Overview
The Toronto Thrill Design Competition is an annual event hosted by Universal Destinations and Experiences (UDX) for aspiring themed entertainment creators.
We were tasked with designing an attraction based on "Anne of Green Gables" by Lucy Montgomery. This month long qualifier pushed our team and me to create a dark ride while managing real-world deadlines. We created an interactive shooting dark ride themed around finding Anne's lost brooch in her whimsical daydreams.
I was charged with modeling a unique ride system for guests to explore Anne's imagination. We were invited to compete in Orlando last November! While I was not able to travel to participate, I was extremely proud of our team's performance.
Track Layout
We used a program from "Imagineering in a Box" to create the ride path. This was done to minimize show building size and ensure there are no bottleneck issues. With a theoretical capacity of 1550 people per hour, this attraction can efficiently handle guests at a large theme park.
Each of its eight scenes has interactive targets guests can shoot with their flower-guns. A point system is used to score riders.
Ride Vehicle
I used SOLIDWORKS to model the boat. This includes the benches, restraints, flower-guns, and hull. The lap bars can rotate to secure riders. The guns are removable so guests can aim better.
Because the boat is an organic shape, I used many sweeps, lofts, and reference planes to align the geometry. Numerous arcs were used to trace the leaf detailing. Each part has accurate material properties like wood, aluminum, plastic, and padded leather. Then paint and stains were applied to get an accurately colored model.
(art credit to Eric Johnson)
Results
Our team was invited to compete in the final round of the competition in Orlando. Although I was unable to attend in person, I was proud of how far our project went. The judges also praised how closely our final model matched the original concept art. For me, that showed that we were able to take an idea from a piece of artwork and turn it into a detailed, believable attraction.
