CLIENT
Disney/Fox/Gracie Films

PROJECT DATE
2016-2018

CATEGORY
Themed Attraction Building, VR

SOFTWARE USED
Skecthup, Autocad, Maya, Photoshop, Substance Painter, Unreal Engine

For this project we had to create a fully themed attraction building based on the popular Simpsons franchise. It has two main parts, the Aztec Theater and the Kwik-E-Mart. After buying tickets visitors get to stand in the line up with their favorite Simpsons characters and take as many selfies as they want. As they approach the lobby they get to see a life size Bart Simpson sitting inside the ticketing booth. Once inside you are greeted with more life size sculptures of the whole Simpsons family with lots of easter eggs hidden all around for the die hard fans. This lobby leads towards the state of the art 4D Motion Theater with DBOX seats for an unparalleled movie viewing experience. After the movie ends, you exit out straight into the Kwik-E-Mart and get to enjoy a Slushie or maybe a donut or maybe some Duff beer. What would you pick?

As this was a multi stage project there's a lot to cover here. The first step was creating Architectural Drawings and Floor plans in Sketchup and Autocad. These were then taken into Maya to fix, remodel, uv map and texture. After that these assets were imported into Unreal Engine to create a 1:1 scale replica of the attraction in VR for clients and decision makers to walk through and inspect. Being a Simpsons themed project, every single piece of it had to be approved by the client including the textures, finishes, brick patterns, floor tiles, carpets, ceiling decor etc. Once the final materials were approved the entire scene had to be re-done to make it look like the finished product, years before a single brick was laid on site.

VR was a big part of this project, from initial assessment to final model the Unreal Engine project was continuously updated to include everything possible as a showcase. The client could experience the VR Model both in Day and Night, with lights turning on and off depending on the time of the day. The lights used in the interior of the building were made using the IES profiles of the approved bulbs to ensure it looks exactly like that in real life. Elements like the Aztec Neon Sign also had their animations done entirely in Unreal Engine and shown to Neon sign makers so they could see what was required. The VR project also included the full movie in the Aztec Theater with the lights dimming and projector beam turning on along with Surround sound so the client could experience the movie virtually. Similarly the Kwik-E-Mart VR model was used to determine ideal placements of shelves and merchandise allowing for clear line of sight to avoid thefts and other mischief. The back side of the building is also themed and is visible from across the Lake so clients used that to determine which posters and cut outs should go there.

See below for example images and videos.

Simpsons 4d @ Myrtle Beach

EMPLOYER
Simex-Iwerks