Anaheim, CA -- Getting Disney's new Expedition Everest attraction built in one and a half years was especially challenging as the mountain structure contains a roller coaster ride inside. Frank Addeman, Walt Disney Imagineering's Vice President of Planning/Scheduling & Management Controls, describes it as "the most complicated attraction Disney has ever designed and built."

With previous Disney attractions like Splash Mountain, the ride is actually part of the building structure. "In the case of Expedition Everest, the ride structure is separate from the mountain structure surrounding it," says Addeman. "We could visualize the components three-dimensionally as the design evolved. The software we use during design lets us see everything before construction ever begins."

In addition to integrating the building and the ride, Disney needed to plan where the cranes and scaffolding needed to construct the attraction would fit in the overall plan. Addeman notes that there are also speakers, lighting, mechanical/electrical/plumbing components, brake systems, actuators, compressors, and other items that need to be planned and sequenced to construct the attraction.

Disney uses many types of software during creation of an attraction like Expedition Everest. Two 4D software programs in particular have worked well for Disney. From Navisworks (Phoenix, AZ) Disney used software for visualizing the building and the ride along with the proximity of one to the other. "You have to accommodate HVAC, ride steel, catwalks, audio, and special effects in a very compact space," explains Addeman. "When you have the large volume of steel and bent rebar we had with this attraction, you need to see how the building geometry fits with the ride."

The next step is to ensure the space required by the ride doesn't clash with the building prior to releasing the design for construction. Addeman adds that the software helps Disney quickly address design clashes and modify the facility design. Typically as the ride design matures, the ride column and track geometry evolve to support the ride dynamics, requiring modifications to the facility design as clashes are identified.

He also mentioned the importance of having high resolution to visualize at a detail level. "It's important when you zoom in on a component to see how it interfaces with other components -- this allows you to plan the best installation sequence," says Addeman.

"Navisworks gives designers the flexibility to design in the CAD software of their choice, then integrate the components into one environment, which helps detect clashes," says Jonathan Widney, President of Navisworks. "Our software also operates in 4D, which was important to the project."

Disney used a different software, Common Point Project 4D, to pre-visualize the installation of the new ride system for Disneyland's Space Mountain attraction and for the Soarin' . . . Read the rest of the story here.

Websites to visit:

www.primavera.com/partners/files/uc034Dprojectmodeling.pdf
www.navisworks.com
www.autodesk.com/building