Simon Maddison from Cutting Edge will give a talk at AEAF in August about developing and creating the submarine 360° environment for the VR experience Q-Ride, with action and detail to watch in all directions.
Cutting Edge's Simon Maddison Plunges into the VR Ocean at AEAF
Cutting Edge delivered a virtual reality theme park ride late last year titled ‘Q-Ride’ for attractions developer Brogent Technologies. The ride debuted at the IAAPA Attractions Expo held in Florida in November. Cutting Edge’s team, led by Simon Maddison who served as both project VFX Supervisor and Director, created an experience that uses VR to take participants on a spectacular, breathtaking underwater journey. Simon will give a talk about developing and creating Q-Ride at AEAF in August.
Q-Ride's dreamy submarine environment, with action and detail to watch in all directions, is an ideal match for such a ride experience. Simon said, “Our client knew they wanted to give the audience the chance to explore an underwater landscape. We scripted a journey that transports people to an immersive seascape, rich with marine life, where they float through a world surrounded by rays, schools of fish, dolphins and whales.”
Q-Ride gives viewers a 360° view, but is unusual in that each person has a unique POV depending on where he or she is seated. The movement of the seats is synched with the vision to increase the realism further – the ride controls the motion and viewers are free to choose where they look as they move up close to realistic marine life and other elements. Because the team took special care to link the motion to vision, the ride counteracts motion sickness and allows participants more freedom to turn and look about inside the experience.
Simon will be giving his talk about the project together with Matthew Hermans from The Electric Lens Company, who collaborated with Cutting Edge on the ride's 4K, 360° stereoscopic immersive film, used as the content for the Q-ride. “We'll be talking about the approach to storytelling needed for such a particular application, a lot about the technological processes we employed, as well as the sound design and final mix,” said Simon. “It's a real case study taking people through all the hurdles we faced, what we discovered along the way and the final result.
The Electric Lens Company is a group of artists, directors and technicians creating virtual experiences for different platforms. The members range from commercial directors and VFX supervisors to fine artists and game designers, dedicated to storytelling through their work for major studios and brands over the last 20 years.
Book tickets online at aeaf.tv to see Simon's presentation, part of a full day of talks and project presentations on 30 August 2018. View the complete line-up here, and keep checking for updates in the coming weeks. www.aeaf.tv
