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.

This video doesn’t do the effect justice – and it may take you a second or two to actually figure out what’s so remarkable about this footage. But what you’re seeing represents the fruit of some very complicated programming. I won’t bore you with the details of how it works, but the illusion that you’re “looking through a window” is extremely convincing – especially in stereoscopic 3d!

So, along with creating the online simulation that can be found at HorizonsResurrected.com, I also have the goal of creating an immersive horizons “simulation machine.” The first step is creating an at home “mini imax” screen to create a 180 field of view. I’m doing so using a quarter hemisphere security mirror and a standard projector. My make-shift “dome screen” is temporary – I’m using a sheet with an industrial fan blowing on it to create the curved shape (like a sail). But my plan is to create a rigid half-hemisphere dome as the screen. But as the title says, it’s just a proof of concept.

Merry Christmas! Over the holiday I was able to make a little more progress. Here’s a rundown of the changes:

• Landscaping has returned
• Main sign now properly says “Horizons Resurrected” where up until now it has been blank.
• Added all the front glass and reflections
• Added new props like the secondary sign near the entrance, a trashcan near the entrance, and the “box light” near the loading area.
• Many of the “backstage” areas are now lit up for easier navigation
• The VIP lounge is now accessible from the right side of the building (this area is going to be difficult to faithfully recreate, due to the lack of reference photos)
• The exit/post show area now features “The Prologue and The Promise” mural that once (briefly) stood there. Again, this is going to be a tough area to recreate faithfully because I have yet to find even one photo of the original post show.
• The simulation now runs full screen, and with anti-aliasing. It should run relatively smoothly – but please let me know if anyone’s having issues with performance.

Enjoy!

Click here or the photo above to load the simulation

But now I’ve completed enough of that process to share with everyone – entrances and exits line up, but almost more importantly, there’s no more of the jarring and disjointed experience when walking through the front doors. Plus, you can see the epcot ball from the lobby – how cool is that?

Click the photo to load the simulation, or click here.

You may be asking yourself, what about simulation version 9? Well, it quietly went posted last week, but I knew I’d be posting a significant update soon, so I thought I’d wait until Version 10 to create an official blog post. I think you guys are going to really like this latest update for a few reasons…

First off, the new Jules Verne scene has been added. Yes, the interior of the bullet is only a projection for the time being, but it still really gives you a feel for the scene.

Next, the ride vehicles are back! After MUCH trial and tribulation, I now have a track and ride path that precisely matches the original. With one exception: the choose your tomorrow ending. I’m still researching this, but as you’ll see, the cars drift ‘under the floor.’ And I’m pretty sure that’s not a good thing. I’m going to scour my blueprints to see if I missed anything (perhaps the floor is lower here than I thought?) but until I figure it out, you’ll have to pick up the car once it ‘rises’ out of the floor once more.

Another major addition: Ride narration! What’s more, it precisely matches the speed of the vehicle, so what you’re hearing matches exactly with what you’re seeing. You can even jump out of one car and into another – each vehicle’s audio is in sync! Try hopping out, roaming some of the maze-like hallways, then pick up another vehicle in another area. Pretty cool huh?

Oh, and don’t worry about the vehicle’s front doors remaining closed – you can walk right through them, at least for now.

As always, comments, questions, and any sort of feedback are welcome. Hope you enjoy this as much as I do!

Launch Simulation Version 10

UPDATE
Some folks have expressed confusion on how exactly to navigate around, so here are the instructions for moving around effectively for all you non-gamers out there.

Look Around: Mouse Movement
Walk Forward: W
Walk Backwards: S
Sidestep Left: A
Sidestep Right: D
Jump: Spacebar

When loading the vehicle, you may need to jump in unless you approach is straight on. I’ll fix this in later versions.

Let me know if anyone still has issues experiencing this!

The scene was obviously based on the original wood-cut illustrations for “From The Earth To The Moon,” and all the main elements of the bullet-rocket’s interior are represented.

There is however two noticeable differences from the original illustration compared with the set in Horizons. The most obvious is the illustration’s lack of a chicken. Was the chicken added simply to add a touch of humor and whimsy, or is it a reference to something I haven’t been able to place? I’m not sure.

The second variation however is more subtle. Notice the silhouette of the interior compartment – the original illustration is as you’d expect, given the shape of the exterior. However, the Horizons set creates a more organic shape. Perhaps I’m reading in to this, but to me it looks like Uncles Jules is floating around in his own head – giving us the subtle cue that his trip was one of imagination!

Also, another interesting note is that the “man in the moon” appears to be heavily influence by (if not an outright copy of) a french illustration from the victorian period that isn’t directly associated with Verne.