The Jurassic Island installation at Trans Studio is the first time Simworx has combined its Immersive Tunnel with a water ride
A joint venture between Simworx and water ride manufacturer Interlink has brought together each company’s strengths to create a brand-new experience.
Called the Immersive Superflume, the attraction puts a new spin on the traditional log flume with the incorporation of an Immersive Tunnel and other AV elements.
Developed for Trans Studio, an indoor theme park in Jakarta, Indonesia, the ride’s footprint covers 6,325sq m (68,000sq ft) and it can accommodate approximately 780 people an hour.
After entering the attraction, visitors are seated in a 16-person themed boat, which takes them on a 300m (984ft) long log flume-style ride, with the added element of AV technology.
During the Immersive Tunnel section, each boat is fixed onto a highly dynamic, 3DOF motion base and surrounded by 3D film projection. During this part of the ride guests experience physical platform drops, rolls, dynamic lighting and surround sound, all of which combine to give an amazing new style of adventure.
“As the Immersive Superflume was a partnership project with Interlink, there were two sides to this build,” says Monkton. “The water log flume ride was created by Interlink, while we focused on our Immersive Tunnel element.”
Entering talks with Trans Studio, Simworx sent the park its sales proposal and concept images of what it imagined the ride would look like. This, says Monkton, helps the client to visualise how the ride system can be integrated into the chosen venue and the theming that could be used to bring it to life.
After the contract signing, Interlink and Simworx had a launch meeting where they talked through the specific details that needed to be considered and the ‘ins and outs’ of exactly how the ride would operate.
Following this, Simworx issued a final design document to the client for approval and at this point, the procurement stage began, with the buying of materials required for the project. “Purchase orders are sent out to our supply chain and following their delivery a few weeks later, the assembly process can begin,” says Monkton.
"The immersive screen had to be custom made from fibreglass to accommodate the flume boat passing through built-in doors"
“This project was assembled at Trans Studios itself, so prior to that, all the parts had to be built and shipped over to Jakarta,” he continues.
Custom-made screen
“The immersive screen had to be custom-made from fibreglass to accommodate the flume boat actually passing through it via built-in doors,” says Monkton. “These had to be able to open and close while also blending in with the rest of the screen and projected media.
“Once complete, the dome moulding was broken down into parts for shipping,” says Monkton. “The motion base that allows for movement of the boat in the tunnel was also manufactured and tested thoroughly before shipping.”
Once the immersive tunnel was complete, the next thing to be addressed was AV and motion base programming. Simworx’s specialist AV technicians worked to create an immersive experience with the use of wind, projection, aroma, lights and audio, all programmed in time with the on-screen media.
For this project, Simworx worked with Falcon’s Creative Group, which produced a custom film and audio soundtrack that takes riders on a journey through Dinosaur Island. During the ride, visitors are thrust into a battle between the rulers of the prehistoric world.
Waterproofing
The project is the first water ride Simworx has worked on and there were a number of challenges to consider, as Monkton explains: “We don’t usually deal with water in our immersive tunnels,” he says. “This meant dealing with challenges such as making our 3D glasses waterproof and working out how the water would be drained away from the motion base.
“Interlink also had to come up with a boat locking solution to ensure the boat could be secured to the motion base allowing for movement, but then released to allow it to continue the ride. Even small things such as finding a waterproof paint finish for the screens had to be considered.”
The Jurassic Island installation at Trans Studio is the first time Simworx has combined its Immersive Tunnel with a water ride
The immersive screen was custom-made from fibreglass to accommodate the flume boat element of the ride