Vekoma Progress

What a difference a day makes! I actually had time to work on the coaster for a few hours and made a lot of progress. I am now up to node 165 which takes the track up through the first barrel roll. I included a snapshot of some of the construction geometry as well as the overall progress. How is the scale looking?

Vekoma Flying Dutchman 3D XML

Progress has been made on the flying coaster. Rails have finally been started! It's a painfully time consuming process but it works for now. The hardest aspect of this project is definitely the scale and trying to get all of the dimensions accurate in order for it to look right.

Vekoma Flying Dutcman

I've started recreating a Vekoma Flying Dutchman style roller coaster (X-FLight/Nighthawk/Batwing/Firehawk). Using the node coordinates from the No Limits track which was actually supplied by Vekoma, I have created points and splined them together. I have 65 points already and I am only through the first couple of elements! The spine is much more smooth than the Loch Ness Monster model as there are many more node points.




Everything besides the node points is all custom made by me including the guessing on what the actual dimensions are.




Maybe tomorrow I will be able to figure out how best to do the rails as that is still proving difficult. Doesn't help that CATIA has been living up to its name: Crash And Try It Again.

Worth It

I just received this comment on my "Huron \ Happiness" video on YouTube:

"Superb cinematography and choice of subject and especially pacing of the film with the music. It's as though your film and Happiness had been designed by fate to be paired! The film does this awesome music justice-and that's saying something! I wish Jonsi and Alex could see it. I love the CD, too!"

That really warms my heart. It's comments like that which make it all worth the time and effort of creating something. The fact that someone else appreciates what you've done is pretty cool. Maybe I should try to contact Jonsi and Alex? Or is that just getting cocky now?

And in case you haven't seen the video yet:

Configurations in Excel

How do you compute the total number of configurations of two or more lists in Microsoft Excel 2007? The formula you will need used the INT, MOD, COUNTA, ROW, and OFFSET functions. Here is an explanation of each:

INT rounds a number down to the nearest integer.
MOD Returns the remainder from division: MOD(number,divisor).
COUNTA function counts the number of cells that are not empty in a range.
ROW(reference) is the cell or range of cells for which you want the row number.
Row ( ) If reference is omitted, it is assumed to be the reference of the cell in which the ROW function appears.
Example: =ROW( ) - 1 inserted into a cell in row 26 will yield the result 25.


Here are the formulas for a two column combination:
=OFFSET($A$1,INT((ROW()-1)/(COUNTA(B:B))),0)
=OFFSET($A$1,INT(MOD((ROW()-1),COUNTA(B:B))),1)

First Column Formula Explanation:

=OFFSET($A$1,INT((ROW()-1)/(COUNTA(B:B))),0)

Takes the row number and subtracts one from it. Then it divides this number by the number of options in the second column. This value is then rounded down to the nearest integer (whole number). This in turn is the number of the row in which it will select the answer, starting with 0.

Polaris Monorail

I visited the Polaris shopping area (much bigger than just the mall now)in Columbus, OH this past weekend and I've come to the conclusion that a monorail would be a very effective and "green" solution to visitor flow problems. The area has become very congested with traffic and pedestrians. There's a ton of retail spread out over a wide area. I think it would be best served to have several parking areas and then have the trains carry you to your shopping or entertainment destination. The monorail would be "free" to all users but all items sold at the nearby stores would have a slight markup to pay for the operation and upkeep of the monorail.



Pictured above is a quick bird's eye view of the area I got from Bing.com and painted the rough path I think the monorail should take. Some of the stops include the Hilton Hotel, amphitheater (whatever it is called now), the mall, and the area over by Best Buy, Target, etc. There could be two loops, the larger one going out to the concert venue and a smaller one with the main focus on the mall and nearby shopping.




This is my quick Catia model of the monorail track and support structure.

Lists in Excel

Drop Down Lists in Excel 2007: To limit entries to certain items that you define, you can create a drop-down list of valid entries that is compiled from cells elsewhere on the worksheet. When you create a drop-down list for a cell, it displays an arrow next to that cell. To enter information in that cell, click the arrow, and then click the entry that you want. You can used the named range to create a drop down list.




Name a Range: Select the cell, range of cells, or nonadjacent selections that you want to name. Click the Name box at the left end of the formula bar. Type the name for the cells, for example, PARTS. Press ENTER.




To edit range of lists for drop downs:
formulas > Name manager>Parts, then highlight the list of parts as far down as you need.

To create or edit a drop down list, select the cell the list is to be in (B3), then go to Data > Data Validation.
Under Allow: select List.
Under Source: select the range of values that you want by either highlighting a group of cells (shown here) OR by typing the name of a named range (below).

No Limits to CATIA Experiment

I still have not found an easy way to go from a No Limits track file to CAD file so I began playing around with another idea. I opened the Loch Ness Monster model in NL and got the coordinates of all the nodes from the station to the bottom of the first drop. I placed points in CATIA using those coordinates then splined them all together. Pictures here are of the result. I placed a couple random footers to help with height perspective. From some angles it looks very good but from other views like the top (if you look at the shadow) you can tell that it doesn't look exactly right. There are curved lines in places where the spine should be straight. I guess I just need to add more points. Any other ideas? Is there an easy way to get the exact node points from NL?

Water Slide 3D XML

Here is a start to my water slide model in 3D. I just realized that if you can't view this or my other models you may need to download the free 3D xml player.



Also, does anybody know if there is a to export No Limits track data (points, splines...) to use in a real modeling software such as CATIA V5? CATIA is a CAD software that gives the ability to do detail design for every part on the roller coaster. We can also perform stress analysis. But without NoLimits it is very time consuming to get a quality track in a small amount of time. Catia can read a number of different file types including .iges, step, .stp, .3dxml, .cgm, and more. Is there anyway to convert a NL track file to any of these types?

Louisville Zoo Video Trip Report

Check out my latest video taken during my visit to the Louisville Zoo on the way home from Holiday World. Music by Sigur Ros.

Hitler finds out about Epcot

Saw this video on YouTube and thought it was hilarious. I haven't laughed so hard in quite some time.

Wooden Coaster 3D Model

Steel Coaster 3D Model!

MP3 Test - Thom Yorke

Trying to add mp3 to my blog for the first time. Check out Thom Yorke performing "True Love Waits" and "The Present Tense."

Fading Secrecy

Check out my latest article about the fading
secrecy of new amusement park attractions
over at www.Coaster101.com.

Which Coaster to Build?

I think I am ready to begin modeling and actual roller coaster now that I have the technique down. The question is which one? What are your suggestions? I am open to wood or steel, just nothing too complicated for the first one. I am try to think of a nice an easy out-an-back coaster. It would also help if I could find blue prints or something with the actual dimensions so I won't have to guess. Help anyone?

Thom Yorke - The Present Tense (Live at Latitude)

Thom Yorke - The Present Tense (Live at Latitude)

Posted using ShareThis

Two New Songs from Thom Yorke

After months and months of waiting, I've suddenly been surprised by hearing TWO NEW Thom Yorke tunes! "All for the Best" is a Miracle Legion cover and "The Present Tense" was premiered during a recent concert and could be a new Radiohead track. I've embedded the YouTube videos below but will hopefully have mp3s available soon. Stay tuned!

Another Catia Coaster Update

I finally figured out a quick and easy way to do the ribs on the curved and angled parts of the track by creating planes based off of points on the track profiles curve and then copy the sketch of the rib to each one. Then I used either a rectangular or circular pattern to quickly create multiple ribs at regular intervals.

Also, I'm looking into downloading a 3D XML viewer so I no longer have to post bad photos. You will hopefully be able to fly around the model yourself! Stay tuned!

Catia Steel Coaster Construction Progress

I finally had time to work uninterupted on my CATIA steel coaster model today. I started from scratch in order to include more realism and detail. Now sure if this is exclusively an Arrow coaster any more. Instead just a generic steel with features from different manufacturers.

We Have a Curve

How to Make a Random List in Excel 2007

So you want to put a list into random order in Excel 2007, eh? First we have our list. In the column next to it, put a =rand() into every cell. This is the random number function, which generates a random number between 0 and 1. Next, highlight both columns. Sort by the random numbers column and that's it! Your list has been randomized!

Types of Defects in Ride Design

There are many different types of failures to take into consideration when designing an amusement park attraction. Although it is impossible to account for eveything, as a mechanical engineer to you must think of as many as possible in order to prevent defects from happening. The following is a list of possible issues engineers must plan for:

Accumulation of Pores
Aligned Porosity
Bend Radius, Wire/Cable
Broken
Bubble
Buckling
Burned/Overheated
Burn Through
Burrs
Clocking
Contamination
Contour
Corrosion/Stains
Cure Failure
Damaged
Delamination
Dimension, Oversize
Dimension, Undersize
Dings/Dents/Indentations
Documentation
Drill Start
Electrical
Expired Service Life
Extra Hole
Fillet Leg Undersize
Flash
Flow
Gap
Gap to Shank
Grain Direction
Hardness
Hardware
Head Treat
Hole, Oversize
Hole, Undersize
Hole, Short Edge Distance
Illegible
Inclusions
Identification
Insert Staking Improper
Installation Improper
Insufficient Throat
Interference
Lack of Penetration
Leaks
Linear Indication
Loctite (epoxy) missing
Loose
Material
Mismatch
Missing
Orientation
Packaging
Part Mislocated
Perpendicularity
Pinch Points
Processing Time Exceeded
Rounded Porosity
Safety Wire
Scratches/Gouges
Standard Process Not Followed
Surface Finish
Surface Porosity
Suspect
Tears
Test Failure
Thread Damage
Thread Protrusion
Threads Worn
Tool/Die Marks
Torque Stripe
Weld Undersized

New Poll

Please take my new poll or leave comments. I am looking for feedback about what you would expect or like to see more of from this blog. More pictures, videos, reviews, etc. What would you like to read about everyday? How can I improve? Thanks!

Catia Wood Coaster Update

I haven't had a lot of time to work on the wood coaster project lately, but I did manage to add more to the massive lift hill support structure. This takes time as it requires more footers as well as all of the wooden support members.

Walt Disney World Monorail Map

There was a horrbile accident on Walt Disney World's monorail system this past weekend. It looks like there were multiple unlikely failures, a perfect storm of issues:

* The dispatcher said the switch was in place when it wasn't.
* The driver backing up somehow did not see after passing over the switch that he was on the wrong side of it (probably because the driver was in the front of the train and couldn't see behind him.
* The driver who was killed did not act in any way (as far as I know) when he saw the approaching train.
* There's an obvious design flaw in the nose of the trains that makes them completely intolerant of any collisions (the moving vehicle was only going 15 mph).

This leads to numerous questions. Why don't the drivers switch to the rear of the train when they go in reverse? Why weren't the noses built to withstand any sort of collision? Why was there no indicator of which way the switch was pointed? Why didn't the driver do anything when he saw the approaching train? Will passengers ever be allowed to ride in the front of the trains with the drivers again? Hopefully the NTSB will find some answers.

Catia Waterslide Pictures

I started working on a waterslide in Catia V5. Here are a few pictures of my progress thus far.

iPhone Apps

I want to learn how to write apps for the iPhone. I've heard many stories of people getting laid off or quiting their jobs who then decided to write iPhone apps and made hundreds of thousands of dollars. Why can't I do that? Oh, maybe because I don't have an iPhone or a Mac. Hmmm. Any ideas?

My New Baby

Disney is a Genre

Have you ever noticed how Disney isn't just a brand, it is also a genre? The other day I was at the video store and they had the movies organinzed by genre: horror, comedy, action, romance, and Disney. Isn't that amazing? I mean, you don't see a Dreamworks section next to it or any other studio genre. I think that speaks worlds about the Walt Disney Company.