presentation		update 2009

The centralised technical management of the new ‘Lumières’ theatre in the Palais de la Découverte in Paris? Salto is the solution! Managing the interactivity and effects of the ‘The Earth’s Rage’ in Vulcania? Choose Salto! New content to beam on the dome of ‘Our Dynamic Earth’ in Edinburgh? Yes, Salto can do it!

A recognised specialist in the field of interactivity, Alterface calls on Salto – a powerful engine calling on control software that was developed internally. Over recent months, this engine has demonstrated its ability on three different occasions to manage complex interactivity in scenarios that include videos, sound, light, platform movements and special effects.

For the complete renovation of the ‘Light’ theatre, the Palais de la Découverte in Paris approached Alterface to find a technical solution for moving with ease from one section to another. The theatre is fitted with a rotating platform, which automatically directs spectators towards the exhibits section. There, the guides have all the tools they need, including video, sound and special effects. The scenarios managed by Salto launch the videos at the right time, handle the microphone mixes, and call up the special effects just when required. A highly ergonomic graphic interface was specially created to enable the guides to produce new exhibits themselves. This interface controls the platform’s movements according to the theatre’s layout and the various projectors in which the video files simply need to be dragged and dropped. It also supplies the 20 channels for the lighting and manages precisely – down to a single image – the effects used to support the exhibits.

‘Terre en Colère’, a new attraction for 2009 at the Auvergne, France park L’Aventure de la Terre, Vulcania, is a simulation based on dynamic platforms, which are synchronised with the film sequences; they simulate the movements and shaking felt when six major natural phenomena occur. With this animation, Vulcania combines education with thrills and enables the audience to experience six kinds of Earth rage. The show, which is in high definition and includes combinations of physical effects (wind, cold, heat, water), invites visitors to experience nature’s forces. After each simulation, the public can ask questions to find out more about these phenomena and their impact.

“Since Alterface had already made the entire technical platform for the earthquake simulator, it was logical for Vulcania to turn to us again,” said Xavier Wielemans, special projects manager at Alterface. “The new attraction had to be very interactive as well as spectacular. Produced by Amak, the videos that are projected are selected by visitors. Salto manages the scenario in real time and adapts it according to this selection. Visitors see themselves on the screen and can follow the vote in real time. The special effects are launched by Salto.”

Salto also works here as a special effects interface and offers a graphic interface in the form of a multitrack timeline. A DMX console acts as an entry point for this interface, which can then sample the desired behaviour of the special effects equipment, in real time. The animation is done on the console, and the sequence is recorded before being adapted in the same way as would be done using multitrack audio software. The video track is also included in the interface, enabling precise calibration of the effects to the image.

The interface is customised to meet the requirements of each project. With a single interface, Salto offers an infinite number of possible actions on one physical system. These include opening and closing doors, the movement of platforms, triggering video and audio, managing the lighting, special effects, and so on.

For this project, Alterface has also developed particularly innovative special effects. Having worked on many and highly diverse projects worldwide, Alterface has acquired extensive expertise in the field of special effects. The most common effects create wind or project water, and for some time now these have been used to heighten the sensation of immersion felt by the players or visitors who are thrust into the heart of high-quality content. Yet today there are new and highly original features available, all developed by our technicians. The lava flow that rushes towards the theatre is accompanied by a sensation of heat, created by resistors placed behind fans by our technicians. As for the avalanche or rogue wave, they create a cold effect generated by a fine mist of cooled water. The effect is striking! Salto also controls the movements of the platform.

In Edinburgh too, the famous scientific centre FutureDome has again called on the services of Alterface as a result of visitor satisfaction with a previous collaboration. The goal here was to use the existing infrastructure to project new content. Salto’s flexibility to play content now enables the beaming of ‘We Are Astronomers’ across the whole dome. The Futuredome installation was developed for this new function, without Alterface’s technicians having to travel to Scotland. Through a remote connection from Belgium, they were able to adapt the positions of the platform as well as the triggering of the videos and soundtracks. This is an efficient way to increase profitability and ensure the continued existence of high-tech technical structure, yet at minimal cost.

It is possible at any time to move from one kind of content to another, and with great ease. Salto serves here as a form of centralised technical management, yet remains a multimedia player able to play almost any type of video content.