Wednesday, October 29, 2008

Toy Story Mania - the technical details

http://www.controleng.com/article/CA6593192.html

Automation and Ethernet Combine for 3D Disney Attraction
Toy Story Midway Mania debuts Disney's extensive use of automation and controls over Ethernet.

snippet:

“Every screen in the attraction has a Hewlett-Packard game computer that receives data from the wayside computer,” Gerstner says. “At that point, mathematics takes over. An algorithm takes all encoder values and calculates a position on the screen where the projectile should emanate from the gun that the guest is pointing and firing. It even calculates for the arc of the gun. A computer-generated image is then created and sent via fiber link to the projector and to the 3D active polarizer to produce the image and project it on the screen.”

An image for the left eye and the right eye is produced by the game computers. Screen polarization synchronizes images sent from the computers so that a 3D image is rendered and perceived by the guest in 3D thanks to the special glasses we’re all familiar with from viewing 3D movies.

Thursday, October 09, 2008

Lee Cockerell at Orlando World Center on Tuesday

Lee Cockerell is a longtime WDW exec, now retired.

On Tuesday the 14th Lee will also be keynoting at Create Chaos in front of 1,000 creative professionals at the Orlando World Center. This is the same day his new book, Creating Magic, comes out.

Info on Lee, www.leecockerell.com
Info on Create Chaos, www.createchaos.com

Wednesday, October 01, 2008

Meet me at NFFC and MouseFest

I'll be selling books and just saying hi at two upcoming events:

1. NFFC Convention Show and Sale this Sunday, October 5, at the Regal Sun Resort (formerly Grosvenor) at Downtown Disney's nearby hotel circle, in Orlando.

The 3rd Annual NFFC Florida Convention and Giant All Disneyana Show and Sale is open to the public; however, convention attendees and NFFC members get first crack at everything. Doors open at 9:00 a.m. for registered convention attendees, 10:00 a.m. for NFFC members and at 11:00 a.m. the Giant All Disneyana Show and Sale opens to the public. Speakers and special presentations take place throughout the day. The Giant All Disneyana Show and Sale ends at 5:00 p.m. Don't miss it. More info here: http://www.nffc.org/news/newsdetail.asp?id=132

2. MouseFest 2008 MegaMouseMeet on Saturday, December 13, from 10-1, at the Yacht and Beach Club convention center. More info here: http://www.mousefest.org/default.asp