The Art of Show Control System Design

Written By NextGen Showcase

This article summarises the content of Dave Lascaut’s NextGen Showcase presentation on Show Control Systems Design, from 29th January 2024.

This educational session was brought to us by Dave Lascaut, a freelance show system designer and programmer. As NextGen Showcase participants consider the technical details of their projects, Dave provided insight into how Show Control Systems can be designed into their attractions.

Firstly, what is show control? Dave explores the validity of the Wikipedia definition: “The use of automation to link together multiple control systems, and operate them in a coordinated entertainment environment.” Show control refers to the coordination of multiple subsystems, rather than individual systems such as sound, video or lighting.

In theatre, Deputy Stage Managers use prompt scripts to follow the show and call out cues to the lighting operators, automation operators and so on. In themed attractions such as dark rides, the Show Control System acts as a ‘Deputy Stage Manager’ for countless ‘operators’ – if it were people performing these roles, there would be more operators than guests! Thus, a show controller is invaluable to the operation of modern attractions.

The show controller triggers the subsystem controllers (audio, video, lighting, animatronics…) rather than controlling devices such as lights or speakers directly. Often, the subsystems could be controlled directly using the show controller – but the use of subsystem controllers (such as a dedicated lighting controller) allows for a vastly more efficient programming, debugging and adjustment process. With subsystems, Media Producers can edit their video content whilst Lighting Designers light sets, and Animatronic Programmers finalise their movements. If everything were to be controlled using one Show Controller, these teams would have to work around one another – and go crazy in the process…

This efficiency is vital in the world of attraction installation, where the Test & Adjust phase could only be a matter of days!

A diagram showing the Show Controller and its links to 3 subsystems, each with their own controllers, inputs and outputs. Courtesy of Dave Lascaut.

Dave then explains five types of Show:

  • Standalone Looping, whereby every system repeats the same process indefinitely. For example, It’s a small world or Madame Freudenreich’s Curiosities.

  • Triggered, in which show effects are triggered by an actor, such as in a Dungeons walkthrough attraction, or by another input such as a game engine system in Millennium Falcon: Smuggler’s Run.

  • Timecoded (SMPTE), which essentially ‘plays’ one cycle of a show at once. A good example of this is Sinbad’s Storybook Voyage, that synchronises music and effects across each scene from when the boat leaves the station, to when it arrives at unload.

  • Precision Time Protocol (PTP), a more modern timecode-based system, which allows for more precise triggering of show effects using a centralised ‘clock’.

  • Hybrid – any combination of the above!

Show control systems are capable of controlling many types of devices in infinite contexts, from shows to rides, meeting rooms and showrooms, to scare mazes

But of course, the method of being able to control the many devices are limited by the hardware of the controller itself.

For input & output options, you typically have:

  • DMX (Lighting)

  • MIDI (Old-School Audio!)

  • Timecode (audio signal, used as previously described)

  • LAN (Network – Ethernet, commonly used)

  • Serial (Old-School, but reliable & relatively versatile)

  • Digital Inputs (GPIO, General Purpose, commonly used)

  • Relay Outputs (GPIO, General Purpose, commonly used)

An example of the hardware inputs available on a typical Show Controller. Courtesy of Dave Lascaut.

Choosing the best components for the job is important, and there are many considerations that go into designing a system that is reliably functional.

For example, contact closure switches (such as buttons) can be operated in ‘normally closed’ or ‘normally open’ mode. In a safety system such as a fire alarm, ‘normally closed’ is used, so that the alarm will sound if the switch or cabling is broken in any way. Contact closure switches are typically not used for cable distances over three metres, since interference from other electrical devices could cause a false signal. This issue is solved by essentially running a voltage through the switch, modularising the input signals.

Examples of GPIO digital input devices, and how they may be connected to the Show Controller. Courtesy of Dave Lascaut.

Show control systems get complex, fast! So it’s very important to have good management of cables, components and subsystems. In the example below, there are 56 Digital Inputs and 75 Digital Outputs! This requires additional breakout boards on top of the Show Controller itself, to allow for more Input & Output (GPIO) pins.

An example of a typical dark ride’s Show Control System, with 56 digital inputs and 75 digital outputs. Courtesy of Dave Lascaut.

Cable management is important! Left: How to make a Show Programmer happy. Right: How to haunt a Show Programmer’s nightmares. Courtesy of Dave Lascaut.

Most devices are now controlled via the network. Dave notes that:

“The industry is in desperate need of Entertainment Networking specialists, and Cisco Certification is a great way to prove your abilities.”

A typical deliverables list for Show Control Designers may consist of:

  • A Theory of Operation Document

  • Plan views of the hardware layout

  • Other drawings as required, such as OCC layouts and elevations.

  • Schematic drawings (A.K.A. Single line drawing)

  • Rack elevations

  • Bill of quantities

  • Cable schedule

  • Other documentation such as an IP address schedule, system interface documents, etc.

Let’s look deeper into some of those deliverables…

Theory of Operation Document

This outlines how the system functions, how it is set up, and how the user interacts with it, in a relatively simple-to-understand text-based document. This document describes the Standard Operating Procedures (SOP), i.e. “how do I turn this effect on/off?”, and Emergency Operating Procedures (EOP), such as suspending functions if an attraction needs to be evacuated. In addition, the document explains the Systems Interface – how various devices talk to each other – and the Exclusions (what are we NOT controlling?).

An interesting element of this document is ‘B-Modes’ of operation. This considers which elements of the experience are key to its operation, for example an animatronic figure that delivers a key story beat, and gives an alternative mode of operation should the ‘A-Mode’ fail.

Kylo Ren’s A-Mode & B-Mode in Star Wars: Rise of The Resistance. Courtesy of YouTube.

A good example of this is in Star Wars: Rise of The Resistance, whereby a complex - more likely to malfunction - Kylo Ren animatronic has a B-Mode in which the robotic figure is replaced by media content.

This document is important – it is easier to change this than to change the designs themselves. It’s there to ensure that operational staff & maintenance teams are aware of the systems’ functionality – so that they can fix it and operate as intended. Without the Theory of Operations, they would need advanced technical know-how (and a lot of sleuthing) to interpret systems diagrams provided by the Show Control Designer.

Once all relevant teams have had their input into this document, design begins, starting with a ground plan. Symbols are placed onto the attraction layout to indicate placement of sensors, using the J-STD-710 symbols standard.

Other drawings are created as required, including for: show control consoles, pre-show start/stop control, show test buttons, door controls, et cetera.

Schematic drawings, also known as Single Line drawings, are created in software packages such as Vectorworks. Vectorworks’ ConnectCAD plug-in allows you to easily build and automate the design of the schematic drawings.

Finally, the Bill of Quantities (BOQ) lists all of the hardware required for the system. Each piece of hardware can be specified by the Show Control Designer, or marked as ‘vendor supplied’, meaning the vendor can choose the exact make and model of an item.

If the project development process goes directly from Schematic to Build, rather than implementing an additional Detail Design phase, a few additional deliverables are required from the Show Control Designer. This includes a Cable Schedule, detailing the types, locations and connections of various cables in the system. An IP Address Schedule lists the required unique IP addresses for each piece of networked hardware. Systems Interface Documents specify the protocols used to network systems with one another, such as when integrating Ride Systems and Show Control Systems.

The Curse at Alton Manor. Courtesy of Alton Towers.

The next step is Off-Site Programming – which is often best done as late as possible to allow for the creative changes that inevitably happen. This includes creating a Graphical User Interface (GUI) for ride operators to interact with. The programming of these interfaces can be one of the most time consuming tasks, so it’s very important to start early on in the process. The GUI can include important information such as an event log to keep track of e-stops, system status and maintenance operations.

This is followed by Factory Acceptance Testing (FAT). Each device within the system is tested for functionality and reliability, with feedback from the Client before the most exciting part… on-site test & adjustment! Here, the show control programmer repeatedly experiences the attraction, making a series of adjustments until they, and the rest of the team, are happy with the execution of the experience.

Finally, the most important (but perhaps not so exciting) job is creating ‘as-built’ documents. All documentation created is edited to match what was actually built - which is often different to the original design! This is vital to ensuring proper maintenance of the attraction, including an Operations & Maintenance Manual which should be referenced for the attraction’s whole life-cycle.

Looking to the future of Show Control…

Let’s look into the Crystal Ball (from Dreamworks Tours: Shrek’s Adventure London, Courtesy of Get Your Guide)

Dave has a few predictions for the future…

  1. Game Engines to give guests the ability to change a show at a moment’s notice – see Millennium Falcon: Smuggler’s Run.

  2. Personalisation engines, such as those within attractions’ mobile applications, could make for much more personal interactions with show equipment – what if an animatronic knew your name and favourite ride, and could have a conversation about it?

  3. Tracking systems are already being integrated into walkthrough attractions (Now You’re Mine, in Toverland), opening up new possibilities for guest movement to trigger effects and highly targeted audio, lighting, et cetera.

  4. Realtime music solutions such as Sinfonia allow for live musicians to play more naturally, with show control cues following them, rather than live musicians having to follow time coded show control systems.

“[We will see] more complex and personalised automation, done in a more hands-off way – we’re getting rid of buttons - things will happen more elegantly, more organically.”

“To be a good show programmer, you need to understand how all of the show systems work – the subsystems such as lighting and sound. There is no better place to learn that than in the theatre, even if you don’t want to work there professionally.”

We at NextGen Showcase would like to express our gratitude to Dave Lascaut for his contributions to our Educational Program as both a Mentor and Speaker. Thank you!

For more information on the NextGen Showcase Educational Program, go to: NextGenShowcase.com

This article was written by Emma Bashford, with support from our Editor, Rosie Willoughby.

Image Sources:

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