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Laser
F/X On-line Newsletter - Digest
April, May
and June 1999
Items removed from the on-line
Newsletter pages during the second quarter of 1999.
NOTE: Links on
destination sites are often changed. We provide the
digest pages for archival purposes and the links to external
sites were working when the material was originally published
but may no longer be working.
What's New
New products and services of interest to
laserists. Submit your new product information and images in .gif or .jpg
format to our E-mail or contact us.
LOBO
MODULA-5 available at a lower price than originally announced
 |
The presentation of LOBO’s new
dual-scanner laser show controller MODULA-C5 attracted a lot of
attention among the visitors of this year‘s Musikmesse in
Frankfurt. MODULA has been announced to be out in May for $12.000.
Due to the actual dollar exchange rate and basing on the final
calculations, the basic version of MODULA-C5 is now available for
less than $ 9.200. In combination with the basic software package
SM-5 a complete control unit will cost $10.080 only.
This entry-level version supports one scanner, all
important features known by the ADAT and in addition a lot of
advanced laser-specific functions (such as the control of multiple
projection areas or the menu-guided adjustment of beam positions for
external effect mirrors). |
MODULA-5 not only works with LOBO projectors. It can be
combined with almost any conventional laser projectors using a X-Y(±10V)
RGB(0-10V) signal. The open system architecture allows the user to expand
the basic system by any available expansion module in the future.
For more details and prices refer to http://www.lobo.de/html/modula5.htm
For questions contact hennig@lobo.de
Laser
Art Studio Presents Laser Art Package 1.0.
Laser Art Package 1.0 is a 32-bit software developed for
creating and controlling laser shows with a PC. The special hardware (LPT
DAC 8-bit board, ISA DAC 12-bit boards and Atmel 90s8515 based MCU ) is
included with the package. LAP 1.0 allows drawing, editing and animating
both 2D and 3D frames. It works with all frame types: point, vector, raster
and abstract.
The quantity of simultaneously used effects (such as spinning, motion,
scaling, real-time morphing, following the specified trajectory, all those
functions applied on the trajectory itself, and many more) is unlimited.
The package allows importing true type fonts. HPGL and ILDA
formats are supported.
More detailed information on the software is available at LAStudio Homepage.
The demo version of the software is also available for downloading at the
site.
Web: http://laser.freelsd.net/
World
Scan
Laser display happenings from around the world. If you
would like your show or installation information here, please E-mail
or contact us
Laservision
Macro-Media scoops International Business Asia Award For The 2nd Successive
Year!
Laservision Macro-Media has been awarded the Prestigious
Business Asia Award for the "Best Use of Australian Technology in
Asia" for the second successive year. The award was presented by
the Hon. Alexander Downer, MP., Australia's Minister for Foreign Affairs at
presentation ceremony in Sydney.
 |
The winning Australian based themed
attractions developer and special events management company is well
known for their inspirational high profile international projects.
Examples include the Olympic Celebration laser display on the sails
of the Sydney Opera House, Singapore's landmark Merlion attraction
on Sentosa island, Everland theme park in South Korea, the floating
"Aqua-Magic" theatre on Sydney Harbour, and the recent
spectacular opening of Stadium Australia, venue for the 2000 Olympic
games. |
Accepting the Award General Manager Brett Starkey stressed
that "The innovative and creative application of our proprietary
technology has driven Laservision's export successes. Despite the
economic downturn we continue to direct much of our attention on Asia. The
results of this confident and sustained push have continued paid dividends
in 1999."
For further information please contact- John Eustace via Phone +61 2 9658
1000. Fax +61 2 9651 3217 or e-mail to johneu@laservision.com.au
Web: http://www.laservision.com.au
LOBO builds
sophisticated revolving multimedia theatre for leading German theme park.
 |
The Europapark Rust, situated near the
German city Freiburg, not far from the Swiss and French border, is
Germany's largest theme park. The park has been built by Mack KG,
one of the world's major players in the development of new leisure
facilities and mindblasting roller coasters. The park is famous for
the unique and authentic style of its theme areas, which consist
mostly of reconstruction of original buildings.
Right in the middle of the park, a 40m-high glass cone houses a new
attraction called "E-Motional".
E-Motional is a cylindrical multimedia theatre with a
diameter of approx. 30 meters divided into 6 sectors. The spectators are
seated on a movable ring, looking towards 6 fixed stages in the centre of
the theatre. It is possible to transport the whole audience within seconds
into totally new technical set-ups. The capacity of the E-Motional is 2000
spectators per hour - the highest capacity attraction in the park. |
| The overall technical concept
implementation and programming of the show was provided by LOBO
electronic. In addition to 6 video projectors, 40 slide projectors,
6 stage lifts, 8 Water Screens, 40 conventional screens and various
special effects; the installation includes 5 adjustment and
maintenance free fibre projectors fed by one central laser system.
One laser projector is installed on the arm of an industrial robot,
another projector makes use of LOBO's Grating Box option and is
mounted on a pneumatic lift. The sophisticated layout of the
equipment makes it possible to re-arrange the content of the show
simply by changing the software. |
 |
After turning the key-switch at the control console,
LOBO's LACON automatically starts the and initialises all peripheral
components like lasers, video projectors, projection robots, slide
projectors and the transport mechanism of the theatre. During the show, the
status of the system, for example defective lamps of slide projectors, is
permanently monitored by the LOBO workstation. All scenes using laser are
under permanent surveillance by infrared video cameras.
Additionally, they are all equipped with a mechanical safety system and with
several emergency-off. In case of interruption by an emergency off, the
system automatically re-starts the lasers and continues the show as soon as
the operator has re-set the emergency button.
The concept of the show was developed in tight co-operation between LOBO and
the agency Young & Rubicam who are responsible for the communication
policy of the sponsor Kraft Jakobs Suchard.
LOBO's Art-Director Alex Hennig "e-Motional reflects mankind in the gap
between nature and technology. This is a subject which has been determined
by many trend scouts to become one of the central questions of our society
in the near future. The field of technology is mainly represented by laser
and visual special effects, while conventional media, stage sets and
physical experiences like wind, rain, mist and heat form the appearance of
nature. As the sponsor KJS wanted to promote Europe's leading
chocolate-brand "Milka", which uses the environment of the Swiss
Alps as a visual metaphor for the taste experience, we decided to reduce
nature to Alps scenery. As anyone in Europe identifies "Milka"
with the Alps the brand itself does not appear during the whole show."
The visitor enters the facility through a mystical tunnel
and finally finds himself in the control room of an alien spaceship
approaching the planet earth to observe man and its technology. In an
computer-animated flight through space the ever-pulsating technology world,
where man is only a gear wheel to keep the machinery of our modern society
alive. Two minutes later he is shown how technology accompanies everybody
inevitably from birth to death and how technology also forms the central
building block of our culture. Leaving the technology world through a subway
tunnel, the spectator suddenly finds himself is in the Alps and can
experience how technology helped us to use natural resources and to fight
against the threats of natural forces.
Alex Hennig "In this scene we played a lot with physical effects. First
nature shows her sunny and beautiful face, supported by a 60 kW heat-curtain
which lets the audience feel the strength of the sun. Suddenly dark clouds
appear, the room becomes dark, massive mountains grow on the stage, strong
wind generators blow cold air into the faces and water dispensers in the
ceiling create rain. Finally a set of over 20 strobes in the ceiling takes
the audience right in the middle of a raging thunderstorm." After the
storm the audience moves directly into a rising laser sun and nature shows
all her beauty. In the last scene fireworks and a laser spectacle over the
impressive skyline of a big city form the finale of the show.
Alex Hennig "It has been our central intention to handle this complex
subject value-free. Every visitor should be inspired by the show to find his
own opinion, how positive or negative technology influences his relation to
nature."
 |
The production team was
confronted with various problems in the design process of the show.
Alex Hennig "We not only had to equip six different theatres
with a harmonious mix of media technology, we also had to find ways
to make use the 25 seconds, when the audience was moving from one
scene to another. Here we found ways to combine the physical
movement of the audience with laser and video projections seemingly
accelerating or slowing down the speed of movement only by visual
impression." |
As the production was done parallel to the installation of
the theatre, it was not easy to develop and to demonstrate the combination
of the different media with all the special effects and stage sets. Major
parts of the show design were done on AVID, resulting in a preview tape
which also served as basis for the final programming of the show.
Nevertheless everybody was surprised how different the spatial impression of
the show was in contrast to the video.
Another problem was the fact that the sound tracks of all scenes were
running in six separate theatres simultaneously. This not only limited the
duration of every scene to the same time, it also was not possible to mix
extremely loud sounds in one theatre with a low sound level in the
neighbouring theatre. All scenes were mixed in parallel on a hard disk
recording system and the composer had to continuously interact with the
system to find a way how to express the desired emotions with a synchronised
sound level in all scenes.
After four weeks of adaptation on-site and long-term tests, the attraction
opened officially in March.
Info: hennig@lobo.de
Web: http://www.Lobo.de
DISCLAIMER:
Some of the information in the Backstage area is provided by the
persons or companies named on the relevant page(s). Laser F/X does
NOT endorse or recommend any products/services and is NOT
responsible for the technical accuracy of the information
provided. We provide this information as a service to
laserists using the Backstage area.
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