Magic Tracks Xreme is a new and exciting toy that brings the fun of racing to your living room. It is a flexible track system that allows kids to create their own custom race tracks with amazing glowing light-up cars. These cars are designed to race at high speeds, and the track features twists, turns, and loops for ultimate excitement. One of the standout features of Magic Tracks Xreme is its glow-in-the-dark technology. The track pieces are made with a special material that lights up in the dark, creating a visually stunning race course. This adds a whole new level of fun and excitement to the racing experience.
Every night (and twice a day on Saturdays and Sundays) Tartaglia removes his Pinocchio makeup mid-show and dashes up 5 flights of backstage stairs to a tiny motion-capture studio. Paul Deavila, Shrek's 'moving light and live animation technician' explained that Tartaglia arrives only about a minute before he goes live as the Magic Mirror. In that time 20 reflective motion capture markers have to be placed on his face "within a millimeter of where they should be." Once 'made-up,' Tartaglia sits in front of a dozen Vicon motion capture cameras and begins his performance as Farquaad's Magic Mirror.
The show s producers turned to Autodesk and the company s MotionBuilder software to do the job, and a handful of media reporters were invited to a Friday night performance to see MotionBuilder in action. Paul Deavila, Shrek s moving light and live animation technician explained that Tartaglia arrives only about a minute before he goes live as the Magic Mirror.
This adds a whole new level of fun and excitement to the racing experience. Another great feature of Magic Tracks Xreme is its flexibility. The track pieces are easy to snap together and can be arranged in countless configurations.
Autodesk Reveals the Secrets of the Shrek Magic Mirror
DreamWorks' big green ogre has been residing on Broadway since last fall, when SHREK THE MUSICAL debuted. Painting actors green or putting them in donkey suits is one thing, but the original animated film had more than its share of moments that might be challenging to recreate in front of a live audience.
Take for example the Magic Mirror that advises Lord Farquaad. In the old days the producers might have settled for an actor on the other side of a pretend mirror, or perhaps a pre-produced piece of animation. Today however, the same technology that brings these moments to life onscreen can perform the identical magic onstage -- and thanks to modern motion capture technology, go one better by doing it live, every night in real time.
The show's producers turned to Autodesk and the company's MotionBuilder software to do the job, and a handful of media reporters were invited to a Friday night performance to see MotionBuilder in action. As they sat in the audience during the show's set-up, lights were hoisted into the rafters, scenery backdrops descended into view and rose again and the sound technician could be heard chanting "Donkey-Donkey-Donkey, Fiona-Fiona-Fiona" as he tested each character's microphone lines. Heath Schwartz, Shrek's press agent explained that in the musical's Seattle tryouts the Mirror's performance was pre-taped. "We did one session with the actor to work out the timing and leave holes for the stage actor, then it was all computerized. Then we said we're coming to Broadway, 'it's got to be live, everything about the show's got to be live."
Actor John Tartaglia performs as both the Mirror and the show's Pinocchio. Schwartz outlined Tartaglia's career as puppeteer on SESAME STREET and in the puppet-populated Broadway musical AVENUE Q. (Tartaglia also brings the giant-sized Dragon head that appears midway through SHREK to life.) "After holding a puppet in his hands for many years, John's now playing a puppet."
Every night (and twice a day on Saturdays and Sundays) Tartaglia removes his Pinocchio makeup mid-show and dashes up 5 flights of backstage stairs to a tiny motion-capture studio. Paul Deavila, Shrek's 'moving light and live animation technician' explained that Tartaglia arrives only about a minute before he goes live as the Magic Mirror. In that time 20 reflective motion capture markers have to be placed on his face "within a millimeter of where they should be." Once 'made-up,' Tartaglia sits in front of a dozen Vicon motion capture cameras and begins his performance as Farquaad's Magic Mirror.
The information from the cameras is captured on Vicon's Blade software and sent via a gigabit Ethernet to a processor that prepares the data for Motion Builder, which performs the 3D modeling. The output is sent to Hippo servers that crop the image to fit on the 20-foot tall, LED-array 'Magic Mirror.'
Tartaglia repeats the entire process in the show's second act for the Mirror's second appearance. (His reprise takes place just after Farquaad uses the mirror to play his own version of Space Invaders with the show's characters taking the place of the advancing aliens.)
The Mirror face the audience sees is identical to the one in the original animated Shrek, because Motion Builder is working from character design files supplied to the show directly from DreamWorks. The entire process takes place, Deavila boasts, not 'basically' in real time, but in real time, period.
A taped backup for the Mirror exists in case of an unexpected malfunction, which according to Deavila has only happened once in over 180 performances. He added that "three different actors can do the Mirror and we have different calibrations for each one" to translate that actor's facial motions into the Mirror's expressions. "It would take a couple of hours to calibrate the system for a new performer."
After the show Stig Gruman, Autodesk's VP of Digital Entertainment gave the company's perspective on its association with the musical. "Autodesk is about the democratization of technology. This MotionBuilder application is very much in that spirit.
"It's a wonderful complement to our 3D software like Maya and 3ds max," as well as Softimage which the company acquired in September. "The exciting part now is figuring out how to capitalize on all this technology in our portfolio to deliver more value to our customers."
-- By AWN Contributor Joe Strike
Joe Strike has written about animation for numerous publications. He is the author of Furry Nation: The True Story of America's Most Misunderstood Subculture.
This allows kids to design their own unique tracks, with endless possibilities for creativity and imagination. The track pieces are also bendable, allowing for curves and loops that add even more excitement to the racing experience. The cars that come with Magic Tracks Xreme are also special. They are equipped with LED lights that flash and change colors as they race around the track. This not only looks cool, but also adds a sense of competition and thrill to the racing experience. The cars are battery-powered and can reach impressive speeds on the track. Magic Tracks Xreme is not just for kids. It is a toy that the whole family can enjoy together. Parents and siblings can join in on the racing fun and create amazing tracks together. It is a great way to spend quality time with loved ones and create lasting memories. In conclusion, Magic Tracks Xreme is a fantastic toy that brings the excitement of racing into your home. With its glow-in-the-dark track, high-speed cars, and flexible design, it offers endless fun and creativity for kids and adults alike. So, get ready to create thrilling and action-packed race tracks with Magic Tracks Xreme!.
Reviews for "The Magic Continues: Introducing Magic Tracks Xreme"
1. Susan - 2/5 - I was really disappointed with Magic Tracks Xreme. The advertising made it seem like the ultimate track set, but it was just mediocre at best. The tracks would constantly come apart and the car would often get stuck. The whole concept of the set was not as exciting as I had hoped it would be. I don't think it lived up to the hype at all.
2. John - 1/5 - Magic Tracks Xreme was a complete waste of money. The build quality of the tracks was terrible and they broke easily. The car was slow and would often get stuck on the tracks, causing frustration and disappointment. The advertised ability to create loops or bridges was just a gimmick that didn't work well in reality. Overall, I would not recommend this toy to anyone.
3. Mary - 2/5 - I bought Magic Tracks Xreme for my son and it turned out to be a disappointment. The tracks were flimsy and kept coming apart, making it difficult for him to assemble any kind of exciting track layout. The car's battery life was also very short, so it would often stop working after just a few minutes of play. It was not worth the money and ended up collecting dust in the toy box.