactive attractions Interactive Dome Rides Scalable Dome Theatres Ultra Realistic Gaming Solutions Immersive Tunnels and Theatres

To see our latest dark ride in action visit us on Booth 4883 at EAS 2014

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Shanghai

Sailing the

Wings of Time

ŠECA2

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by Martin Palicki

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here’s a scene in Wings of Time where the show’s starring bird appears on a giant water screen and appears to fly off into the distance. It is convincingly real. The ability to convey depth on an oftentimes-challenging water screen surface is one of many treats showcased in ECA2’s latest outdoor production on Sentosa Island.

Called in by Sentosa to redevelop their Thea Award honored show Songs of the Sea, ECA2 built on the basic structure of the original show to create an entirely new production, taking advantage of the latest in show technology.

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dt he “The idea of a set lea journey is central to the ds to the story,” said Smith. “Because rea everyone is a visitor here, Sentosa is rp roj ect always a journey for people, and this helps ion ho the audience to connect with the show.” u

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“Songs of the Sea ran for seven years and had over eight million visitors,” explained ECA2 CEO Jean-Christophe Canizares. “Sentosa didn’t want the show to become dated. It was time to refresh the offering.”

The foundational concept for Wings was to visit all the continents - an idea both visually strong and easy to communicate. The team selected places and times from around the world and found ways to support the story with technology.

To create bigger and better effects, Wings of Time combines existing technologies in brand new ways. All the effects used already existed (many in ECA2 productions), but for this new show they needed to become bigger, more surprising, more spectacular. And while projection has long been a part of the company’s signature multimedia spectaculars, combined with a host of other effects such as pyrotechnics, water features, lasers, lighting, sound and flames, Wings would be the first time that video mapping came into the mix.

As the story goes, the teenagers meet Shahbaz, a bird who, intrigued by their curiosity about the world, helps transport them through time and space. He takes them to visit his garden of origins, and to various times and locations in history, some more specifically referenced than others. The European industrial revolution is one of the more dramatic scenes in the show. Projection mapping on the triangular surfaces shows machines and gears developing, while rear-projected lasers slice through the surrounding mist in the shape of giant mechanical presses, moving up and down with the beat of the music.

The Venue and Staging

“This show forced all of us to think outside of the box…literally,” said Smith. With the multiple projection surfaces and image sources, the show allowed Smith to escape from the traditional frame and move ideas and imagery among different formats and screens.

Wings of Time plays two shows nightly on Sentosa Island, Singapore’s playground, which is also home to a casino, multiple resorts, a Universal Studios park and a wide array of attractions and entertainment.

The 3,000-seat theater was built for Songs eight years ago. Sentosa wanted the venue to be inactive for as little time as possible between the two productions. And so, Wings of Time was installed in a record six weeks. The process involved completely dismantling the previous show, construction of the new stage, technical installation, programming, technical tests, operator training and rehearsals for local live performers.

The set was built on the original pier footings from the Songs stage, but everything from the catwalk flooring and up was replaced. The focal piece of the set is a series of slatted triangles overlapping one another. They provide the main projection surface.

The pre-show begins with actors on the beach meeting to rehearse a song. The pre-show helps the audience learn the theme music and introduces the show’s two primary teenage characters. Two of the actors appear in projected form at the start of the main production.

Show designer Moira Smith talked about the decision to use live actors only in the pre-show. “People were an important part of the story, but we didn’t want there to be a different scale between the live actors and the screen,” said Smith. “This also allowed us to create a show with limited dialog, minimizing language barriers.”

During an Asian-themed scene, flowing ribbons move off the triangle screens and travel (in laser form) up a nearly 40-meter fountain. The effect is seamless, and challenges what the viewer considers the “edges of the screen.”

Occasionally, the show journeys into the audience arena as well. Water cannons explode on the beach, sprinkling nearby guests. Fireworks shoot off the structure into the sky, and lasers dance in patterns on the sand.

The show is driven by the effects and technology, but the strong beat of the music also pushes the production forward. ECA2 worked with Philippe Villar and Pascal Lengagne to create the show’s musical soundtrack. The duo worked with composers and instruments from around the world to match the feeling and sounds of each of the regions visited.

The Technology The imagery and the surrounding technology and effects are what drive the story forward. The 20-minute show’s plot was designed to be enjoyed on different levels. Guests may just be amazed by the visuals without following the story. What makes that possible is an impressive

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ny of the water effe cts. projectors were added bringing a total of 88 watts of power (10 times more than previously).

assortment of water screens/jets, projection surfaces, lasers and projectors.

Water Jets Wings added new gear and incorporated some existing gear from Songs. The set added ten new moving water jets that allow 360 degrees of movement on 2 axes. Six of the jets are located behind the main set and two sets of two are placed on the front catwalks that flank each side of the set.

According to Michel Amann, the key was to create equipment that was very powerful but also flexible, stopping very smoothly. ECA2 designed and engineered the jets. These state-of-the-art, moving jets are said to be the most powerful of their kind in the world right now, capable of producing a 40m high stream. Said Canizares, “Before, fountains could be big and not moving, or moving and not big. Now we can do it all.”

40 existing, stationary water jets from Songs were moved from the lower level catwalk behind the set to a new second story, increasing the height of the jets. Additionally, all the moving and stationary jets were outfitted with LED colored lighting, reducing lighting power consumption for the show by 25%.

Water screen An existing, key feature of the Songs production was its main water screen, and this was retained for Wings but given a complete overhaul. Perched above the center of the set, the screen extends the projection space far out and above the set’s main triangles. ECA2 rebuilt a new head for the water screen, creating a more focused and powerful water stream and thereby a better projection surface, with optimized clarity and crispness and more ability to retain those qualities even in windy conditions. Two new Christie Roadster S+20k rear projectors provide the power for the graphics, which are duplicated for image quality and redundancy.

Lasers Equally dramatic is the usage of lasers in Wings. Four green lasers from the previous show were repurposed and four new color laser

Claude Lifante laser designed the show, and was given complete creative license. The lasers dramatically emulate sparks during the industrial revolution, and create geometric patterns that move from the triangle sets, to water jet sprays and to the beach in captivating, fluid movements. At times, it wasn’t clear what was projected image and what was laser. The blending is seamless and the effects dramatic.

Show Control and Maintenance Wings of Time uses a Medialon show control system to control the entire production. ECA2 created its own interface for local techs to operate. For the new production, all the controls were switched out to digital systems, and a redundant show control system was installed to enhance reliability.

As might be expected, one of the biggest challenges for a show of this type is dealing with the corrosive effects of seawater. According to Technical Director Jason Fischer, while misters on the set use fresh tap water, every other fountain and device uses filtered seawater, and the set is constantly bombarded by waves and mist from the sea.

Luckily, ECA2 is skilled in this area, and has built up expertise from their work not only on Songs but from The Big O Show in South Korea.

Their three-pronged approach to combat corrosion includes: • Routine maintenance – Technicians regularly clean and inspect the submerged and exposed elements of the show equipment.

• Equipment and materials selected and fabricated for tough conditions (such as stainless steel made for sea environments) – The metal catwalk flooring, for example, was replaced with a resin grating that is more durable and less susceptible to corrosion. Similarly, the triangle set, although made to look like wood, is fabricated out of a resin resistant to sun and moisture decay.

• Lighting and equipment positioned and mounted in protected environments where possible – During the three weeks of programming the show, the programming equipment, set up front and center under tents on the beach, was ruined by the corrosion. It was expected and part of the cost of production, but it highlights why new buildings were constructed to house additional projection and lighting equipment in an effort to protect the sensitive electronics from the elements.

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“Our model is to have as many in-house people work on a project as possible.”

Nature ultimately wins, and the show, which is expected to have a run of around five years, will likely be the last for the set and the underwater structures that support it. Sentosa expects to eventually redevelop the area into a new attraction and create a new nighttime show elsewhere on the island when that time comes.

The Team It’s impossible to not want to compare Wings of Time with Songs of the Sea. And even after a very cursory comparison, one can tell that Wings is an evolution of Songs. Canizares admits that their shows evolve just as their company does, building on the past and reaching towards the future.

“Between producing these two shows, ECA2 worked on a dozen other performances that provided us more experience,” explained Canizares. “Our model is to have as many in-house people work on a project as possible. We want the R&D value to remain with our company, so we choose to contract out positions as little as possible.”

Contracting with other people can be a fast path, indicates Canizares, but can reduce long-term benefits. By having an in-house development team, ECA2 can show the client that the solutions required have been studied and developed by an established core of creative and technical professionals. “Our brains, ideas and flexibility are our biggest assets,” he said. • • •

©ECA2

Key Technical Figures Main show structure • A façade of 8 triangles and a diamond covered by timber lattice: 55m long, 12m high • Boardwalk: 50m long, 6m high from mean high sea level

Mist installation • 4 series of mist of 48m (one on the beach, 3 on the catwalk)

MEET THE MASTER: Jean-Christophe Canizares, CEO of ECA2

Water installation • 10 robotic moving jets (6 x 20M high, 2 x 30M high, 2 x 40M high) • 37 cannons (24 x 14M high, 12 x 18M high, 1 x 40M high) • 1 water screen (60m X 20m) • 2 cascade effects 40m long

With 20+ years of experience in the company, Jean-Christophe Canizares leads a team that includes talents in the fields of creation, engineering, logistics, project management and production.

He was educated as an engineer and in his early career worked as technical manager for concerts and festivals, first collaborating with ECA2 in 1992 on the opening of Euro Disney. He joined the company full-time in 1994 and since that time has played a part in producing all ECA2’s shows, first as technical director, then as chief of operations and finally as CEO.

Geyser installation • 5 airshoots, 20m high Laser installation • 2 15W ROGB • 2 14W OGB • 2 5W green • 2 10W green Video projection • 6 Christie L2K1500 projectors for the triangles • 2 Christie Roadster S+20K projectors for the water screen

• 12 units FG 50 with a flame height 10M • 1 unit FG 100 with a flame height 16M Lighting installation • 10 donut 96 LED for moving jets • 114 RGBW 48 LED PAR for water effects • 4 moving LED wash in Tempest domes • 136 1000W submersible PAR • 10 moving heads Mac 2000 • 6 moving heads Mac Viper Air FX • 8 Source Four • 32 PAR • 18 halogens Pyrotechnics installation • 33 Firing Modules on catwalk Other constraints • Seawater requires all elements to be fabricated in high grade stainless steel. All steel fabricated items needed to be corrosion and sea salt resistant.

• Special show control under ECA2 with redundant control, touch screens, and feedback information from all show elements in real time.

Flame generators • 6 units FG 25 with a flame height 7M

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Asian Attractions Expo 2014: Trends & Features

by Martin Palicki

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ith 9,000 participants, the 2014 Asian Attractions Expo (AAE) in Beijing broke records. That figure includes 6,500+ buyers from more than 70 nations and regions around the globe, and represents growth of about 67 percent over last year’s annual gathering in Singapore, according to the organizer, IAAPA (International Association of Amusement Parks & Attractions), leading trade organization for our industry. IAAPA also hosts the annual Euro Attractions Show (EAS), next coming up in Amsterdam Sept 23-25.

The opening ceremony highlighted, culturally, that this was IAAPA’s first foray into Beijing. According to Mamon, being the seat of government in China made Beijing seemed like a natural choice, with many buyers having offices nearby and world-class facilities available for attendees to explore.

Still, IAAPA is committed to moving the Asian Attractions Expo around the region, with 2015’s show announced for June 16-19 in Hong Kong, which draws attendees from the South China region.

Andrew Lee, IAAPA Vice President for Asia Pacific Operations, explained some of the trends that have emerged in the course of the association’s activities in the region, that reflect not only on the Chinese market, but on Asia as a whole. Specifically, there are three trends to watch for:

IAAPA leadership opens the 2014 Asian Attractions Expo Justifying the impressive numbers, AAE pointed to interesting new trends and products specifically emerging out of the Asian market.

The Asia Pacific region is “the fastest growing part of the attractions industry,” as observed by IAAPA President and CEO Paul Noland during the rousing opening ceremony. It’s also a region where the leaders can surprise you with their range of accomplishments. IAAPA Chairman Mario Mamon brought a group of talented singers from Enchanted Kingdom to perform “One Voice” with Mamon and his wife Cecilia taking the lead vocals. Afterwards, Mamon announced the 2015 IAAPA Leadership Conference would be held in Dubai March 10-12, in what could be taken as an affirmation of returning activity in the Middle East markets.

1. Integrated resorts and multipark development will be critical for success.

2. There is a focus on local (Chinese) culture, including educational components that highlight national history and pride.

3. The scale of projects is different. The predominant “old” model was to start small and build, but the new model, in part fueled by the massive populations in the region, is to open large from the start.

Andrew Lee, Mario Mamon, an interpreter and Paul Noland field questions about the Asian market Mario Mamon agreed, adding that China has wealth, land and a vast history, so they naturally take the lead in development and culture.

Challenges to Development Naturally, development in China comes with challenges. Two specific areas that can become particularly complicated, according to Lee, are rules and regulations, and environmental and sustainability issues.

Cecilia and Mario Mamon sing during the opening ceremony

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Noland further observed the need to attract operations talent. “Parks start off as real estate developments but they become operating entities that need talented people to run them,” he said.

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Still, Mamon feels the challenges are not insurmountable. “You are going into the fun business, but behind the fun there is a lot of blood, sweat and tears involved to make your dream a reality that hopefully sustains to the next generation,” said Mamon.

The Residential Question Many parks in the region are designed as part of residential developments, in part to benefit from government incentives. But the trend hasn’t been around long enough to gauge its success, and opinions are split.

“It’s a risky proposition, because residents will not go to the parks every day,” said Mamon. “The scale and proportion of the venues will be important for that model to be successful.”

Good planning combined with population density would help minimize the risk, based on Noland’s remark that, “Since parks tend to draw from a two-hour travel radius, it doesn’t seem too particularly risky.”

With all the talk about park development, it seemed like IAAPA was focusing exclusively on park development in the Asian market, and not the other attractions sectors IAAPA represents, such as museums, Family Entertainment Centers (FEC), casinos, etc. Andrew Lee explained that it isn’t that IAAPA does not want to pursue those other markets, but specifically in China, the government owns almost all the cultural attractions, making them much less likely to get involved in the association.

Denise Weston shows off WhiteWater’s slideboard prototype WhiteWater is currently in the third testing sequence for the concept, which is, as Weston said, “all about the thrill, and also about the skill.”

Weston announced that the company is hoping to have a live demo for industry professionals before the end of the year.

Attraktion!

Officially the party booth of AAE, Attraktion! bordered between being a night club and an exhibit booth. It was all business when Attraktion! and Intamin announced their partnership to bring the Dome Ride Theater to Lewa Wonderland in Xian, China. Guests will enter the attraction and see a ring of seats on the perimeter of a dome screen.

After guests are secured in shoulder harnesses, the center floor will descend down and reveal a nearly complete sphere. Riders will be situated along the “equator” of the sphere.

Additionally, there really is no concept of an FEC in China. The idea of an arcade is not a family location. And so, for now, IAAPA will continue to focus on the massive growth in the Asian theme park and waterpark markets.

From the Show Floor The sold-out trade show floor featured exhibitors from around the world. Busy all three days, several exhibitors took some time to share the latest products and projects reaching the market.

Birket Engineering Joe Fox introduced IPM to the company’s new Firelinx product, a pyrotechnics control system that introduces a new level of safety – to the point that continuity tests can be completed while technicians are working in proximity to the fireworks. The system went through additional testing over the Independence Day holiday (USA) and is expected to be installed at a major Orlando theme park this fall.

WhiteWater West The much-anticipated Slideboarding concept from this leading supplier to water parks now has a prototype. Denise Weston of the company’s Apptivations arm showed off the riding device, which looks more like a boogie board than a raft. “I refuse to use an inner tube,” said Weston. “I want you to feel like you are boarding, or going down a luge.”

Intamin’s Sascha Czibulka (L) and Attraktion’s Markus Beyr (R) pose with a representative from Lewa Wonderland 26 projectors hidden behind unobtrusive openings in the dome will illuminate the full dome surface, surrounding guests’ entire field of vision. Once the show starts, the ring will pitch 30-degrees to either side while the entire seating area can rotate in either direction at a maximum speed of six rotations per minute.

The initial media for the Lewa install will be created by Attraktion! and take guests inside a thunderstorm that transports them around the world. New patent-pending technology will take live camera feeds from inside the dome, detect where the ring is located and create

an instant mask in the projection to prevent images from being projected into riders’ faces.

“You are going into the fun business, but behind the fun there is a lot of blood, sweat and tears involved to make your dream a reality that hopefully sustains to the next generation” - Mario Mamon

Triotech Triotech’s Christian Martin was busy showing guests the company’s IDR dark ride vehicle, which was one of the floor’s more popular experiences. The attraction, which was in development for two years, was unveiled in Orlando at IAAPA 2013.

Triotech powers the media, motion and game play for the IDR, and works with other vendors such as ETF and Zamperla to provide the vehicles and track.

“China is a huge market for us,” explained Martin. “So many parks and attractions are being built. As an example, Audi is selling a lot of cars here and it’s the same situation for us. There are a lot of buyers here.”

FUNA International Scott Arnold showed InPark information on the company’s recently completed integrated audio system for Chimelong park. The park’s parade route (which happens to be the world’s longest) is part of the audio system, and automatically transitions music based on the float moving through each area. The floats can be in any order or left out as needed. Although it isn’t utilizing any specifically new technology, it

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does apply current technology in new ways to create the virtually autonomous system. According to Project Manager David Clina, “It’s pure FUNA magic!”

The audio system is prepped for further advances in technology by being built on a fiber backbone. All the networking gear follows industry standards and can be changed out as new tech is created, without having to dig up sidewalks, explained Arnold.

Alterface Projects Announced to the industry at AAE, Alterface Projects will be partnering with Ubisoft to produce a dark ride gaming experience based on the “Rabbids” game and TV show franchise (see p 36). The attractions will take advantage of Alterface Project’s 4D Shooter HD (which stands for Hi Definition AND Head Detection). This means that it will appear to players that the objects they are shooting (in this case, toilet plungers, “deboucher” in French) are emanating from the device on their car. It’s a next generation system that Alterface Project’s Benoit Coronet says improves accuracy for the player as well as realism.

The Rabbids brand already has a dark ride at Futuroscope park, but this will be the first interactive game style to be partnered with the IP. • • •

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A living, breathing Cyclorama technology powers 360-degree theater at Civil War Museum

by Martin Palicki

Cyclorama: a panoramic painting on the inside of a cylindrical platform, designed to provide a viewer standing in the middle of the cylinder with a 360° view of the painting. The intended effect is to make a viewer, surrounded by the panoramic image, feel as if they were standing in the midst of an historic event or famous place.

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hen the Kenosha Civil War Museum was in development, Museum Director Dan Joyce knew he wanted to create an experience to help visitors understand what it was like to be a soldier during the Civil War by immersing them in the environment of the battlefield.

Development for the museum began in 2005, with the doors first opening in 2008. Although a cinema experience was part of the vision and the facility design, its realization was put on hold until the next phase.

According to Curator Doug Dammann, Joyce was inspired by the old cyclorama paintings, and wanted to create a “living, breathing cyclorama.”

A round theater was constructed but the original exhibit consisted of a laser map presentation that broke down by state and year the battles in which Midwestern troops fought. Beneath the presentation, exhibit cases showcased period artifacts.

Telling the Story The Museum decided to upgrade to a 360-degree cinematic experience, and issued an RFP in February 2013. After selecting Boston Productions Inc. (BPI), the team assembled in March of 2013 to begin developing the script and treatment. Filming took place in June, with post-production starting immediately until the new film opened in January 2014, less than a year after starting the process.

“We chose BPI because of their experience with living history actors,” explained Dammann. “BPI also was very detailed in explaining how the film would be produced, installed and maintained.”

Initially the museum had imagined a three-minute film. BPI suggested including characters throughout the story to add empathy and a personal touch. And so, the film introduces guests to three soldiers who each explain what they believed battle would be like, their experience during a battle, and the aftermath. The finished film is 11 minutes long, about the maximum length for a standing theater.

The raised platform at Seeing the Elephant provides unobstructed viewing for up to 75 adults and houses subwoofer speakers that accent the film’s action. Photo courtesy the Kenosha Civil War Museum

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Authenticity was integral to the production. All the character dialog was based on information that the museum found in letters, diaries or memoirs written by Civil War soldiers. The film’s battle sequence was based on the Iron Brigade’s first battle in Gainsville on August 28th,1862. The film is titled Seeing the Elephant and references a phrase commonly used among soldiers who had experienced battle for the first time.

Finishing the Space Because the museum had planned for a circle film since its inception, most of the infrastructure was already in place. The raised platform was designed with access and power to be able to add equipment beneath. During the film installation process, an small lift was added to the platform to increase accessibility.

Additionally, the power needed for the projectors had already been installed above the platform, requiring very little additional construction work.

The 11-foot high walls of the 45-foot diameter room were painted with four coats of Screen Goo to create a seamless projection surface.

The theater can accomodate about 75 adults standing.

Applying the Tech

hung over the viewing area. A James Loudspeaker Power Pipe12” subwoofer provides low frequency support of the audio program.

In addition, three ButtKicker brand bass shakers are attached to the underside of the viewing platform to provide a tactile vibration of the floor during battle scenes.

Naturally, a curved space creates a lot of echoes. The team discovered that by pointing the speakers down and in, the echoes are greatly reduced. They also installed acoustic ceiling tiles and foam above the screens to help deaden the sound.

From an artistic point, the 360-degree design presents a unique challenge in telling a story to guests, who may have their attention drawn to any of the images surrounding them. Dammann likes to say that the circular speaker array helps guests to “let their ears guide their eyes.” As sound moves to the speaker above the area the director wants to feature, guests naturally focus in that direction.

BPI wanted the experience to be immersive, but to not overwhelm guests with special effects. BPI’s Chief Creative Officer Bob Noll asked, “What can we use to enhance what is happening on the screen?” Noll and VP of AV Integration/Sr Systems Designer Chet Kaplan looked for ways to build upon the mood of the film.

To achieve the 360-degree film, eight Digital Projection Inc. HIGHlite Cine660 projectors are hung off a rig over the center of the platform.

Each projector displays a 1920X1080 Mpeg-2 image on the screen, with edge blending to create the seamless image.

Five colored LED light fixtures above the platform are enhanced with a campfire lighting effect, strobe lights during the battle scene, and an air cannon conceived by BPI and built by 5Wits Productions blasts guests with air as cannonballs whiz by on the screen.

The main sound monitors are eight JBL Control 28 speakers, evenly spaced around the 360-degree projection screen. Additional overhead sound is provided by three SoundTube RS500i pendant style speakers

The control room for the show is housed on a different floor in the museum. EAW DX1208 DSP’s are used for sound processing and matrix mixing of the audio signals and five QSC CX-302 amplifiers send audio to the various speakers.

An AMX system was used for all aspects of show control which includes overall daily power schedule, and providing different modes of operation via a Modero NXD-700i touch panel. Additional show elements are controlled by two Dataton Watchout systems which control all lighting cues and effects.

The show is set to run automatically every hour, although museum staff can run the show on demand as needed.

The $1.3 million project has already shown results for the museum.

“We are on pace to exceed our annual attendance figure of 75,000 visitors,” said Dammann. “And most of that is due to this 360-degree film experience. It truly is a cyclorama brought to life.” • • •

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Visit us at EAS Booth #7102

the art of simulation

Holovis develops nextgeneration tools for dark ride experiences and project visualization

by Stuart Hetherington

Stuart Hetherington, CEO of Holovis, has been engaged for the past 15 years in creating immersive virtual reality solutions to improve business efficiency and transform sensory experiences. Hetherington founded Holovis ten years ago and has worked to build global recognition for expertise in creating next generation immersive and engaging motion, media and interactive based rides driven by specialist real-time software and game-engine applications.

Ride development

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ver the past two decades, the art of simulation has evolved and our industry has learned how powerful subtle motion can be when properly sychronized with the visual immersion. We’re creating better experiences that cater to all the senses in a connected way. A ride is most compelling if its component systems are applied with the correct experiential design at all stages – to put the story at the heart of the experience.

Interactivity is a key element that now can truly begin to live up to its promise thanks to technological advancements that have improved responsiveness, accuracy and control. Our company’s InterAct™

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product is a case in point. Based on our background in industrial virtual reality and military training and simulation, InterAct™ is a software and hardware platform that works alongside our range of unique player devices to help achieve seamless, intuitive multi-player experiences in 2D and 3D synthetic worlds. This technology is now applied to any of the immersive systems, from flat screens to curved or our full 360° domes.

Immersing the audience is key, either through 180° wrap around screens or 360° dome projections. When synched with subtle motion and other key sensory effects, this can be extremely powerful, making people feel like they have traveled much further than they actually have.

Domes or partial domes are increasingly popular for creating interactive theater environments because a dome literally surrounds the audience. And domes are a Holovis specialty when it comes to making an attraction come to life. If you visited the Holovis booth at the EAS or IAAPA trade shows last year, you had a chance to experience our demonstration of MotionDome™, an immersive motion based ride able to incorporate real time, responsive data and interaction within a fulldome environment, creating attractions where no two user experiences are the same, depending on the paths riders choose to take.

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We see this technology becoming a core part of the design, engineering, simulation, testing and training process in the future.

Being able to customize an experience to respond on the fly to the rider’s input and choices is one of those elements that today’s technology has brought to our fingertips.

This is driven using another Holovis proprietary technology called In-Mo™, part of a suite of software modules that integrates real-time interactive media into any multi-channel immersive display. The unpredictability and the chance to have a different experience each time stimulates ride repeatability for increased visitor engagement and higher throughput.

Scale model visualization Virtual reality is not just a focus for the actual attractions, but something that we are also championing behind the scenes to visualize and facilitate design solutions. Our company’s RideView™ design and simulation software delivers an immersive VR environment enabling users to engage with any aspect of a park or attraction from the ride experience level to being able to explore an entire master plan layout through a 1:1 scale model/dataset.

RideView™ was created with the help of Holovis Directors with experience creating new VR solutions for R&D and testing in the automotive industry. It takes the CAD data from the ride designers and master planners and repurposes it for volumetric 3D viewing.

Wearing head tracked 3D glasses, designers and engineers enter

the Holovis VR CAVE environment, a structure with four or five rearprojected surfaces. There, rides can be experienced in real time and from any seat position, with different perspectives calibrated for varying heights and ages. Factors such as sight lines, eye points, ingress and egress around the ride envelope and load/unload issues, maintenance tasks to emergency evacuation testing can all be assessed and monitored.

This kind of pre-visualization is good for client relationships and is a time- and money-saver, accelerating the design process, reducing the number of physical prototypes needed and supporting decision making. It also has applications for focus group assessment, and for testing in regard to health and safety requirements as well as operations and maintenance. Different layers can be added or subtracted including structures, utility services, HVAC systems, theming, media and lighting effects. This flags any potential design issues much quicker in the design cycle than on a CAD drawing and ensures everyone fully understands how something will look and feel. We see this technology becoming a core part of the design, engineering, simulation, testing and training process in the future.

At the 2014 EAS and IAAPA exhibitions Holovis will be launching The Lost Cove, the latest interactive, multi-player game title in its DomeRider™ series. • • •

Holovis goes behind the scenes of theme park development with RideView™ which allows designers to experience their rides in real time 1:1 scale Previous Page: MotionDome™ is the next generation dark ride experience, linking immersive visuals with subtle motion and real time responsive media

Building Bridges

Dedicated to raising the tech bar in themed entertainment, Tommy Bridges brings in solutions from nightclubs and enterprise

by Judith Rubin

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here creative design, AV integration and show control come together in a state-of-the-art visitor attraction, you may well find it’s a project that Tommy Bridges - Executive VP of All Things Integrated, (ATI) and member of the Themed Entertainment Association (TEA) International Board - has touched.

New tools and solutions migrate into themed entertainment from other sectors, helped by innovative tech specialists, such as Bridges, a well-known figure who cares deeply about the industry that’s been his field for 27 years.

Bridges has helped lead significant advances in video for the attractions industry, such as projection mapping. But currently, he perceives the business as overdue for an upgrade in audio - with nightclubs setting the example. And, he sees the time as ripe to move away from PC-based systems to enterprise solutions and cloud storage, making cozy bedfellows of show control and IT.

Nightclub caliber sound As Las Vegas courts the Millennials and their penchant for clubbing and concerts, Las Vegas based ATI has been busy providing top-end AV systems to high-profile nightclubs, “dayclubs,” restaurants, retail, and outdoor stages for casinos and other developments downtown and on the Strip. Within the Downtown Project spearheaded by Zappos founder Tony Hsieh (see p. 24 of this issue) recent ATI installations include Inspire Theatre, The Scullery and the Container Park. On the Strip, recent ATI installations can be found at Hard Rock Hotel and Casino Las Vegas (Body English, Vanity, the Vinyl live music venue, and the widescreen digital signage behind the check-in counter), at Caesars’ The LINQ (FAME Asian Fusion and The Style Lounge hair salon), and Paris (Chateau, Sugar Factory).

in the nightclub business “Tommy opens doors for us. He “People know how important good sound is and that understanding was one of the first to grasp what design along with their skillset and we were doing and find ways it equipment knowledge are assets they can bring to themed can be applied.” - Stephan Villet entertainment projects,” says

With Tommy as our guide and Las Vegas our setting, we looked at recent ATI installations and spoke with two frequent collaborators: show control specialists Smart Monkeys and Medialon, to glimpse the future of electronic design.

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Bridges. He’s a man with a welldeveloped ear, and he knows nightclubs as well as he knows themed entertainment. A professional jazz musician since his youth and still active on the performing and recording circuit today, Bridges pursued both music and AV tracks in his education and career. “I was lucky to have studied with some of the music industry’s best early on - not just in recording studios - and with some real jazz legends including

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Bridges joined ATI in late 2011. The firm will soon open an office in Orlando.

For theme parks, Bridges forecasts multiple applications of the kind of sophisticated audio ATI puts into its Vegas venues - including background music, rides, retail and restaurant spaces and mediabased attractions. “These are systems that sound better and cleaner and produce less fatigue on the ear,” he said. He cites robust new technologies such as high-resolution audio files that provide the ability to capture at a higher bit rate for mixing, steerable line arrays that combined with computer modeling enable the creation of quiet zones and support outdoor amplification that doesn’t bother the neighbors, better speakers and better speaker placement strategies. “Both Boomers and Millennials are demanding better aural environments, whether for clubbing or for socializing in a family group. Theme parks should take note and kick up the guest experience accordingly. Audio integration should help drive design.”

Enterprise solutions Bridges with Stephan Villet of Smart Monkeys Milt Hinton, Doc Cheatham and Wild Bill Davison. Then at college at Syracuse University, I was getting business advice from guys like Cy Leslie, Chairman of MGM/UA, John Sykes founder of VH1 and Stanley Gordikov, the President of the RIAA, the parent organization of the Grammy awards. These were top music industry executives in Hollywood,” said Bridges.

Bridges recorded his first vinyl album at age 14, on the Delmark jazz label in Chicago (at Gary Hedden’s studio). In 2003, he released what has been lauded as the first-ever traditional jazz music CD recorded in 96K/24bit resolution. “It was definitely on the cutting edge back then and was a technological feat, as we had perfect separation in the way I set the studio up.”

His big break in electronics came in 1987 at Univisions video systems in Syracuse, selling GE Talaria “Light Valve” projectors, Barco and Electrohome projectors, and then-new Sharpvision (for home and classroom) and Kodak classroom LCD units. “This is all ancient technology by today’s standards! We were the king of the hill of large screen projection, in upstate New York at the time. We did this all long before anyone ever heard of Christie Digital!”

“Because of Tommy and Bob, ATI is an integrator pushing technology to the next level,” says Stephan Villet, co-founder of Smart Monkeys, whose new ISAAC system is one of the products that ATI is currently marketing to transform show control in the attractions sector. “Tommy opens doors for us. He was one of the first to grasp what we were doing and find ways it can be applied.”

SIMPLY BETTER

Our work consistently trumps the competition thanks to a dedicated team of industry professionals that goes above and beyond to create live entertainment systems with the highest quality equipment.

Tommy Bridges and Bob Athey met on a project supplying a custom audio player for the Hard Rock Hotel suites. At the time, Bridges was with Alcorn McBride, and Athey was with FBP Systems. A few years later, in 2011, Athey founded ATI. Bridges was with General Projection Systems at the time, and attracted a lot of attention on the IAAPA show floor with a breakthrough example of projection mapping.

“We collaborated with Christie Digital, and Adam Neale’s then-new product, the Delta Nano 2K player from 7th Sense. It was a big hit!

Bob Athey really liked it, and we decided to get together soon after.

O +1 [702] 953 0550 | ATI-AV.com LAS VEGAS - LOS ANGELES - SHANGHAI

The first ISAAC system, built for the new Tom Bradley International Terminal at LAX, has been getting a great deal of notice. Passenger Terminal Conference 2014 in Barcelona showcased Villet presenting “Integrating immersive media systems to create an intelligent airport environment.” In Las Vegas, Villet spoke about the system to John Huntington’s annual Geekout, an elite show control gathering during InfoComm. As of June, LAWA (Los Angeles World Airports) reported that the system had been honored with 10 awards and was in the running for six more. The accolades have come in from SEGD Global Design Awards, South By South West (SXSW) Interactive Awards, Live Design Excellence Awards, the InAVation Awards and others.

In the Bradley terminal, the ISAAC system is integral to the built environment, using some 12,000 square feet of LED tiles, hundreds of LCD screens, and some 60 ultra-high-resolution multimedia productions. It displays more than four hours of original, highresolution, multimedia content in seven display areas (adding up to some 9,600 square feet of combined active display area), synchronizing multiple features based on intelligence from live data, including flight departure and arrival information, and passenger interactions.

Along with state-of-the-art content management, ISAAC delivers what Villet calls “the holy grail of resiliency,” by replicating the advantages of networked PCs without the actual PCs and their accompanying instabilities. The PCs exist virtually, in a cloud-based “virtualization

Alex Carru, CEO of Medialon, and Tommy Bridges

cluster,” on a robust, industrial hardware platform. Broadcast-grade Grass Valley servers and Moment Factory’s X-Agora software are used for content playback. Medialon software, the show controller, runs within ISAAC. The whole rig takes less space and consumes less power than conventional PC-based systems. The system automatically monitors itself and should a hardware component fail, the others step up to accommodate the task.

“Tommy gets a flash of inspiration and comes back with, ‘Can you do it this way?’” -Eric Cantrell Centralization of control and of data/content streams let the operator reap the rewards of big data, streamline processes and offer the kind of personalization expected by (you guessed it) Millennials. And, according to Villet, operators connected to corporations will find that IT departments readily relate to ISAAC. “The people who understand what software really can do are often brought on too late to have a specific impact on the design itself,” said Villet. “But, because of the greater importance of software and show control in general, designers and concept creators should consider hiring the show control specialist right from the beginning. Then, the design itself will incorporate all the benefits of what the software can provide.”

Supervisory systems Where there’s themed entertainment, there’s Medialon, a leading supplier of control software. Medialon’s North America Sales Manager Eric Cantrell talked about the company’s collaborative relationship with Bridges. “We share ideas about technologies we see emerging.

Tommy has a holistic view of the markets and the possibilities and is always on the lookout: he wants to do the next thing, to push the

Eric Cantrell of Medialon with Tommy Bridges

report, and daily log, or even send text messages or email alerts to appropriate on-duty staff. A supervisory system such as ISAAC allows access control, raw data management, and reporting tools to be separated from the individual show control systems, reducing the amount of programming in each show controller.”

Bridges, Villett & Cantrell all make the case for implementing this kind of integrated supervisory system at the outset of a project. “Working with an architect, this is something that can be designed from the start, planning a smart building from the ground up,” said Cantrell.

technology. We build a product to do one thing – Tommy gets a flash of inspiration and comes back with, ‘Can you do it this way?’ and the dialog changes.”

The professional music connection emerges again in the conversation about Medialon. Bridges explained that the product is popular for shows that contain live performance elements. Its visualization of the timeline and the ability to manipulate things quickly using drag-anddrop make it extremely flexible and accommodating to changes on the fly, and are similar to the Pro Tools interface that is very familiar to people with a music industry background.

“As museum and theme park AV systems become more and more networked, supervision and management of AV assets can take advantage of that network infrastructure,” said Bridges. “ATI, Medialon, and Smart Monkeys all recognize that. It’s at the heart of our collaboration.” • • • Tommy Bridges: TBridges@ati-av.com, 702-690-9045

Cantrell described a newer Medialon product, that ties into BYOD (bring your own device) applications, personalization, tracking and data collection: Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) beacons are small, battery-powered devices that transmit a signal, “kind of like a miniature GPS satellite,” said Cantrell. Receiving devices – smartphones, for instance – can pick up on this beacon signal, and an app in the phone can then react to the beacon to contact a website, receive content, or even trigger an action in a show control system. Apple calls its implementation of this technology “iBeacon.” (Still in early stages of deployment, iBeacons are currently in use at all Apple stores.) Cantrell explained that in a museum or retail outlet, iBeacons can be the means of delivering context-specific content (such as audio tours or product coupons) to visitors, micro-locating them inside their facility. In a theme park, iBeacons can be used for micro-location to track visitors playing a parkwide game overlay or augmented reality experience, or a countdown to boarding a ride. Range of operation can be limited for security purposes so that, for instance, when a guest leaves the facility, the signal is no longer picked up by smartphones. This allows developers to create apps that behave differently when in the presence of iBeacons than they do when the user is at home.

Get Smart All this feeds back into a bigger way of thinking about show control, so that in fact it transcends that category into a much larger, enterprisewide role in a project. “ISAAC is something for the entire industry to watch as an example of what we call a ‘supervisory system’ and what it can do,” said Cantrell. “In a supervisory system, statuses and errors can be reported not only on the local user interface at each exhibit or attraction, but also appear in a system-wide status screen, daily

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High Rollers:

The theme park talent at the hub of Vegas’ new wheel C

aesars Entertainment’s High Roller transforms the Las Vegas skyline and anchors the LINQ, a new 200,000 square-foot retail, dining and entertainment district on the Strip. Reaching 550 feet high, the High Roller is currently certified the tallest observation wheel in the word.

The High Roller and The LINQ are revitalizing the central Strip area. As Las Vegas continually reinvents itself, the new developments signal a renaissance of attraction entertainment, coupled with premium gaming and

David Codiga, executive project director for the

High Roller and The LINQ, has had a storied career in attractions and theme park development, having led Universal in the creation of the Jurassic Park, Terminator 2: 3D, Amazing Adventures of SpiderMan and Earthquake: The Big One attractions as well as heading the design and development of Universal’s Islands of Adventure.

shopping experiences. And while the benefits of this rebirth are evident to all guests as they walk down Las Vegas Blvd, what isn’t as well known is the theme park talent that helped bring the High Roller to life.

These are top-tier leaders and consultants whose contributions over the years are significant in defining and redefining the theme park guest experience.

Greg Miller oversaw design and construction of High Roller and The LINQ. Prior to joining Caesars in 2004, he spent eight years at Universal Studios Parks and Resorts group, including President of Spain’s Port Aventura. While at Universal, Miller was involved in the development of Universal Orlando and Universal Studios Japan.

Eric Eberhart, GM of High Roller and The LINQ, helped to

choreograph the pre- and post-ride experience, staffed the operation, selected the purchasing system, oversaw the design of the uniform, and developed and managed the master schedule.

Eric started as a ride operator at Disney, working his way up in the company, even helping to build another iconic tall attraction: Disney’s Tower of Terror.

Steve Alcorn Alcorn McBride’s equipment is

at the heart of High Roller’s control and playback systems. Prior to founding Alcorn McBride, Steve Alcorn helped create control systems for Epcot’s The American Adventure and Journey Into Imagination attractions. His company’s first show controller was used in Epcot’s Wonders of Life pavilion.

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Phil Hettema developed the concept design

and produced High Roller. At Universal Creative, he directed the expansion of Universal’s theme parks in Hollywood, Orlando, Spain and Japan, and was one of the primary forces behind Universal’s Islands of Adventure in Orlando.

Now his own company, The Hettema Group, helps design parks and attractions around the world.

John Kasperowicz, AIA was High Roller’s design architect. As an Imagineer with the Walt Disney Company, John was one of the original master planners and designers of EPCOT Center, World Showcase and Tokyo Disneyland. After establishing his own firm, XPA Experiential Architecture, John developed concepts for Disney’s Pleasure Island in Orlando and Disneyland’s ToonTown.

Lisa Passamonte Green provided initial lighting design

concepts for the project. Lisa’s career spans nearly a quarter decade and her work can be seen in theme parks around the world. She and her team at Visual Terrain, Inc. have provided the lighting concept, design specs, procurement and show control integration for lighting projects in just about every architectural setting imaginable.

Frank Randy Printz, Wheel Project Manager, started

at Walt Disney Imagineering as an economic planner for Epcot and Tokyo Disneyland. In 1994 Universal Studios recruited him to join as Senior Vice President for Universal’s $1.1 billion Islands of Adventure. He subsequently went on to executive manage Universal Studios Japan during the concept and planning phase.

Weigand provided engineering consulting services for High Roller. Frank has been involved with some of themed entertainment’s signature attractions. After a successful career as a sought-after consultant and as top mechanical engineer at Walt Disney, Weigand formed the TWT Group, a collaboration of many former Disney and Universal engineers.

Abigail Rosen Holmes, wheel lighting designer who

owns NYX Design, is a former Disney Imagineer who worked on projects including Rock N’ Rollercoaster at Disneyland Paris.

Her designs can be found in the world of art, music, culture and commerce and is on display in museums, in TV productions, on concert stages and in major themed retail developments.

Kevin Ruud designed show control and AV systems for High Roller. In earlier days as a partner at Thoughtful Design, he worked on projects for Disney, Landmark Entertainment, Sea World, Bremen Space Park, The Star Trek Experience, MGM Grand Adventures, and many others.

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Photo courtesy Nate Stiller, Wikimedia Commons 23

Not your Great-uncle’s las vegas

New markets, new customer behaviors, new developers, new partnerships and growth article & interviews by Joe Kleiman

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mblematic new developments on the Las Vegas Strip and Downtown are targeting locals and tourists alike for a widening array of activities. MGM is building up its portfolio of arenas and festival venues. Genting Group of Malaysia and Crown Resorts of Australia are both developing new resort properties. And a group catalyzed by Zappos founder Tony Hsieh is rapidly changing the landscape of downtown with new residential construction, entertainment venues and business incubators.

“Las Vegas is growing up” Chris Baldizan, senior VP of Entertainment, MGM Resorts International On the south portion of the Strip, across from Luxor Resort, lies MGM Resorts Village, a 15-acre site open since September 2013 for festivals and events. Nearby, the area between New York-New York and Monte Carlo is being reborn as “The Park” shopping district and public space that will connect to a new $375 million, 20,000 seat Arena opening in 2016. On the north portion of the Strip, near Sahara Ave., the 33acre MGM Resorts Festival Grounds is also under development, in partnership with Cirque du Soleil and Rock in Rio. Slated to open in 2015, it will be the permanent site of Rock in Rio, one of the world’s largest music festivals.

How will MGM Resorts Village be utilized in the future?

Our ultimate goal overall will be to utilize this space year-round. We have actively been seeking new programming opportunities for the venue. We recently made major announcements and went on-sale with several shows/festivals.

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What aspects of the new Arena improve upon MGM’s existing arena infrastructure, such as the MGM Grand Garden Arena and the Mandalay BayEvents Center?

The MGM Grand Garden Arena is more than 20 years old (December 1993). There will be a number of improvements in our new Arena; with that stated, the MGM Grand Garden Arena remains one of the best places to watch an event as a guest or, from our entertainers’ perspective, to perform. There are not many 13,000-plus seat venues as intimate as the MGM Grand Garden Arena.

One improvement you will see in the new Arena is state-of-the-art seating featured in the suites, club seating, etc. The technology in the new building will be state-of-the-art, along with the variety of amenities included. The MGM Grand Garden Arena and our Mandalay BayEvents Center will continue to be utilized for concerts and conventions moving forward.

Is Rock in Rio MGM’s competitive offering to Electric Daisy Carnival?

If you have been to Electric Daisy Carnival, you know there is no competing with it. It is a unique and amazing event all unto itself. It

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definitely opened my eyes to the overall experience and the sense of community that are created at a festival the size of EDC. The type of music and/or location all feed in to that specific event, but I think there is plenty of room in the market for additional festivals and live events such as those we recently announced.

To what degree do you see the new venues appealing to locals as compared to tourists?

A large number of our venues including the two Arenas, our nightlife outlets, our many restaurants, etc. attract local business. We have a great appreciation for the local community and believe the events we host will continue to be supported by the locals. When we were in the process of developing and creating our strategic plans for these venues we needed to make sure they were appealing to our local residents. We hope they look at these venues as part of the community. Las Vegas is growing up and we want to help in that process.

Genting and Crown come to the Strip A few blocks south of where MGM Resorts Festival Grounds is under development, two new casinos are about to be constructed. Both are unique in that they represent the entry onto the Las Vegas Strip of major casino resort operators from the Asia-Pacific region: Genting Group of Malaysia (best known for the Resorts World developments in Malaysia and Singapore), and James Packer’s Crown Resorts of Australia (a partner in Macau’s City of Dreams).

Crown has yet to release specific plans for the former location of the Frontier Hotel and Casino. Partnering with Packer is Andrew Pascal, former president of Wynn Las Vegas and founder of PLAYSTUDIOS, which developed the social media based online gaming system myVEGAS, tied to rewards at MGM Resorts properties. This gives Pascal expertise in both traditional and online gaming.

Resorts World Las Vegas plans. Courtesy of Genting

Balcony view from the new Las Vegas arena looking toward New York-New York Courtesy MGM Resorts International

Genting takes over the unfinished Echelon Place, which was being constructed on the site of the demolished Stardust Casino. Echelon was abandoned shortly after the recession of 2008 and Genting, which in May was awarded a preliminary gaming license by the Gaming Control Board, plans to integrate 80% of the existing Echelon.

The new property will be the first major Resorts World brand casino in North America. (Genting has an existing casino at the Aqueduct Racetrack in New York and a planned Miami waterfront resort.)

According to the Las Vegas Review-Journal, the initial phase of the $4 billion Genting project “will include 3,000 hotel rooms, a casino with a combined 3,500 slot machines and table games, 30 food and beverage outlets, a 4,000-seat theater and an elaborate garden attraction that will serve as the property’s front door to the Strip...

Genting will build a rooftop sky park and observation deck atop the 674-foot-tall tower, whose height already has been approved by the Federal Aviation Administration... Other attractions include a 50,000square-foot, 58-foot-tall aquarium...”

There are also plans for Genting to add other attractions, which may include a waterpark and potential theme park. Many analysts consider Genting’s theme park partnerships with Universal and 20th Century Fox as evidence for this happening in Las Vegas. Historically, however, theme park type attractions on the Vegas Strip have been a mixed bag, with major ones being removed from the Luxor, MGM Grand, Treasure Island, Sahara, and Caesars Palace within the past two decades. The only remaining full-scale theme park is at Circus Circus, located directly next to the new Genting site.

Genting and Crown are well known in the Asia-Pacific market.

Together they mark a major influx of cash from that region into a part of the Strip that had been in decline, which is in turn expected to increase tourist visits from Asia, especially China.

The Downtown Project is based on the “three Cs” of Collisions, Co-learning and Connectedness

The Scullery eatery encourages local business owners and community members to mix and mingle. Courtesy the Downtown Project

Building Downtown Sustainability Kim Schaefer, Head of Communications for the Downtown Project In 2013, Zappos, an online shoe and clothing retailer now owned

by Amazon, opened new offices in the former Las Vegas City Hall.

With a building interior designed to encourage serendipitous interactions, Zappos founder Tony Hsieh began analyzing how the same unconventional principles could be parlayed to transform a derelict portion of downtown.

Fremont East was the area selected to be invigorated as an interconnected place of living, working and learning. The Fremont East district adjoins the bustling Fremont Street Experience with its downtown casino hotels and overhanging LED screen, and the adjacent Neonopolis shopping center.

The Downtown Project philosophy - based on “three Cs” of Collisions, Co-learning, and Connectedness - is reflected in its communityoriented developments. The Ogden is a residence hotel that provides housing to Zappos employees and guest flats for visiting artists, speakers, investors, and entrepreneurs working with Downtown Project. Its first floor features The Scullery eatery and The Window, a space designed to encourage communication between nonprofits and the arts. The Gold Spike, a former casino hotel, has been transformed into an indoor and outdoor lounge where Downtown employees and residents can work or play, and a residence for Zappos or Downtown Project employees. Inspire is a $5.5 million transformation of a commercial building to an intimate performing arts venue featuring a 200-seat theater. Downtown Container Park is a retail center built of recycled shipping containers, to provide space for artists, boutiques, and eateries and an outdoor performance space showcasing both local and national talent.

particularly with Downtown Container Park. Those who do make their way to Fremont East will find it’s nothing like the Strip or what most people imagine when they think of Las Vegas. It’s a place where small business owners hang out in each other’s bars, restaurants, and shops. They support one another. It’s a neighborhood where people are open, friendly, and welcoming.

What have been chief sources of inspiration?

A great deal of the work we’re doing has been inspired by the book “Triumph of the City” by Harvard economist Edward Glaeser. Glaeser studied the history of cities throughout the evolution of civilization and found that cities, places where people live and work closely together, can make people happier, healthier, more innovative, more successful.

We’ve also been inspired a good deal by Austin, Texas. The mixture of technology companies, creatives, live music, and entrepreneurs is a mix that we are hoping to encourage to happen here.

Tell us about what the project has invested in so far.

Downtown Project is an initial $350 million investment in helping to revitalize Downtown Las Vegas through $50 million in investments in small businesses; $50 million in tech startups through the VegasTechFund; $50 million in arts, culture, and education; and $200 million in real estate and development. We have invested in 117 small businesses and tech startups over the last 2.5 years including restaurants, bars, shopping, retail, live music venues. We’re invested in a monthly arts festival called First Friday that attracts 25,000 people to Downtown each month. We’ve also invested in a private school, 9th Bridge, that is currently an early childhood education school through kindergarten. We are still very early in our efforts, but we’ve created 707 direct jobs through those investments along with helping to attract people to Downtown to become emotionally, personally invested in the neighborhood’s long term sustainability. • • •

To what degree might tourists be expected to roam into East Fremont?

Because we are in the really early stages of this revitalization, it’s hard to know. We do see some tourists engaging with the neighborhood,

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MyMagic+ technology changes Disney parks

by Martin Palicki

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ccording to Tom Staggs, Walt Disney Parks and Resorts Chairman, the company’s investment in MyMagic+ technology has been huge (see InPark Issue #48, Tickets to Ride for more on how ticketing technology is changing the guest experience): changing out turnstiles at all park entrances, retrofitting 28,000 hotel room door locks, increasing FastPass attractions from 28 to over 60 property wide, and installing stationary and mobile readers at countless retail locations.

At the heart of the experience is the Magic Band, a semi-rigid plastic wristband containing RFID technology encoded with guest information, hotel reservations, park tickets, Fast Pass reservations and more. WDW resort guests now receive a Magic Band for their visit, while visitors staying off-property receive an RFID-embedded ticket card that functions similarly. Those guests are also able to purchase a Magic Band for $12.95. All guests can adorn their bands with covers, attachments and decorations, available at multiple retail locations around the parks and resorts. The technology inside the band (referred to as “magic” by Disney staff ) has an anticipated lifespan of several years, although it depends on usage.

Guests see the first change at the park entrance. Turnstiles are gone and guest simply wave their Magic Band (or ticket card) in front of the Mickey post, use their finger for biometric verification, Mickey turns green, and the guest enters the park. Disney has moved their guest relations staff to the entrance area, armed with iPads, standing ready to handle problems that arise on the spot. Approximately the same number of staff are required for the new system as was needed for the old turnstiles.

With MyMagic+, Disney is prompting attraction operators around the world to evaluate a range of technologies that can deliver similar guest improvements to their own operation. - Steve Brown, accesso Staggs says already 40% more park visitors are using the Magic Band’s FastPass+ system than the old ticket-based FastPass, which was a major breakthrough in queue management for parks when it debuted in 1999. The new program has been designed from the start to allow cast members to be more involved with guest interactions than with guest transactions.

© Disney

As has become typical for Disney, MyMagic+ has raised the bar for the amusement park and themed entertainment industry. This is the forefront of entertainment technology and I imagine that we’ll see it permeate other segments of our lives very soon. -Dave Hutton, Diamond Ticketing

smartphone app. Each guest is allowed three pre-reserved FastPass+ attractions per day and can then set up additional passes via in-park via kiosks (plans call for this functionality to move from kiosks onto guests’ phones in the future). When it is time to go on the attraction, guests wave their band by the Mickey post (similar to the front entrance) and a green light indicates it is OK to continue in the FastPass+ line.

Each Mickey post also makes a welcoming sound upon entrance that, while hard to hear, is themed to each attraction.

Anyone of any age who sees a MagicBand is immediately intrigued and wants to know how it works and how they can get one…suddenly ticketing seems pretty cool! - Melinda Arvin, OmniTicket Guests can also use their bands to pay for virtually anything in the parks and resorts, including a special lunch at the Be Our Guest restaurant in Fantasyland. There, guests can pre-reserve a meal and dining time online. As they show up to the restaurant, RFID readers indicate to a cast member who they are. Once they enter the restaurant doors, their food order is transmitted to the kitchen. The guests choose their own table and within minutes their meal is “magically” delivered to them.

RFID is here to stay and MyMagic+ will help to make it more accepted and even desired by the customer base. Mark Danemann, Siriusware The system is designed to evolve, and the capabilities are nearly endless. “[Our] vision is simple: To be the most trusted provider of shared family travel and leisure experiences throughout the world,” explains Staggs. “And with MyMagic+ we are taking that experience to a new level.” • • •

FastPass+ is completely integrated into the Magic Bands, and can be set up in advance via the My Disney Experience website and

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THE BEST OF BOTH WORLDS ARE TEAMING UP!

NEXT-GEN FAMILY FUN!

Ubisoft and Alterface Projects are gathering their creative forces to design a state-of-the-art interactive dark-ride based on the ZRUOGZLGH YLGHR JDPH DQG 79 VKRZ KLW œ5DEELGV ,QYDVLRQ¡ 7KDQNV WR RXU VLJQDWXUH ' 6KRRWHU V\VWHP IHDWXULQJ KHDG GHWHFWLRQ \RXU YLVLWRUV ZLOO SOD\ LQWR WKH ZDFN\ ZRUOG RI WKH 5DEELGV %ULQJ WKH VXFFHVVIXO OLFHQFH WR \RXU SDUN Alterface Projects alterface@alterface.com + 32 485 620 390

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EnterAction Partners (US) info@usa.alterface.com + 1 417 973 0301

Alterface International (Asia) info@asia.alterface.com + 886 983009548

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Cloud-based curation

Mixby, museums and mobile

by Joe Kleiman

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useums continue to pursue new ways to integrate smartphones and tablets into their exhibits and venues. Techniques have ranged from static podcast tours to QR codes on exhibit signage.

Seattle-based Artifact Technologies has met the challenge from a different angle. Its Mixby platform alerts the mobile device, delivering location relevant content. We talked to Artifact CEO Greg Heuss about how Mixby operates.

Mixby uses digitally ‘fenced’ areas to identify the user’s real-world location. Built-in GPS is an option to build area networks; however, it is not accurate when mapping small, precise locations or reliable when users are inside buildings.

Heuss explained that Mixby supplements GPS with BLE beacons.

They are comprised of small modules about the size of an egg, a small battery and a low energy Bluetooth (BLE) transmitter. Once the transmitter detects a Bluetooth signal from a mobile device running Mixby, data is sent to the phone using either cellular or WiFi signals.

The first museum application of Mixby is now active at the Pacific Science Center in Seattle, Washington. As visitors enter a particular exhibit, the beacon notifications alert patrons that additional content is available. For example, in the museum’s Butterfly House, a Mixby beacon engages visitors with butterfly background information, a content scavenger hunt, and a coupon for merchandise in the gift shop.

To populate content inside the app, a browser-based, administrative control panel enables the Museum to create these beacon experiences. They can change exhibit information, view and publish user-submitted photos (a photo-submission option for visitors lives inside the app), and create new exhibits and places.

Heuss cited an example of Mixby supporting attendance for the Pacific Science Center’s IMAX theaters. “If tickets are limited or a show has sold out, the Museum can send an immediate notification to all their visitors using Mixby.” Special announcements can be sent for events, and a feature coming soon will allow visitors to purchase

tickets directly from their devices.

Mixby updates can be done on the fly using the control panel.

Greg Heuss shows one of the BLE Beacons at the Pacific Science Center (above) and an interactive message triggered during a guest’s visit (below). Photos courtesy geekwire

Mixby will first integrate Facebook and Twitter and then move on to add Pinterest and Instagram. It is designed to support on-location download of content such as videos that can later be viewed at home via Apple TV or Google Chromecast, and set up with iTunes or Google Play to support purchases being charged directly to a user’s existing account.

Artifact charges clients a one-time setup fee for the platform, based on the size of the venue, number of users, and number of beacons to be installed. There is also a hosting fee based on usage, plus a revenue share where applicable. Operators of the platform don’t need any additional hardware or infrastructure in deploying Mixby. Heuss says, “Everything runs on our back-end and is stored in the Amazon Cloud.”

Once museum visitors leave the Pacific Science network, they step into a larger Mixby network encompassing the entire Seattle Center complex the museum is part of. There, the user is presented with content and information pertinent to the other opportunities around them, such as the Space Needle, EMP and Chihuly Glass Museum, just to name a few. This “nested network” configuration can be applied to venues such as sports stadiums, music festivals or shopping districts.

Mixby’s goal, said Heuss, is to “create a more curated experience. You can walk to an exhibit, or any point of interest in a location, and we can integrate audio, video, still images, any kind of media into an entire tour of that place.” • • • more info: www.artifacttech.com

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Deep inside the Lost Temple Movie Park Germany delivers media-based thrills

interview by Judith Rubin

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ram cars are virtually swamped by dinosaurs in BottropKirchhellen, where Movie Park Germany has just launched “The Lost Temple.” This new, immersive media-based, stereo 3D motion simulation attraction exemplifies how today’s sophisticated digital tools are advancing the art, shortening the production timeline and bringing higher-end attractions within reach of regional parks’ budgets.

“The Lost Temple” takes guests on a simulated journey through a forgotten, unexplored world with prehistoric animals, temples and dinosaurs. The backstory is that the world was discovered below the Movie Park site. Part of the preshow is an elevator simulation that takes guests far underground.

Movie Park Germany tapped Riva Digital and sister company Riva Creative to develop the “Lost Temple” story, script and graphics and produce the media, scenic installation and queue areas. Riva Digital co-owns the film with the park, and Riva’s senior producer on the project was John Kokum. Brent Young of Riva Digital was contracted in the role of media creative director, and Super 78 provided editorial, technical previsualization and development support while Tau Studios did the creative pre-visulization and the CG animation on the project and Yessian did the audio.

Above: A scene from “The Lost Temple.”

Below: The project team meets at the site during installation.

Photos courtesy of Super 78

Credits (provided by Riva Digital)

Interview with Brent Young

Wiebe Damstra – Project Manager Movie Park Germany

“The Lost Temple” took slightly less than a year from concept to completion. How did digital tools help streamline its production?

We used digital pre-visualization instead of building a physical mockup, which saved both time and money. The client and all the creatives were able to experience the ride in development by viewing it in 360 on Oculus Rift headsets. Super 78 developed software along with the help of David Sliviak from Riva Digital to create a virtual mockup that was extraordinarily accurate and incorporated all the CAD designs for the building.

John Kokum – Attraction Sr. Producer – Riva Digital Brent Young – Attraction Creative Director / Film Director – Riva Digital Steve Rosolio – Project Coordinator – Riva Digital Riva Digital – Motion Graphics and Pre Show Riva Digital / Riva Creative – Script Riva Creative – Graphics and Story Creative Design Services – Attraction Layout and Concept art Super 78 – Animatics, technical previsualisation, Editorial, Media Installation Yessian – Attraction Music and Sound Tau Films- CGI/Animation and creative previsualisation Rocas – Theming and Scenic Simworx- Ride and A/V Lost Temple Graphic Logo: By Riva Creative Photos by Brent Young

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What is the technical configuration for the motion simulation?

It uses tram vehicles on a rail, and on that rail is a motion simulation platform that takes you down into a locked position and then lifts you up to be surrounded by the near-wraparound screen. There are 7 pairs of Christie projectors. The audio system was designed with sixteen channel audio, each capable of being controlled individually for discreet audio mapping.

What else is in the attraction?

There are about a dozen themed spaces including 7 preshow rooms, an elevator experience and many special and unexpected effects such as fireballs in the queue.

Tell us about the show control.

Movie Park brought in the company Night Life, who are excellent programmers, to create a really slick, intuitive, Medialon-based control system. Movie Park general manager Wouter Dekkers can control the fireballs in the preshow, and even run through full show programs using his custom-programmed iPhone.

How did the installation process go?

The World Cup was going on during installation, so that added a unique background element to our experience – and an especially intense moment of celebration when Germany won. It was great to be on the spot for that. • • •

S78 reveals their Oculus-based attraction visualization tool: Mushroom™ “The Lost Temple” Creative Director Brent Young developed the attraction’s storyboards, oversaw the media production, and harnessed Super 78 to provide technical solutions for the ride’s complex projection scheme. Young said, “The Lost Temple illustrates perfectly that exceptional creative and media paired with bold leadership, like Wouter Dekkers of Movie Park Germany, can produce an ‘E-ticket’ attraction that regional parks can afford.

That’s what we want to deliver to parks everywhere.”

Super 78 contributed significant technological innovation to the pre-viz process with their new Mushroom™ attraction development tools. Using the Oculus Rift VR headset and proprietary software developed by Super 78, Mushroom virtually transports the viewer into a fully developed 3D space. They can then move through the space and experience every detail, including projected media, in realtime.

The Lost Temple’s projected 3D imagery is displayed on an enormous, curved screen that wraps almost completely around the ride vehicles. Normally, the only way to check the stereo, scale and perspective for every rider position would be to build a fullsize mock-up, at huge expense in time and cost. “With Mushroom, we saved a significant amount of time and money by virtually putting everyone into The Lost Temple theater, allowing them to sit in any seat, in any row, and accurately experience the attraction from start to finish,” as Michael “Oz” Smith, Super 78’s Technical Director explained. “No matter where they were, anywhere in the world, every stakeholder could ride The Lost Temple before any construction began.”

Dina Benadon, Super 78’s CEO, added, “We are thrilled that the promise of virtual reality is finally being realized and that Mushroom is at the forefront of this revolution in the themed entertainment industry. We look forward to sharing Mushroom with all our clients. And wait until Oculus releases its consumer product; we have some big things planned!”

Saving the World one interactive

dark ride

at a time

Triotech, Sally Corporation, and Alterface Projects each bring something to the art of virtual shoot-em-up

by Joe Kleiman

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ark rides have been around as long as the amusement park industry. Over the years, a variety of elements have been added to enhance the guest experience - animatronic characters, 3D film, and finally, interactivity. Each element makes the ride more like being inside a video game.

As the dark ride continues to be reinvented for new generations of theme park fans, scenarios where the rider/player saves the world (or perhaps the bakery) are popular as ever. Three suppliers each bring something special to the medium: Wonder Mountain’s Guardian, supplied by Triotech, engages riders with the world’s longest interactive screens. For Justice League Invasion 3D at Warner Bros. Movie World, Sally Corp. combined interactive video with physical targets and animatronics.

And for the Rabbids product offering, Alterface Projects utilizes an innovative interface to determine where players’ artillery would actually land.

Wonder Mountain’s Guardian A rollercoaster transitions into a journey inside the mountain Montreal-based Triotech entered the 4D market with the Typhoon coin-op motion simulator. The company went on to develop 4D theaters equipped with motion seats and interactive target shooting.

For the Cedar Fair-owned Canada’s Wonderland near Toronto, Triotech designed the interactive elements, media content and 4D effects for the park’s $10 million attraction for 2014, Wonder Mountain’s Guardian, the first attraction to be built inside the park’s iconic manmade mountain. According to Christian Martin, Triotech’s Vice President of Marketing, “Canada’s Wonderland is always wanting to do new stuff and they always wanted to do something with that space. There had already been a coaster going around the outside of the mountain, so that’s how they wanted to start this ride. There were really three partners - the park, us, and ART Engineering, which built the coaster.”

Guests don 3D glasses and prepare to compete at the loading station of Wonder Mountain’s Guardian. Opposite, cars ascend the lift into the “gaming” portion of the attraction.

Photos courtesy Triotech

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The ride begins with a preshow video, designed as an old storybook on worn parchment, which gives the backstory of how the King fought a dragon and lost his crown in the depths of the mountain. It is the mission of the riders to head off and retrieve it. The preshow is hosted by a ranger character, who appears again throughout the interactive portion of the ride. Boarding two car trains, with passengers facing both front and back, riders are sent up a roller coaster lift hill and swoop around the mountain while rising and dipping on the new coaster track. Finally, the train enters an opening in the side of the mountain. As a gate closes behind riders to keep out natural light, the

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ride vehicles rotate 90 degrees, facing the world’s longest interactive screens, measuring 500 feet in total length.

Having such long screens gives the effect that the riders are continually moving and descending into the depths of the mountain.

This effect is maintained through the video image, as the ride vehicle maintains a steady elevation and speed during the dark ride segment.

Distractions from surroundings and other vehicles are minimized by creating a halo effect around the real time 3D graphics, where the periphery of the immediate viewing area is blacked out. The entire experience is progressed down the screen through a continuous series of dual 3D projectors.

Triotech’s setup at Canada’s Wonderland supports interchangeability.

With the need to only change the program inside the mountain and the preshow video, multiple shows can be presented. There are already plans for Wonder Mountain’s Guardian to take up a different storyline for Halloween. Martin notes that even more than one show can be programmed for the same date. He says, “The tradeoff is theming. But the general effects are there that can be used for a show - sound injection for feedback, force feedback in the guns, light, heat, wind, and smoke as our 4D effects. We don’t currently have water effects on this attraction but they could be added.”

What makes this unique over other dark ride adventures is, as Martin puts it, “Who saved the world? The people are in the game on this ride rather than just watching the game.”

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Justice League Invasion 3D Battling Starro the Conqueror alongside superheroes Another place riders can save the world is at Warner Bros. Movie World on Australia’s Gold Coast. In Justice League, Alien Invasion 3D, an AUS$9 million attraction that opened in 2012, they join the DC superheroes in battling a menace from outer space. Designed by Sally Corporation of Jacksonville, FL, Justice League represents the latest in a long line of licensed attractions from Warner Bros.

Founded in 1977, Sally began by manufacturing audio animatronic figures. By the late 1980s, it had expanded into designing and manufacturing dark rides. Sally has manufactured dark rides with shooting elements for a number of years and has even retrofitted a number of conventional dark rides into shooters.

Working with the park, Warner Bros, and DC Comics, Sally set out to replace a Batman simulator with something unique and interactive.

The simulator attraction and theming were removed and the show was redesigned. According to Sally Chairman and CEO John Wood, the villain of Starro the Conqueror was suggested for the attraction

by DC. “He proved perfect as the starfish made perfect targets.” One of Sally’s most advanced animatronic characters, Cyborg, resides in the queue. After that, a number of simple animations exist on the ride.

Throughout the queue, a preshow video comprised of television news stories gives the background to the ride’s story. A scanner

Justice League Invasion 3D promotional composite (above) and photo from inside the attraction.

Courtesy of Sally Corporation

showing a negative image indicates that riders in the queue have not been infected by Starro’s spores. Finally, Batman appears on a screen speaking with Cyborg as riders board their cars.

Throughout the adventure, citizens have been infected by Starro’s starfish and they are also thrown at riders on 3D video screens. Every starfish target gives a score. In the video portion, the starfish can be blown up. When physical targets are hit, the gun vibrates and the lights on the starfish go out.

Prototype of the Rabbids shooting device (inset) and the Maus au Chocolate attraction.

Photos courtesy Alterface Projects

Rabbids Invasion Multi-stage wrangle with unruly critters Although the guns on Justice League were designed by Sally, the system they run on was developed by Belgian company Alterface Projects, which is currently creating an interactive dark ride based on French videogame company Ubisoft’s popular characters the Rabbids, a group of crazy rabbit-type creatures with an anything goes attitude.

Since 2001, Alterface Projects has been manufacturing interactive rides and theaters using both physical and media interfaces. The company is currently in talks with a number of operators for the Rabbids Invasion attraction. The cost and footprint of the attraction will vary depending on the individual needs and availability of the location.

Rabbids will be similar to another next-generation interactive ride introduced by Alterface Projects at Phantasialand in Germany. Called Maus au Chocolat, it tells a story of mice infesting a bakery and it’s up to the riders to kick them out. According to Alterface Projects CEO Benoit Cornet, the ride runs three-car trains, each with two riders on each side facing in opposite directions. During interactive segments, the vehicles rotate to face six interactive screens, with two players shooting at each screen. Speakers at the height of the riders’ ears give personal messages related to their performance.

Cornet says that storytelling is important in telling riders what the mission is within the first five seconds. He adds, “Without that tool in hand, it’s just theoretical.” Alterface Projects uses a combination of pre-rendered video, for scenes designed to be viewed, and realtime animation for strong action scenes. They have discovered that commercial game engines tend to work best. For the Rabbids rides, Ubisoft itself will handle the animation.

On Rabbids, a standard formula will be used for the ride. The gun will be a plunger, which fits in with the humor of the franchise. The first scene will be designed to be both fun and funny, and will be used to instruct riders how to use the plunger. They get their first feedback and then move on to the second scene, where they will spend more time getting used to the shooting device. After that, scenes become more difficult.

There is no standardized attraction format set for Rabbids, other than it will combine physical sets with target screens. The storyline has broad appeal, and, as Rabbids don’t talk, there’s no need for regional dubbing.

Alterface Projects developed a system called “Head Detection,” which tracks riders’ head movements. This allows the show system to determine where they’re looking and make adjustments as to where their projectiles will fall behind the screen. This technology is currently in use in both Maus au Chocolat and Sally’s Justice League and will be incorporated into Rabbids. • • •

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