Entertainment Engineering BEST OF 2011
Every year about this time, the editors of Entertainment Engineering look over the past year to see what our readers found interesting. It doesn't appear to matter whether a story covers one page or two pages, the most interesting pieces always find their way to the top.HERE'S WHAT WE HAVE FOR YOU THIS YEAR:
ELECTRONICS COMPONENTS
ENGINEER DESIGNS ELECTRONIC GEAR
Helmets, suits, and props for TRON: Legacy come together with CAD software, electronics components, and rapid-prototyping equipment. See how one systems designer at ToyShoppe Systems combines art with engineering. Read how often the power packs had to be changed to keep the “lights on” for multiple takes on the movie set.
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BATTERY CHARGING
INNOVATIONS FOR CHARGING AND PORTABLE POWER
With all the new electronics that came out last year, there appears to be a huge need for chargers and portable power units. Energizer met this demand for more reliable and longer-lasting power by developing products that help consumers get more out of their devices while they’re away from wires and wall sockets.
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MOTORS AND MOTION CONTROL
SHANGHAI SPHERE ARRAY
To provide smooth operation with very tight space limitations, this kinetic art piece required specially designed components, controlled by a high-tech automation system and software. Fisher Technical Services, a Las Vegas-based entertainment automation company, used semicustom, Class 5 SmartMotors from Animatics in their design. The motors raise and lower over 1000 “floating” balls to produce an amazing show.
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COLOR GRADING TOOLS
TECHNICOLOR USES DAVINCI RESOLVE ON “THE FIGHTER”
Blackmagic Design’s DaVinci Resolve is a high-performance color correction solution for Mac OSX and Linux computers. It supports more real time color correction than any other system because it’s not limited by the performance of the computer it’s running on. Read how the MAC OSX version of Resolve provides strong performance in a low cost solution.
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DESIGN SOFTWARE
TINKERING ENGINEERS BECOME PRIME DEFENSE CONTRACTORS
Today, with the help of SolidWorks® software, the Howe twins, Geoff and Mike, are able to invent extreme “Mad Max”-style vehicles with astonishing capabilities. Known in Defense Department R&D circles as the “The Wright brothers of the military,” the prime defense contractors also star in Discovery Channel’s “Black Ops Brothers, Howe & Howe Tech” show.
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MOTORS AND MOTION CONTROL
GETTING SWINGING LIGHTS TO STOP ON A DIME
At the Royal Shakespeare Company’s refurbished venue, lightweight lights are hung from swinging cables. A unique design stops the swinging to put the spotlight on the actors. The challenge was in the pendulum effect, but using the right motors and motion control components, engineers were able to provide a system that made watching plays a pleasure.
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DIGITAL STORAGE
PROVIDING INTEROPERABILITY USING A REMOVABLE CARTRIDGE
Suitable for third-party manufacturers, Seagate made available their GoFlex™ external hard drives. This family of external drives provides the ability to use an assortment of storage products and interfaces to correspond with consumers’ needs. The company’s third-party products attest to growth of digital media consumption on an increasing number of consumer electronic products.
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PROTOTYPING SERVICES
PADDLE MANUFACTURER ACQUIRES BIG BOX SUCCESS
Ed Halm found himself fighting to maneuver his kayak through the swampy undergrowth in the backwaters of the Econlockhatchee River in Central Florida. As a retired Navy officer and survival instructor, he realized the problem he was having was due to the design of his paddle: fine for slicing through open water, but for gnarly conditions, he wanted something with a bit more grip—something with the teeth to negotiate the hazards of shallow water.
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