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Inside Walt Disney Imagineering

Hit the jump to see a behind the scenes look at what’s happening inside Disney Headquarters at Walt Disney Imagineering. The Imagineers are responsible for bringing many of Disney’s park ideas to life. Perhaps one of the most amazing projects in the video is the Digital Immersive Show Room, or the DISH which is a combination of several high end projectors that transforms an entire room into a holodeck like experience. Before starting construction on a new ride, the Imagineers use the DISH to help virtually model and experience how a new attraction is going to appear in the theme parks. By moving around virtual objects, ride designers can get a realistic sense of what works before sending in the bulldozers. The DISH uses motion tracking markers placed on a hat that the user wears to display view dependent content, making what you see appear to be in 3D.

Years ago, the Imagineers would make elaborate foam models to mock up rides. Having worked at Imagineering with the same group in the video, I’m thrilled to see our Imagineering colleagues make such amazing progress. I can say from first hand experience that the DISH is unlike anything I’ve experienced, taking immersion to a whole new level. Along with the DISH are 3D audio animatronic robots. Micro projectors inside the robot map content to a mold of a Disney animatronic character that thrill audiences as they move through a new attraction. Facial expressions of characters from Snow White now seem more life like than ever before. Truly magical.

[Source: Bloomberg]