For those who are not familiar, 3D XML is a universal, lightweight XML-based format that enables users to share live, accurate 3D data quickly and easily. A free player is provided by Dassault Systemes (you will need to install a plugin in order to view our creations). The models come with no history, meaning you can’t see exactly how they were built, just what the end result is.

One of the coolest features of 3D VIA is the ability to integrate high quality 3D models within Word and PowerPoint documents, which is as easy as dragging and dropping the 3D XML file into the Office document. This also enables users to view interactive, real-time 3D applications in a Web browser or stream them from a website.

What does this mean for the amusement park industry? These tools can be a great resource for ride design and would enable more efficient communication between the manufacturer and the amusement park. Gone are the days of carrying around huge sheets of plain, two-dimensional drawings that take money to print and time to revise. It’s much easier to visualize a new attraction if you can see a model in 3D and even better if the park can zoom in on specific features and view it from any angle. This software enables the park to give instant feedback on what they do or don’t like about their upcoming ride. The biggest advantage of 3D VIA is that it enables all of this to be achieved without the park having to own expensive CAD software.

In fact, another great feature is the complete three-dimensional models can even be viewed on your iPhone! 3D Via’s new mobile app allows you to position and overlay 3DVIA models on your iPhone photos and e-mail or share with friends. Check out an example video:

Revisions can be made and viewed in real time, again increasing efficiency and communication. This could help the park and manufacturer save money by decreasing design time. Attractions can be realized quicker and would need less lead time. The parks could save additional money because they wouldn’t need to hire a separate company to build a model of the ride for marketing purposes as they would already have exactly what they needed. It’s a win-win-win situation for operators, designers, and customers.

Intamin Ball Coaster

Vekoma Flying Dutchman

Water slide

Wood coaster

Steel coaster

Click on the pictures above to go to the live 3D models. This is just a sample of how would work in real world situation (if it isn’t already being done).

Check out our project showcase site.

View some of our other non-amusement park related models.

Once again, a Six Flags park is featured in the second article of our Really!?! series. This time it involves another coaster move – one that’s already taken place. Many of you probably know that Astroworld shut its doors in 2005 and its rides were scattered across the country among other Six Flags properties or just scrapped all together. Serial Thriller, a Vekoma SLC, was sent to The Great Escape and was rumored to open for the 2007 season. That never happened. There was never a definitive answer, but some believed that the ride did not align with the new management’s “family friendly” image. So the ride has sat in storage, until recently.

A post to ThrillZone revealed that the coaster is now sitting with a fresh coat of paint at La Ronde, a park that Six Flags owns and operates in Canada. The coaster is sporting a red and yellow paint job, very similar Geauga Lake’s Vekoma SLC, Thunderhawk, which just reopened at Michigan’s Adventure last year.

Much like the situation at Six Flags Great America, La Ronde features a ride type that is similar to the one they are bringing in. This time it’s a Batman: The Ride clone named Vampire. If you’re not familiar with the type, “Batman clones” feature inverted trains and five inversions, much like a Vekoma SLC. Granted, the two rides give very different ride experiences, but you have to wonder why Six Flags wouldn’t have sent it to a park that hasn’t seen a new coaster in a number of years over a park that received a B&M mini-hyper only a few years ago.

Many believe this is a sign that the ride trade program has returned to the Six Flags chain. That would be nice, except so far it doesn’t appear as if it’s going to be an even trade for The Great Escape or Kentucky Kingdom.