Other new features include a flashlight that can be turned on and off using the “F” key, and the ability to choose your ending by pressing 1, 2, or 3 on the keyboard when prompted – you may also notice the quality of the endings are remarkably improved as well!

Web Version

What an amazing event! EPCOT turned 30, and I was able to share my Horizons simulation with hundreds of people over the course of four days. I’ll post more about the event itself later, but I promised that I’d post the latest version as soon as I possibly could after the anniversary event, and here it is. You’ll notice that quite a bit has changed. Also, a few of you have reported issues with the unity player crashing, so I’ve included a downloadable version that you can run outside your web browser. This should not only run smoother in general, but it also provides you with a dialogue box to set your quality and resolution settings. Adjusting these settings should allow you to play the simulation smoothly, no matter what your system specifications are.

As always, feedback is welcome!

Simulation Version 15
Web Version
Standalone Version (Mac)
Standalone Version (PC)

FAQ

What event?
To celebrate EPCOT’s 30th anniversary, the latest version of the Horizons: Resurrected “virtual recreation” will be coming to Walt Disney World and “brought to life” using FLIRT (“Feels Like I’m Really There”) – cutting edge and immersive simulation technology that I’ve been developing for my company, The SuperGroup.

Will the recreation of Horizons be complete?
No. I want to make sure that I manage everyone’s expectations in this regard. Although the recreation will represent significant advancements from the latest simulation available online, it will not be a complete and perfect recreation of the entire Horizons attraction. As much as I’d like for it to be, remember: this project is a hobby of mine, and I am but one man. Finishing every detail will require hundreds (if not thousands) of hours of work in the future.

How will the in-person demonstration differ from what’s available online?
Utilizing FLIRT, guests will be immersed into the Horizons recreation in a way not possible through the web site. Simply put, this will be far closer to actually riding the attraction.

When will this happen?
Demonstrations will be taking place on Friday September 28th, Saturday September 29th, with Monday October 1st. Demonstrations will not occur on Sunday September 30th, as I’ll be attending the D23 Epcot Anniversary Celebration.

Where will demonstrations take place?
Inside the convention center at Disney’s Contemporary Resort – right on the monorail line.

I want to go! How can I attend?
Having received numerous requests since the event was first announced, the event is already at capacity. That is to say that, unfortunately, we are no longer taking new appointment requests. You may send an RSVP to ChrisWallaceTSG@gmail.com, and Jessie will send you a request for information to be placed on the Wait List.

I sent in a request awhile ago and provided my available time slots. What now?
Jessie and I are doing our very best to go through each request and set up a schedule that accommodates as many people as possible – it is a challenge to say the least. That being said, there may simply not be enough time available to accommodate everyone. If that’s the case, requests that were sent in earlier will be given priority. I apologize in advance to anyone we’re not able to fit in.

How much is admission?
There is no cost to attend.

What can I expect during the demonstration?

Upon arriving at the Contemporary’s convention center, you’ll be met by a member of the event team and escorted to the event space. Inside, there will be a small lobby where participants can wait for their turn to “ride.” One at a time, each person will be shown to the rear of the meeting space where he or she will be seated in front of a large curved projection screen and given specialized glasses to wear during the experience. These glasses not only enable the stereoscopic 3D effect (a-la “captain EO”), but also act as a head-tracking sensor. During the experience, riders will be automatically guided through the Horizons entrance queue, and after boarding a vehicle, will ride through the entire attraction – although every scene will not be complete.

As part of a documentary being made about the event, you will be asked to participate in a brief on-camera interview and asked about your feelings toward Horizons, as well as your overall impression of the recreation experience. Participating in the interview is not mandatory.

I can’t attend! When will the latest simulation be posted to the website?
The updated simulation will go live to the public on the evening of October 1st – the anniversary itself.

Wrong. The way computers create images on the screen is by projecting images on to a flat, imaginary plane, and this works fine for narrower fields of view. But in reality, the world we live in isn’t flat – it’s curved. After all, if you took a 360 panorama photo, you’d essentially rotated in a circle, right? Try telling a 3D program to take a 360 picture; it’ll look at you like you’re some sort of lunatic and politely say “I’m sorry Chris, but I’m afraid I can’t do that.”

So, with unity projecting on to a flat plane, when you set the camera to display a 120 degree FOV, you get an image like this:

Now, this doesn’t look horrible…. but it’s far from accurate. And when you consider the fact that this image will be projected on to an actual 120 degree curved surface, it looks flat out wrong.

Luckily, I happen to be very clever – or at least I think so. How I’m actually achieving this is a trade secret, but behold: an accurate 120 degree field of view, rendered on the fly with no external image processing:

Note the curvature of straight lines as they “wrap around” the viewer. Also, notice that you can actually see much more of the scene!

When this kind of imagery is displayed on a giant curved screen, at a resolution of 5760×1080 pixels at 120hz, it’s draw dropping. So if you’re coming to the Epcot 30th Anniversary in september, please bring a jaw harness!

Once again, here are the two images, side by side:

1) Using one projector on the entire screen is simply too low resolution – too few pixels stretched over too large of a surface. So I’m going to need to use multiple projectors to create the large scale screen with the fidelity that I’m looking for.

2) The problem with projectors is that, under normal circumstances, they have to be quite a distance away from the screen in order to create a sizable image area. This is particularly difficult for the H:R project because I want people close to the screen, so that it occupies as much of their field of vision as possible. But that means normal projectors would be behind the viewer, and that means they’re casting shadows on the screen. The solution: Ultra short throw projectors. These things are amazing – they make an enormous picture while only being a few inches from the screen.

3) Adding more than one projector as a display adapter is no problem. However, it’s necessary to overlap each projected image a little bit, and “blend’ the seams so that there isn’t a “bright” area. Additionally, since projectors are designed to be displayed on a flat surface, the images become warped and distorted when they’re projected on to a curved surface. Special software is required to correct these distortions.

4) However, in order to utilize the de-warping software AND to get 3D games to utilize the entire desktop image area (as opposed to using only the full screen constraints of the primary display, which is normally the case) Each “expanded” desktop needs to be merged in to one unified desktop – and here’s where it gets tricky.

5) In order to create one big desktop area (instead of multiple side-by-side desktops) one must utilize special hardware and software. I’m going with Nvidia’s “3D Vision” solution for a variety of reasons, but ATI offers similar products. Creating a seamless desktop in this manner is something nVidia calls “3D Vision Surround Technology.”

6) In order to utilize 3D vision surround, you’ve got to have a compatible video card and the latest drivers, but that’s not all… driving one huge desktop while processing 3D images at ENORMOUS resolutions takes a whole lot of computing power. The solution: nVidia’s “SLI” technology, which allows you to link up to 3 video cards and use them in tandem with one another in order to do the heavy lifting. But there’s a catch…

7) In order to utilize SLI, several requirements must be met. You have to have an SLI compliant motherboard…. the video cards in question must be capable of utilizing SLI technology… the video cards must be linked appropriately with an SLI cable…. and my personal favorite: the video cards have to be identical in every way. I learned this the hard way, when I tried to use an GFX 570 and a GFX 570Ti together. Close enough, right? NOPE. I’m in the process of returning the 570 and replacing it with an absolutely identical GFX 570ti.

8 ) Here’s the next little caveat: Assuming you get the right hardware, get SLI working, AND get 3D Vision Surround installed and ready to go, it only works under extremely controlled conditions. Namely, you must have NO LESS THAN three displays connected. (I was originally planning on using 2, but having learned this fact I’ve upgraded to three). Additionally, all three displays must be identical – even down to the manufacturer. And last, but not least, all three projectors have to be connected in a very specific way – both in terms of the cables used and which ports on each video card they are plugged in to.

So, now I’m waiting on my matching second video card to arrive in the mail so that I can hopefully get SLI working, enable 3D Vision Surround, and configure my three ultra-short-throw projectors to create one, seamless, ultra-high resolution image that gracefully wraps around the curves of the 120 degree screen. Once I have that going, you can bet I’ll be posting some pictures.

That’s the good news- the not-so-good news is that I won’t be publishing any new versions of the simulation until after the d23 event. This is to ensure that there will be lots of new stuff and surprises for those who experience the simulation in person. But don’t worry; afterward, I’ll be promptly publishing the latest version, which should be a major update.

Until then, I’ll be posting info and details about the hands-on demo as they become available. See you in Orlando!

UPDATE – 9/9/12
Things have gotten much more solidified and exciting! Originally I was planning on a one-day demonstration within my hotel room for a few select fans; a somewhat casual affair.

Since then, there has been an enormous outpouring of interest and, as a result, the scope of the event – and the size of the actual equipment – have grown substantially. Hundreds of Horizons fans have sent in requests to experience the simulation, and since only one rider can be accommodated at a time (due to the head-tracking technology), the demonstration will now span several days.

What’s more, I realized that holding the demonstration in a resort suite was not only inadequate for my purposes, but also risked running afoul with resort management. After all, I would imagine that hundreds of people coming and going from a single hotel suite might come across as a bit sketchy. Besides- Horizons deserves something better.

So, after much hair pulling and gnashing of teeth, I’m pleased to report that professional meeting space has been secured at The Contemporary’s convention center. Thanks are owed in no small part to my wife Jessie (who’s organizing everything), and a friend within the Disney organization. Without their help, there would have been nowhere to hold the event and the whole thing would have been called off!

If you would like to attend the demonstration and haven’t yet sent an RSVP request via email to chriswallacetsg@gmail.com, please do so immediately! Jessie is in the process of working out the schedule, but we’re almost certainly near the upper limit of how many people we can accommodate. That being said, if you’re flexible in when you’d be able to attend, we may be able to squeeze you in to empty slots in the schedule. If you’ve already sent your RSVP request in, don’t worry; you’ll soon be getting an email from Jessie confirming your appointment time.

Thanks to everyone for your support, enthusiasm, and patience. I can’t wait to show you what I’ve made.

Here’s the latest simulation! Some of the new features include:

• Improved exterior landscaping
• Addition of Monorail Pink
• Improved sound in the queue area (sound is affected by the space that you’re in. Plus travel poster audio!
• Improved graphics and “bloom” effects
• Moving sidewalk has returned!
• Ride vehicles now move “smoothly” and don’t create the “jerky” effect you may or may not have noticed in earlier versions.
• Flashlight! Press “F” to turn on or off your handy-dandy flashlight to go exploring those dark back hallways!

Check it out, and as always, comments suggestions and feedback are welcomed and encouraged.