PIXAR
THE STORY: We found a unique way to engage young minds with the artifacts and displays at the Petersen Automotive Museum. The staff educators wanted a way for children to learn about the nuts and bolts of the automobile but do it in a “don’t touch” space. By bringing Pixar’s Cars movie characters to life through our iPad-based CarsPad Augmented Reality experience, we created a new layer of fun and interactive education using the museum’s entire second floor.
MY ROLE: As Creative Director and overall Director and Producer, I developed the concept along with the Scenic Route team, led the experience design, wrote the Cars character’s dialogue, oversaw the 3D animation, and the final AR project. I had the distinct pleasure of working with the Cars team at Pixar and the AR engineers and animation team at CloudPic. Most of the original cast provided the voice acting for the experience.
THE CONCEPT: The Cars movie characters come to life right on the floor in front of the user through Augmented Reality. Mater (the Educator!) introduces his fellow characters at each stop, who then provide information about one aspect of building a car to race with Lightning McQueen. The stops correspond to the exhibits in the museum galleries as the player gets to design, build, optimize, fuel, and paint their car. Then, outside the Motorsports Gallery, Lightning helps them set up their driving specs before hitting the track at the RACE stop. The player then sees how their car and track settings fare against Lightning’s. After the race, the player can see their car in AR as it burns rubber to celebrate a well-run race.
AGENCY: The Scenic Route
The CARSpad in its Natural Habitat
STOP 1 - INTRODUCTION AND INSTRUCTION
After checking out a CarsPad from the Pixar Mechanical Institute on the museum‘s second floor, the player finds the first stop right outside. Aiming their CarsPad camera at the icon triggers the beginning of the experience with simple instructions and an introduction to their guide, Mater.
MATER THE EDUCATOR
The lovable Tow-Mater greets the player and explains their goal: to design, build, optimize, fuel, and detail their own car to race against Lightning McQueen to beat his best lap time. Mater encourages the player to move around the museum‘s exhibits, looking for the CarsPad icons.
THE ROAD TO DISCOVERY
The game map helps the player understand where they are in the museum and in developing their race car. As each goal is accomplished, the map changes to show where the player will find the next trigger. At Stop 2, Mater introduces Flo, the style queen of the group, to talk about Design.
STOP 2 - BODY CHOICE AND 3D DESIGN WITH FLO
Outside the museum’s ArtCenter display, Flo tells players that sketching comes first in the design process and to choose the body style that best suits their needs. Then, the player/designer works with a 3D model to finesse the car’s shape, picking the ideal body sections.
STOP 3 - BUILD THE RACE CAR WITH LUIGI
Next, the player moves to the museum’s Production galleries and selects the race car‘s functioning parts—the engine, transmission, and suspension. Of course, Luigi, the tire store owner, also provides guidance on what racing tires to use for the best performance on the track.
STOP 4 - OPTIMIZE THE BUILD FOR SPEED WITH SALLY
With Sally‘s guidance, the player optimizes the race car to take on Lightning McQueen at high speed in the museum’s Racecars for the Road display area. The digital readouts show the improvements from new body material, suspension upgrades, and additional modifications.
STOP 5 - FILLMORE TEACHES ABOUT BIO-FUEL
The player finds the trigger for this stop in the museum‘s Alternative Fuel exhibit. Here, the hippie Fillmore teaches how to turn grass (*wink*) and other materials into biofuel. The game‘s 3D animations simplify the process, making it easier to understand and accomplish.
STOP 6 - RAMON HELPS PAINT THE RACE CAR
Now it’s time to customize the car‘s look while standing in the Hot Rod and Custom display area. Body shop owner Ramon guides the player in choosing sprayable paint colors and drag-and-drop decals. With 360-degree movement, the 3D model is transformed with personalized results.
STOP 7 - MEET LIGHTNING AND LEARN ABOUT THE RACE
Lightning McQueen greets the player outside the Motorsports gallery. He explains that the race will be a time trial, where the player is racing against Lightning's best lap time. The track has different racing styles and Lightning talks the player through the techniques he uses to win races.
TRACK MAP AND BRAKING ADJUSTMENTS
The player now manipulates the track so their race car performs at its best. Based on actual racing rudiments, the player must first set the braking points from the beginning of a corner to the end. Braking too soon or too late will slow the car down or spin it out.
DRIVING LINE AND DRIFTING ADJUSTMENTS
Next, the player learns how to position their car through the corners by determining its sweet spot or apex. The dirt section plays off the famous movie scene where Doc Hudson teaches Lighting, “If you go hard enough left, you’ll go right.” The player picks drift points for this section.
THE RACE STARTS WITH THE PLAYER’S CAR ON THE TRACK
When the race begins, the player sees the car they built and customized appear on the track. Then, the “Christmas tree” starting light tests the player’s reactions. The opening quarter-mile drag race takes the player‘s car to its highest speed just before braking into the first corner.
THE PLAYER’S CAR RESPONDS TO THEIR TRACK SETTINGS
As the race continues, the player sees their car react to the settings they made at each decision point. Thanks to the game‘s advanced geometric calculations, the car reacts just as it would on a real-world race track. The inset map shows the car’s position and progress.
LAP TIME AND ADJUSTMENTS COMPARED TO LIGHTNING’S
After the race is run, the player sees the results of their efforts. The outcome is based on a mathematical combination of the car’s design, build, optimizations, and track settings. Players can choose to improve their performance by copying Lightning’s optimal settings.
STOP 8 - PLAYER’S CELEBRATION AND CHARACTER’S GOODBYE
At the last stop, situated very close to where the game began outside the Pixar Mechanical Institute, players see their creations perform a smokey spin in a celebratory burnout. When that is complete, the characters appear on the museum floor and all offer a friendly farewell.
