FOG Glass

[GoofyMagic]

Hello,

This is for the very observant like myself (lol)...I forgot exactly where I saw this effect at WDW, I believe it was at the animation walk through at the MGM Studios, by the Voyage of the Little Mermaid, where you sit in a room and to the left is a huge piece of glass, but it's fogged up...Then, moments later it clears and is merely a window with animators on the other side..What is this effect called and how does it work?

I've recently noticed it's used as well on the new Stitch attraction where the "capsule" fogs up in sections quickly at one point.

I remember it also being used in the movie The Sum of all Fears (but that was probably a cheap duplication of the effect)

Any help would be great, thanks!!


AJ

 

[brkgnews]

I have never seen this effect in person at the parks, so I'm not certain how they do it. But here are a few possibilites...

A trick very common in theatre is the use of a scrim (sp?) -- it's a piece of cloth that is opaque when lighted from one angle, but essentially see-through when lighted from another angle. If you've ever seen a play where There's a piece of scenery that you are suddenly able to see through, that's it.

A more high-tech version of this is through the use of LCD technology -- the same stuff that puts the numbers on your digital watch. I've seen on some of the home innovation shows new window glass that has the liquid crystal sandwiched inside. The glass appears to be frosted or fogged over. Apply a tiny electric current and the crystal deactivates and the glass becomes see-through.

Again... these are a couple possibilities, but I'm not sure of the real answer.

 

[brkgnews]

Yep, TAC. I didn't see the CSI episode, but I have seen it used in bathrooms before on (of all things!) a "world's greatest bathrooms" TV show. I suppose if it's gooe enough to hide that, then it's good enough to hide an animator :lol: .

 

[GoofyMagic]

Thanks!

Hey guys,

Thanks alot for those replies that sounds just like what it could be making that effect. I have to see these shows where they show that stuff...I do remember hearing about the bathroom!

Thanks again

 

[GoofyMagic]

Any idea who makes this type of glass or how to get it installed? Or what the official name is for it?

 

[brkgnews]

quick yahoo search turned up this -- not much info, tho. From GE.

http://www.crd.ge.com/esl/cgsp/projects/le/lcd.html

Maybe this would wind up in a revamped Carousel of Progress?

 

[Salty-]

http://home.howstuffworks.com/smart-window4.htm

 

[Dr.Seeker]

Cool, ye i thought thats how it worked, electricity causing the interior of th glass to become opaque. Easy.

 

[goofyguy]

You can find a demonstration of a window made from this type of glass in the House of Innoventions (inside Innoventions East).

 

[BradB2]

The glass you'll see at the House of Innoventions is called SPD (Suspended Particle Device) Smart Glass from Research Frontiers. Basically there's a film applied to the window and when there is no charge on the film, the particles in the film are randomized there-by making the glass (almost) opaque. However, as you add a low-voltage charge to the film it causes the particles to line up so that light can pass through. I knew all that product knowledge would come in handy someday.

 

[GoofyMagic]

Thanks

Awesome, thank you everyone for those replies and links.

 

[TTA Traveler]

This effect, i beleive, is used on the Star Tours inside queue right near the robots...i think

 

[Lovecraft]

Smart glass is different from the technology that the original poster was talking about.

Smart glass is what is in the House of Innoventions -- it has variable shades allowing partial light in (looks like it gets progressivly more "black" from transparency depending upon the electric setting.

The other glass that looks fogged or whitish with other colors mixed in is liquid crystal glass -- it scatters light when "on" making the glass appear fogged and white. It is a binary device, either on or off with no real inbetween states. I like it better than the smart glass for looks and effects but it is useful for only a certain number of things (like bathroom/shower doors).

 

[Lovecraft]

Oh yeah, have you guys seen the new translucent concrete yet?

I am wondering when WDI will incorporate this very cool stuff into something at the parks.

Here's a link if you have yet to see litracon:

http://gnr8.typepad.com/gnr8_news/2004/06/litracon_transl.html

 

[CrystalMagic]

The glass that you are looking for is LC Privacy Glass. They have it in the conferece room in the law firm I work in. It's really amazing. Anytime they have important meetings and need privacy they just push a button and all the walls change from clear to frosted so no one can see in. They got it from Innovative Glass Corp located in New York.

http://www.innovativeglasscorp.com

this company actually sells that tinted SPD glass also

 

[Rob562]

This effect, i beleive, is used on the Star Tours inside queue right near the robots...i think

It's actually used in two places in Star Tours, and may be one of the earliest uses of the technology, because as far as I know it's always been there...

The first is in the first queue room with R2D2 and C3PO. The screen where you see the Star Tours advertisements is actually made up of panes of LCD glass. If you stop and watch, you can see that in between segments, the panes change from clear to opaque in patterns, allowing you to see what's behind the screen. When they need to show a video, they all turn opaque and it becomes a rear-projection screen.

The second is the wall behind the second robot. You actually circle around behind this wall just as you get to the front of the queue. I'm not sure why, but the see-through effect isn't as obvious on this wall. But you can see the panes changing states.

-Rob