Steve MacLuskie, lecturer of stage technology at RSAMD, comments: "The PC lab is an excellent facility and will allow students to play and experiment in a virtual environment without the worry and safety concerns of the real motors. Once comfortable with the virtual environment it will make the transition to the real desk and the real motors less intimidating."
As well as providing the RSAMD with the latest technology to teach their students, the point-hoist system is a flexible and portable tool for use in home and touring productions when required.
MacLuskie adds: "I feel confident that we have a really good flexible system that will allow designers and technologists to push what is possible on our stage. The training I can now design for our students will place RSAMD as the forerunner for automation education."
The new system consists of four BigTow2-200 winches, a four-axis MaxisID control system built into a portable flight-case and an Illusionist control desk with Chameleon software. The winches are mounted onto beams that span the venue's structure in the grid. This allows the winches to be moved along the beams, and for the whole beam itself to be moved, enabling the drop-lines to be positioned almost anywhere above the stage.
(Jim Evans)
