A fun bit of history

[Yag]

That's a brilliant film, thanks for sharing it!

[Bradfo69]

Very cool. Now we're all going to be asking about this "burn wheel" Jon..... explain.

[flecom]

isnt that what we made at SELEM?

[Bradfo69]

I don't think so.... yes, we "burned" a piece of acrylic to make that wheel but, I suspect Jon is talking about something entirely different since the effect in the video doesn't look (to me) like anything that would come from what we created at SELEM.

[Displaser]

We made "warp wheels" at SELEM.

I'm sure Jon will chime in, but a burn wheel creates a real-time lumia effect that "blooms" as the wheel is rotated in front of a higher power beam. The image is a reflection off of the wheel as the surface burns. A happy medium between absorbing energy and reflecting light.

[absolom7691]

You can create a similar effect with a static bag. Grab one of the silver colored static bags that your parts come in and hit that with about 1 watt. It will do the same thing.

[Photonbeam]

oh I cant even imagine the magical newness of all of it

what I find tragic is how complicated projectors were back then, it seems like we have boiled it all down to RGB+Scanners bam done.... back then you had all sorts of crazy color mod procedures, scan through effects, lumias, multiple scan heads, etc etc inside a projector... seems like besides a few people trying to "revive the magic" all that stuff is long gone

I was just thinking about that. Cool thread.

[Bradfo69]

I'm sure Jon will chime in, but a burn wheel creates a real-time lumia effect that "blooms" as the wheel is rotated in front of a higher power beam. The image is a reflection off of the wheel as the surface burns. A happy medium between absorbing energy and reflecting light.

So... it's "one and done"? Use the effect once and then throw it away and replace with another wheel??

[swamidog]

or rotate the wheel a few degrees.

So... it's "one and done"? Use the effect once and then throw it away and replace with another wheel??

[dsli_jon]

Now we're all going to be asking about this "burn wheel" Jon..... explain.

Heh, glad I can still 'inspire exploration'... Basically...

..The image is a reflection off of the wheel as the surface burns. A happy medium between absorbing energy and reflecting light.

..Yes, that was one-method, a 'reflection-wheel', off mylar, etc.. I've seen many-such 'carcasses', at the LI back-lairs... But, it seems that was an 'earlier-Gen technique', as-in later-year models / PJs, they used varying-density wheels of 'smoked' acrylic, cut / holed to fit the same lumia-wheel hubs, used elsewhere in the rig..

..the 'idea', is, yes, a 'balance' between absorption (...to 'start the burn'..) and transmission (...to 'project'..).. as the heat 'built-up' in the smoked-acry, it would start to make an 'internal-bubble', which, in-itself, would project amazing 'crawling' lumiaish-fx.. but, the 'real-magic', came when the 'bubble' *burst* thru the surface, and you'd get this indescribably-amazing 'supernova-effect' / 'worm-hole-like' fx, etc, and, additionally, if you *very-slowly* (ie: < 1/4 rpm-ish..) rotated the wheel, you'd get almost 'living, liquid-like' fx / crawling auroras, pulsating-explosions of color, (..as the bubble skinned-over, then 're-burst out'), etc..

..and, when a WL-beam was 'narrowly-fanned' (..separated, into the spectral-lines, but still a 'tight-blob', vs a wide-spread..) via prism, you'd, again, get almost-indescribably-beautiful fx, as the colors 'overlapped', and each did their 'own dance'.. (some lines would 'do lumia', some would make the 'supernova', some would make extraneous 'interference-rings', etc, etc.) ...Almost a 'whole lumia-kit's-worth' of fx, in one wheel... Then of-course, you'd 'layer' other lumia-fx / scans going 'thru' the fx-field..

+10 to yer comments, Fle... ..Really-getting sick of the many 'Show Co's' that think 'more and more XY-pairs = better-show'.. Pththththh, 'Variety over sheer-numbers, alone', imo.. Lumias, layered-lumias, tubes, diffraction-fx, raster-bar fx, fiber-fx, cone-scanners, bounce-mirror arrays, house-aerials.. and, 'ok, fine', some scans, too.



Laserium Forever.©
j

PS - yes, Brad, I have some various-density burn-wheels 'set-aside' for ya...

PPS -

So... it's "one and done"? Use the effect once and then throw it away and replace with another wheel??

..No, cause you have the MM1 at the back of the turret / mount, to 'shift the burn-spot' - which, yes, would 'get spent', circumferencially (?), around the wheel.. (which, in-itself, would sometimes create cool 'burnt-area-fx'..) and, you'd simply 'translate to another spot', in or out, radially, across the wheel.. Then, you 'turn 'er over', and go at it again for still-more unique-fx.. Remember, the '1st Rule of Lumia-fx', is... there are-none..

gotta jet..
j