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| Cal Poly Rose Float | |
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| Tweet Topic Started: Apr 29 2011, 03:13 AM (365 Views) | |
| Brig Member PierceMe | Apr 29 2011, 03:13 AM Post #1 |
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Another night, another wall of text about the rose float. Just decided, after reading through the intro thread again, that perhaps that isn't the best place to go into detail on the float. So I'm making this thread to allow me to post changes that are being made and progress on the float. I don't know if anyone particularly cares, but I figure that someone might be interested. If not, well, I need something to take my mind off my multi-variable calculus midterm tomorrow. A short background: The Rose parade has been going on for well over a hundred years, with roots back to 1890. Cal Poly started participating in 1942, and has entered a float every year since. This year will be our 70th float! Everything is done by volunteers, and we have a very limited budget with with to buy material and supplies. Most of our equipment is donated. To start out with, the Rose Float is a year long process. Starting in late January, we strip the frame and chassis of the previous year's construction. This takes several weeks. During that time, applications are submitted to be on that year's Committee, which is the decision making group. It is headed by a Chair, and is divided into three sections: Design, Deco(rations) and Construction. Each section has a chair, and are further sub divided. Construction is by far the largest, and includes Animation, Engine, and Construction subdivisions. Once the Committee is announced, they have weekly meetings to keep everyone up to date on projects in each area. There are also three large meetings with San Louis Obispo's committee, the first happening in early February. This is the concept contest, and it is where we pick the theme of the float. Once Tournament has approved the theme (you don't want to see 5 floats with the same theme come New Year's Day), we travel to SLO (a lovely 3 to 4 hour drive) for the Design meeting. This is where we hammer down what we want on the float, though in rather general terms. This happens in mid March. Then Design gets going, making drawings of different parts in various poses and styles. Once they have a good sample size, we get back together in SLO for DDC (Design, Deco and Construction) This is the big meeting, where we make all the decisions. This year it was just last weekend, near the end of April. At the end of DDC, Design makes a render based off what we decide. This then gets modified, and once a final draft is made, dimensions are put on and Construction starts work. Construction does everything that is physical on the float, from substructure to animation design and pod shaping. Once Construction gets the render, we start designing the animation systems that will move the parts on the float. We also figure the best way to support the elements on the float. Over the summer we finalize plans and start working on projects, which then get finished in the fall. Once we have all the major pieces together, we then start to make a grid like covering called the pod. Once this is completed, foam is added, which the flowers will then be affixed to. The week between Christmas and New Years is when all the plant material is put on, in preparation for Parade Day. Now, on to more specific things. This year's theme (for our float) is Super Heroes. We have 3 larger than life super heroes onboard, saving the city. Here is the most current render, which shows basic placement and relative sizes: ![]() The renders are usually drawn from the right hand side, which means the front of the float (and direction of travel) is to the right of the image. This is done because the TV cameras only shoot the front, back, top, and right side of the float. In the render, we have a cityscape in the back, complete with small cars on a street. In the front, we have a park with a pond, as well as a train trestle that separates the city from the park. As you can see, not everything is going well in this poor city. In the back, Flying Woman saves a helicopter, while in the middle Strong Man prevents the top of a building from falling off. In the front, Stretchy Man prepares to save a train that is about to plummet off a broken bridge. Basically, we have quite a few animations on this float, and several of them are rather complicated. Starting at the back, the FW is going to be doing something with that helicopter. As that is SLO's half, I am not up on the current animation, but there will be one. The tall building next to her is overheight (the floats have to move under a freeway bridge, and so must be able to compact down to no taller than 16') and will telescope down for the underpass. The train starts in the back, off camera side of the float, and moves along the track to the front camera side. The city has several cars that dive along its streets. In the middle, SM struggles to keep the top of a building from falling off. Continuing along, we come to the most complicated part: Stretchy Man and the train. The idea here is to have the train hit SM, and then have them both move together off the side of the float a good distance (4 to 7 feet) then retract back onto the float, where the train will travel back down the track to it's starting point. Adding onto that complicated process is perhaps the most unusual thing about the float. It is really two halves of a float. For 6 months, from March to September, half the float is in SLO and the other half in Pomona. This means that for much of the initial construction, the float is in two pieces. And it all has to fit perfectly together in order to work. Overall, the CPU rose float is something to be proud of. It is completely student built, is made by volunteers, and travels half way across the state. We regularly win prizes, and, two years ago, were the first float to ever win two prizes in one year. We have continued that since, and are aiming to accomplish it again this year. Oh, and did I mention that it is made by college students? How about the fact that we run our operation on a quarter of the budget a professional company has for one of their floats? Not to mention the high turn over of personnel as the students continually graduate and indoctrinate new students into their place. So that, in a nut shell, is the process and current status of the rose float. I'll keep this updated as events and images are made available. Also, feel free to ask questions; I will do my best to answer. Edited by PierceMe, Apr 30 2011, 09:39 PM.
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| Brig Member PierceMe | Apr 30 2011, 09:50 PM Post #2 |
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Every Saturday is a lab day, and every Monday is a Committee meeting, so those are the days when things get changed. Design asked for our opinions on the current render, and we told them a few things. Flying Woman looks like King Kong, so she will be changing position in the near future. She will probably end up flying around the tall building, saving the helicopter. Currently there is no story amongst the heroes or why the city is in this state, so we are working on that. The train bridge might turn into a suspension bridge, and more off camera side animations are hopefully going to be added. We are one of the few floats that puts animations on the off camera side, because people sit on that side of the parade route. In fact, the Cal Poly section of the stands are on the off camera side, and we like to provide something for them to see and get them enthusiastic. The goal is to get them chanting so loud that they can be heard on the TV. It worked last year. Today, we spent most of the time cleaning up lab, stripping the last of the old float off the frame, and redesigning the engine cage. Not much else going on right now. |
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| Brig Member PierceMe | May 3 2011, 12:43 AM Post #3 |
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The second rendering is out, with a few slight changes. First and foremost, the Flying Woman no longer looks like King Kong. She will now be circling the tall building, saving the crashed/damaged helicopter. Secondly, the bridge has changed to a suspension bridge. Aside from that, not much has changed.
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| Super Mod Kuvasz | May 3 2011, 07:00 AM Post #4 |
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wow, that looks really cool, i like the 2nd one better than the first. just my own opinion. and i can see why you all start now. ?, how big is the float? i don't remember seeing the dimensions. |
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| Brig Member PierceMe | May 5 2011, 03:13 AM Post #5 |
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The frame is something like 12 feet wide and anywhere from 30 to 40 feet long, roughly. I don't remember the exact dimensions. The float is a bit bigger than that, the wheels on the frame stick out about 2 or three feet. Generally, the "floor" of the float (the pod, as it is properly called) , the lowest flat portion on the outside, is about 5 feet off the ground. The super heroes are going to be about 8 feet tall. Here are some images I found of last year's float, hopefully giving you a better idea of size: ![]() This is the week after christmas, when we put all the deco material on. ![]() This is the float on parade day, at Television corner. ![]() This is during deco week, but it gives a good idea, I think, of the size. Unfortunately, while I know images of the blue frame exist (it's painted blue) there aren't any that I can find. I will take a camera down to lab and take some pictures in a few weeks. Last year's float, the float in the pics, was a bit on the shorter side, since we had massive overhang on the rocket and planet. This year, since we won't have overhang, we will probably add back on the extensions, which will add about 10 feet to the fame length. |
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| Super Mod Kuvasz | May 5 2011, 08:27 AM Post #6 |
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damn, that's pretty big. of course you will have to post pics of the one you are doing this year, when you can |
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| Brig Member PierceMe | May 5 2011, 02:14 PM Post #7 |
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Once it starts to get built. Right now there's half a blue frame and not much else. |
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| Super Mod Kuvasz | May 5 2011, 11:39 PM Post #8 |
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np, that's why i said when you can. ]BTW, you haven't been on ar to ask you what all the ? marks are for and i have that ballast for you, some one else has something else for you. you would know if you logged,
Edited by Kuvasz, May 5 2011, 11:42 PM.
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| Brig Member PierceMe | May 6 2011, 04:03 AM Post #9 |
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Midterms have been killing me, sorry for not logging on. I only haunt the forums when I need a break from studying. Should be all done after tomorrow, so I'll get a few days of free armor event in before it stops. Though I will be going home this weekend for Mother's Day, so I'm not sure when or how much time I will be on for. You also have to log on vent to find out what the ? are for. Though I'm pretty sure you know what some of them are anyway. I'll eventually remove them, but its much more fun to do it this way. Plus, it (hopefully) gets people to log onto vent. I'm getting tired of talking to only doom, vay, and claw. Note: I did see BigB on there, but he didn't talk. Not sure if he has a working mic, or is simply scared of us. Edited by PierceMe, May 6 2011, 04:06 AM.
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| Super Mod Kuvasz | May 6 2011, 07:41 AM Post #10 |
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lol, i knew about midterms. i sure you will do well, ahb and i can't do vent. she can explain that shit to you, i know one of the ? marks. but that's it. i hope to see you on ar soon, and have fun at home,
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| Brig Member PierceMe | May 7 2011, 04:18 PM Post #11 |
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We have a third render available. There aren't very many changes, so look carefully.![]() The helicopter is now in contact with flying woman, apparently she is going to be holding onto it (though in the pic she looks like she's punching it out of the sky, hopefully will be corrected in the next render) and the strong man's face is visible. New title boards on the front and side of the float as well. The name of the float is still up in the air, Save the Day is just a working title. Edited by PierceMe, May 13 2011, 02:32 AM.
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| Brig Member PierceMe | May 12 2011, 10:10 PM Post #12 |
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I was told this render was going to have color, but it doesn't. FW/Helly interaction looks better, stretchy is in a different position, which allows a better opportunity to easily mech the stretch as well as make it look like he's stretchy and not just big.![]() Hopefully this one works, it seems my last one didn't, so I'll have to go fix that. Edited by PierceMe, May 13 2011, 02:33 AM.
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| Brig Member PierceMe | May 14 2011, 03:26 AM Post #13 |
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I have officially looked into the exact dimensions on float. A finished CPP rose float is typically 18-20 feet wide and 55-65 feet long. The frame itself is a little smaller, roughly 15 feet wide (plus wheels) and anywhere from 50 to 63 feet long, depending on how many extensions we have on it. The extensions, for those wondering, are rectangular pieces of frame that can be bolted on the front, back, and middle of the frame to make it longer, or taken off to make it shorter. In general, the use of extensions is decided by the float design: last year our float hung over both the front and back, whereas this year everything will be over the pod (except for a few surprises) |
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| Brig Member PierceMe | May 22 2011, 03:59 AM Post #14 |
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It's been a while since I updated this thread, and a lot has been going on. First off, and this may seem unimportant to everyone reading this, but Lab is the cleanest it has ever been. When working out of a converted tractor shed next to several dirt roads, things tend to get dirty. Add to that general clutter, things never seeming to be put away where they belong and you get the organized mess that is Lab. But no more! Things have been moved, trashed, cleaned, scrubbed, and even the engine cage got washed. Filth, begone! Secondly, the moment we have all been waiting for. Deco and Design have been working together, and have released a fully colored render. Enjoy! ![]() Notice the vivid coloration, and remember that this will be depicted out of plant material. Thirdly, our working title of "Save the Day" has been officially replaced with "To the Rescue" This is a big step in our float efforts, for a float without a name is hardly a float at all. Finally, a few details that you might not pick up on: The title blocks are going to be on murals, depicting scenes out of a comic book. These scenes are supposed to tie in with the general story of the float, though only deco, who will be making the flats, knows how. The water feature has been slightly modified, since construction didn't want a pond. It's rather boring. So there will now be some waterfalls (though we wanted to make a mini-spray fountain). On a more technical side, all our animations are controlled by a computer monitoring analog inputs from the various pistons. In the past, we have used several systems, and our current one (Gilderfluke) is a pain in the ass. Our electronics team, as part of their senior project, are working on designing, building, and coding their own system to be used on the float. They are now in the alpha testing phase of the project, and results look good. However, until we have some actual mechs for them to hook up, we are cautiously optimistic. We might even have time to install that flux capacitor on the float this year. 88 MPH and we can simply skip to next year's parade. In short, things are going well at rose float lab. |
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| Super Mod Kuvasz | May 22 2011, 08:07 AM Post #15 |
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it looked cool before, but seeing it in color looks amazing. i definately want to see the finished product. kinda curious on what kind of plants and flowers you will be using. |
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| Brig Member PierceMe | May 22 2011, 02:46 PM Post #16 |
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I'll try and pay more attention to deco. I do know that they were talking about using potatoes for the walkway in the park. |
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| Brig Member PierceMe | May 25 2011, 07:53 PM Post #17 |
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The Eighth, and final, render has been made available. Not much has changed, and a few changes are going to be undone.![]() As you can see, the floor in the city is white plaid pattern, which looks horrible. Future renders will revert back to the green bottom, though deco is looking into doing something more interesting for the city area. Other than that, everything is about the same as before. This Saturday is Mech Planning and Design Day, which means that we will be working out how to make things move. It should be lots of fun, and we are tasked with building the train, the bridge, Stretch, and the park. Buildings are easy to build, so our major focus is on the double animation we have to figure out, namely Stretch and the train moving together. Either two animations are going to have to be activated at the same time or there will have to be some sort of mechanical connection at the end of the bridge. Either way, it should be a lot of work. |
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| Brig Member PierceMe | May 26 2011, 04:01 AM Post #18 |
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Right, so I've come across a problem. Apparently, our renders have digressed from the original concept art by a substantial degree, which means we have to resubmit the design to Tournament, who could reject the design. Since they had approved Superheroes, City, Cars, and Buildings when we submitted our concept, we are 95% sure that they will approve the render and allow us to finish building it. HOWEVER, due to that 5% chance, I am not supposed to show anyone the renders. It's a bit late for that, so don't show this to anyone else for the next month or so. Thanks for that, in advance. And now on to more important matters. Since I've already shown you the renders, I see no problem with showing you the final one, since its exactly the same. ![]() The end of the bridge will look a bit more torn up or under construction (who would make a bridge that just ends like that?) and there will be slight scale and construction changes (cause design doesn't have the final say) but overall it will look like that. But yea, if construction says we can't build it like you have it drawn, we get to change things to make them easier to build. |
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| Brig Member PierceMe | Jun 29 2011, 01:05 AM Post #19 |
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After several weeks of waiting, we now have scale drawings from Design and can begin designing and building the float. Yes, that does sound a bit redundant, but going from a 3D model that is not made out of anything more than a general (or, in most cases, rather specific) shape to something made from steel takes a bit of translation. Where should beams go, how much load will this area take, where we can attach to the frame and many other details must be taken into account. Once we have the drawings, we divide up the build into specific elements and assign one person to develop it. The Pomona half of the float is building the bridge, train, rail system that the train moves on, stretch, a pulley system to move the train, and the park/pond in the front of the float. I am in charge of the bridge, which has to support the rail system, the pulley system, and stretch. Needless to say, there's a lot of communication with everyone else. Currently, I am unhappy with the way Design had specified the bridge, and am hoping to make it a little easier to build and a little easier on the eyes. Other than that, I am working on making more specific scale drawings from the plans, and hopefully things should work out pretty well. The current plan is to work closely with the rail system and build the bridge around that. The main concern is the rail supports and spacing, once that is done, the towers and cables will be added to complete the effect. |
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| Super Mod Kuvasz | Jul 30 2011, 07:10 PM Post #20 |
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hell yeah, hello btw. i finally have internet at our new house. can't wait to play ar!!! ty for keeping up w/the float, i'm curious to see how it turns out. |
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| Brig Member PierceMe | Jul 31 2011, 01:29 AM Post #21 |
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Right now it's a clusterfuck. So many different things have to work together. Models of the bridge have been completed, just waiting for final word on which version is going to be used. I have also been put in charge of the cable system for running the train. Damn delegation. |
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| Brig Member PierceMe | Aug 30 2011, 12:57 AM Post #22 |
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We are now heading into the busiest time for the Float. We have basically 14 weeks to finish just about everything, and we only really work 1 day a week. Currently, we are waiting for a budget so we can get our tube bent to make the curved sections of the train track. Once we get those, we can start putting the track and bridge together. Then Stretchy can go on the front, the pulley system can be put in, and the train added. Finish with some pencil (1/4" diameter steel rod) steel and foam. And we also have to put the two halves together at some point, make the pod, and make sure everything works. The worst part is, we don't have anything on the blue frame yet. I'll try to remember to bring a camera and take some pics for you guys. |
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| Super Mod Kuvasz | Sep 20 2011, 10:21 AM Post #23 |
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so how did the float look at the parade? i've been curious, but just soo busy, ![]() got to love having 3 jobs. oh, also, you have been on scores(ani), when are you going to get on pierceme? that way i can say what i want, although i guess i could pm you when you are on the other one. |
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| Brig Member PierceMe | Sep 21 2011, 11:09 PM Post #24 |
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Parade isn't until January 2nd. But it's closing fast and there's so much to do. I get on what I get on. Kinda lost the urge to grind right now, so that's why I'm not on it as much. |
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| Super Mod Kuvasz | Oct 3 2011, 02:30 PM Post #25 |
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i understand about the lack of wanting to grind, w/my 3 jobs, i just want to sleep.
Edited by Kuvasz, Oct 3 2011, 02:31 PM.
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that's why i said when you can. ]







3:53 AM Jul 11