Hey folks. I was watching video from Transworld and I was wondering if someone would give a "informationally challenged new guy" the basic idea how those violent shaking animatronics work? Is it all multi action pnuematics or are there servos also? I appreciate any info or links. This seems to be a very helpful group.
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If you have a specific product in mind it might help the answer.
However 90% of the animatronics you would see at the Transworld Haunt Show in St. Louis would have been pneumatic. A few such as the Skulltronix product line are servos, and a few like the Distrotions rocking granny are a motor.Brian Warner
Owner of Evilusions www.EVILUSIONS.com
Technical Director of Forsaken Haunted House www.Forsakenhaunt.com
Mechanical Designer (animatronics) at Gore Galore www.Gore-Galore.com
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They are all pnumatic. But since your building it and you know your strengths and capabilities build it the way you like. That way you have a product that appeals to you and no one feels "ripped off"
I much prefer motors or servos in my props but Im also not into the violent thrashing ones.
Allen H
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"Is there a particular reason you use servos? Do you have any link suggestions or books I should pick up. I am going to Transworld if you have any suggestions there. Thanks again!!"
I am just getting into servos myself and it has been very difficult finding info. Two companies jump out as very helpful.
www.EFX-tek.com (join their forums, super helpful!)
www.Servocity.com
I prefer electric motors and servos because I go for more subtle animatronics. Like five or six rats on a corpse that turn and look at the guests as they pass by the bodies the rats are munching on. Making a caged body swing slightly to add movement to a set. The rocking granny (by distortions) is a great example of a simple electric animatronic. I like the subtle movements that distract the patrons and then allow the actor to be the force of violence and chaos in the room.
I suppose that I should say that the subtle things that I do are more like a part of the environment as opposed to the big pneumatics that are often the focus of the room. To me they always seem to never quite fit into their surroundings. I also never find them to be believable and I try very hard to not snap the patrons out of the world I attempt to create.
All approaches have their place for sure, I just like a certain style of show. Its a style preference. If you want violence then go pneumatic, If you want atmosphere or lighter scares go servo.
I am doing a seminar on stilts and costumes that break the form of the actors body at transworld. Its a speed seminar so its on WED.
I also make myself very accessible at the show (and the Ren Grand bar afterwards) so please feel free to come and talk to me (that goes for everyone).
I do contribute alot I want to help others be good at something I am passionate about. Im one of the rare full time haunters and helping others keeps me from getting burned out.
Allen H
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Allen, that was insightful stuff. I hadn't thought using servos that way - like the feasting rats you described. I dunno if you built that, but I bet it would be a very cool atmospheric prop. I agree with you that if a prop breaks a patron out of the world you've created, it has failed.
As for a shaking body, a design I played with (but never built - so anyone can be the first) is this: Start with a big induction motor running off of grid power (120V AC). Have this motor driving a camshaft, after gearbox reduction. That main camshaft could be geared to other camshafts to spread out the motion.
A camshaft has components like these
Now for every part of the body you want to shake, just add a cam and spring-loaded cam follower. You could let gravity replace the spring, but to get a violent action, I'd suggest the spring.
This setup has been used a lot for toy automata but I bet it could be applied to achieve this effect, too.
cam-driven toy automaton
Advantages: precise control over shaking motion. Very simple to add more points of motion (just replicate the cam mechanism) - imagine a body shaking at 15 different points, driven by a single motor.
Disadvantages: Major headache building the cam mechanism.Last edited by derekatronic; 06-10-2010, 10:48 AM.
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