How did the ominax work?

[THEMEPARKPIONEER]

Did the Cars on horizons keep moving during the ominax or did they come to a stop? I always thought that the image on the Horizons Ominax picture moved across the screen along with the cars kind of like then the Dreamfinder Stage moved with the split omnimover. I know its not important but now I am curious.

 

[hurricanepat]

As far as im aware the cars continuously moved and it was your perception of the image moving with you.

 

[thelookingglass]

The cars kept moving. I believe it was a continuous loop that was just long enough that no matter where you "came in" at, you would still see the whole thing.

 

[THEMEPARKPIONEER]

I thought so to but this video confuses me. Like Spaceship Earth outline of the Geosphere shaped frame is exposed. I don't mean to get to technical but when you look at the images on the triangles it looks like the image stays in place as well as the car. Look at the rocket launch scene when the blue sky's show in the back. It really look's like the image stays in place. I don't mean to be a know it all but I thought I finally had the ride figured out.

 

[Testtrack321]

I thought so to but this video confuses me. Like Spaceship Earth outline of the Geosphere shaped frame is exposed. I don't mean to get to technical but when you look at the images on the triangles it looks like the image stays in place as well as the car. Look at the rocket launch scene when the blue sky's show in the back. It really look's like the image stays in place. I don't mean to be a know it all but I thought I finally had the ride figured out.

The screen is large enough and you're moving slow enough that you don't really notice it. Cool effect, no? That was my favorite part of Horizons!

 

[THEMEPARKPIONEER]

The screen is large enough and you're moving slow enough that you don't really notice it. Cool effect, no? That was my favorite part of Horizons!

I used to love the images on that ride. The last time I rode it I was a kid so everything was so real to me. I remember thinking at the underwater scene "how did we get here"? I guess Soarin fills in the absence of the ominax.

 

[Krack]

The cars moved continuously. The picture did not move left to right with the vehicles. But remember, the screen was concave. So it was a very large version of the effect you see in the Haunted Mansion where the statue heads' gaze "follows" you as you move.

 

[marni1971]

The cars kept moving. I believe it was a continuous loop that was just long enough that no matter where you "came in" at, you would still see the whole thing.

Almost - any one ride would show 2/3 the total loop.

The images never moved, the cars never slowed since it was a full continuous ride system.

There were 2 Omnimax screens side by side to show more footage than you would see in one pass.

 

[THEMEPARKPIONEER]

Almost - any one ride would show 2/3 the total loop.

The images never moved, the cars never slowed since it was a full continuous ride system.

There were 2 Omnimax screens side by side to show more footage than you would see in one pass.

I never even thought of that one, now that you said something I looked at a few different videos. They had different orders each time and sometimes part of the video wouldn't even show. I am assuming the narration was played on the off board audio system.

 

[THEMEPARKPIONEER]

The film following thee neighboring film would be exposed to the 2 end cars. It all makes sense now.

 

[marni1971]

I never even thought of that one, now that you said something I looked at a few different videos. They had different orders each time and sometimes part of the video wouldn't even show. I am assuming the narration was played on the off board audio system.

Different orders? You mean the scenes in the 2:10 Omnimax film? No, the order was always the same; Space Shuttle, Brava Centuri, Landsat, silicon chip, crystals, liquid space, DNA, the sun.

The main (grandparents) narration was played from the onboard audio system. In one of many clever twists, they appeared in the Messe Verde scene as Animatronic and spoke to the vehicles from the show scene, then went back to being unseen narrators until the birthday party scene.

 

[Rob562]

Different orders? You mean the scenes in the 2:10 Omnimax film? No, the order was always the same; Space Shuttle, Brava Centuri, Landsat, silicon chip, crystals, liquid space, DNA, the sun.

The main (grandparents) narration was played from the onboard audio system. In one of many clever twists, they appeared in the Messe Verde scene as Animatronic and spoke to the vehicles from the show scene, then went back to being unseen narrators until the birthday party scene.

You left out Cityscape between Landsat and Silicon Chip... (For some reason the man saying "The cityscape. A living tribute to our richest resource: People" always stuck in my head from that loop)

I think by "not in order" the poster meant that the first scene you saw wasn't always the same and coming to the realization that it was just a projected loop and not timed to the car...

It's like the market salespeople in the old El Rio del Tiempo. The projections were on a loop that closely matched the speed of the boats, but which salesperson you had "following" your boat depended on when in the loop you entered the scene.

-Rob

 

[marni1971]

^ Ha! So I did! I typed it and deleted it. Doh.

 

[mp2bill]

The cars kept moving. I believe it was a continuous loop that was just long enough that no matter where you "came in" at, you would still see the whole thing.

That's what I thought.

 

[THEMEPARKPIONEER]

Different orders? You mean the scenes in the 2:10 Omnimax film? No, the order was always the same; Space Shuttle, Brava Centuri, Landsat, silicon chip, crystals, liquid space, DNA, the sun.

The main (grandparents) narration was played from the onboard audio system. In one of many clever twists, they appeared in the Messe Verde scene as Animatronic and spoke to the vehicles from the show scene, then went back to being unseen narrators until the birthday party scene.

Same order, whole video but you would catch it at different times. Every time you enter the ominax there is most likely you might enter with a different part of the film playing. Sometimes you can get from start to finish or middle to middle. Does that sound right? I think there was always at least one clip missed each time if I'm remembering clearly.

 

[Rob562]

Same order, whole video but you would catch it at different times. Every time you enter the ominax there is most likely you might enter with a different part of the film playing. Sometimes you can get from start to finish or middle to middle. Does that sound right? I think there was always at least one clip missed each time if I'm remembering clearly.

Well technically because it was a continuous loop there really isn't a beginning or end...

But the closest thing to the "start" of the loop would be the Microprocessor shot. That's where they started playing the loop during the recording session of the attraction soundtrack. (I have an MP3 of the raw recording I picked up from somewhere online) Plus, the simple single instrument (some sort of xylophone/celeste) was the easiest point to musically loop the ending to the beginning.

-Rob

 

[Scar Junior]

Well technically because it was a continuous loop there really isn't a beginning or end...

But the closest thing to the "start" of the loop would be the Microprocessor shot. That's where they started playing the loop during the recording session of the attraction soundtrack. (I have an MP3 of the raw recording I picked up from somewhere online) Plus, the simple single instrument (some sort of xylophone/celeste) was the easiest point to musically loop the ending to the beginning.

-Rob

Good points. I like this discussion. I've thought about many of these components many times.

 

[THEMEPARKPIONEER]

So where did the narration come from. Was it coming from the off board Audio or on board curing the ominax? Today I would assume that there was some kind of connection to the onboard audio to sync the narration to the film but then I don't know how well that technology would work in the 80's