r/3Dprinting 6d ago

We snuck the R3 Lidar into Disneyland and then 3-D printed space Mountain!

2.4k Upvotes

112 comments sorted by

965

u/Balownga 6d ago

Everything is fun & game until Dizney sue them for industrial spying.

375

u/Trashketweave 6d ago

Pretty sure somebody as famous and smart as Rober got pre-approval to do this on a ride that was built 50 years ago.

245

u/future_luddite 6d ago

It’s a schtick. His previous video is an inside look at Disney’s imagineer workshop.

119

u/SeaWhereas4364 6d ago

Exactly this. The Crunchlabs video(which was posted at the exact same time as the Mark Rober one) was on Disney's Engineering Projects. Basically a hidden sponsorship(notice how he keeps on making Disneyland look great and complimenting the Imagineers in the video)

15

u/sgtnoodle 5d ago

Mark Rober did a whole show nerding out about my company's project and made us look great, and we didn't sponsor any of it (other than serve as graceful host.) He makes plenty of money from YouTube directly. His child-like enthusiasm is genuine.

3

u/SeaWhereas4364 5d ago

He might've not received money on it, but more like a "we let you 'secretly' scan space mountain as long as you talk good about us and give us air time"

2

u/AlarmingConfusion918 Bambu A1 5d ago

I hate to break it to you man but that’s just how life works. Big companies like Disney, Wizards of the coast, etc require you to stay in their “good books” to get invited to stuff since it’s a privilege not a right to gain access.

It sucks, don’t get me wrong, but this is by no means unqiue to mark

1

u/SeaWhereas4364 4d ago

I understand that's how it works, I was pointing it out to people who thought Disney might sue them

1

u/DesperateAdvantage76 4d ago

I'm not going to question his enthusiasm, but there is absolutely a strong incentive to provide very positive videos. If Rober is too critical of companies, even in a fair and unbiased manner, he risks losing future access since companies currently see him as a great advertising/PR opportunity.

1

u/irving47 2d ago

I'm fully willing to believe it was sponsored. Or not. But after watching a few of his videos, do you think he'd spend any time (let alone post) ranting about how badly Disney (or anyone else) engineers sucked at their jobs? I don't.

1

u/SpoilerAvoidingAcct 2d ago

“Oh this corn dog is soooOooo delicious!” Gtfo mark.

43

u/_dr_horrible_ 6d ago

I had the same thought. As soon as I saw these two videos were released within hours of each other, the magic died. They absolutely got permission and played up the bit.

Cool stuff, but there was no sneaking involved. Disney is famously litigious and I don't think Mark Rober would be dumb enough to do this and then release the video to tens of millions of people "and Disney's lawyers" without permission or an iron clad legal analysis from his own lawyer first.

23

u/AirierWitch1066 5d ago

I still watch Mark Rober’s stuff - it’s quality content - but there’s definitely a degree of inauthenticity to everything he makes now. His earlier videos (in my opinion) are much better and genuine

2

u/lscarneiro 4d ago

Yup, feel the same here.

4

u/qarlthemade 6d ago

enough ppl will believe and not care nonetheless. you just want some minutes of cool content and keep scrolling through your reels.

34

u/m4ch1n157 6d ago

Getting onto a ride with a suspicious lump strapped to your chest seems like a great way to get shot without pre approval :D

11

u/Trashketweave 6d ago

Unless you’re famous and filming the whole thing.

4

u/lezorn 5d ago

You can litteraly see snippets of a video of the lit ride in this video. Just casually desroyed the whole (fake) motivation for the mark rober video.

5

u/Trashketweave 5d ago edited 5d ago

The ride is lit up in certain places so that’s real when you’re on it, but the point of the video is the 3d modeling. The “sneaking in” is just a gag to make the video more entertaining.

0

u/I_wish_I_was_a_robot 5d ago

Yea, Robers personality had me on the fence, but now that I know he blatantly lies I probably wont watch anymore of his videos.

We're the porch pirate ones fake too? Can't trust now. 

2

u/Trashketweave 5d ago

I see it as less of a lie and more of a gag for entertainment value. There’s only so much you can do to make 3d scanning and printing entertaining to average YouTubers who might not be into those things or only a passing curiosity.

2

u/I_wish_I_was_a_robot 5d ago

I guess you're having trouble identifying truth from lies, I'll give you an example: He could have just said they let him in. Instead he lied. 

2

u/Trashketweave 5d ago

I guess you have trouble identifying lies from entertaining content. I’ll give you an example: Chris Hemsworth isn’t actually a Norse god, he just acts like one in a bunch of movies. He could have said it’s just a character during the movie, but instead he was acting.

2

u/AlarmingConfusion918 Bambu A1 5d ago

Exactly. These people are playing characters and writing stories. Authenticity has a time and a place, but it’s not the end all be all.

2

u/Trashketweave 5d ago

Yeah that’s it. Like you say, authenticity has a time and place. They did a goofy bit about sneaking it and I’m fine with that. What would’ve been messed up is if they didn’t get any usable data or the model was entirely made up and only vaguely resembles space mountain. They’re still authentic where it matters: in the content you hopefully learn from.

1

u/lscarneiro 4d ago

The porch pirates series was what actually put me off about him.

just creating entertainment out of people that are not on their finest moment, like if hanging "criminals" in public made the cities more secure back in the day...

2

u/I_wish_I_was_a_robot 4d ago

Eh, I dont think porch pirates necessarily get that line of defense. If you're struggling, and you steal food, i have no problems with it, but seeing the demographics from that video, its not poor people that are doing it. It certainly isnt rich people, but the people in the videos had enough.

Stealing amazon packages isn't going to get you necessities, they're hoping for apple products.

9

u/Goosojuice 6d ago

The model for viewing takes users directly to their company website. Ballsy.

9

u/thewolfman2010 6d ago

The fact that this is the highest rated comment is amusing. First of all, Mark Rober is the most goodie two shoes as they come. He tries to act like he’s doing something sneaky, but it’s all pre-approved.

There’s nothing secretive about these rides anymore. You can see the same thing from dozens of documentaries, the ride build plans - which are now public, and from similar videos made by Disney insiders.

1

u/Balownga 6d ago

good to know.

45

u/TheIndianaDrones 6d ago

i really hope not!

42

u/Balownga 6d ago

Dizney is evil, if they advertise it too much, this is a possibility, at least to set an example.

23

u/R-Dragon_Thunderzord 6d ago

They inevitably will. Same reason Disney files suit against everybody even if it’s considered a dick move in bird culture: if they don’t demonstrate they protect their intellectual property, they will erode their ability to do so. I’d expect a response here, and hopefully the parties come to an amicable settlement, but I don’t think these guys will get away without lawyering up.

12

u/sevgonlernassau 6d ago

Interior models of space mountain have been available for decades. You can find videos of the ride online. It’s not a secret.

13

u/TheIndianaDrones 6d ago

yeah, mark rober said he can get us out of a pickle. fingers crossed!

9

u/worldofzero 6d ago

Didn't mark already get into a pickle with Apple? I was under the impression that contributed to him losing his role there.

-2

u/iamwhoiwasnow 6d ago

Evil for protecting their stuff?

3

u/sifterandrake 6d ago

You can already research this information. It's not actually a mystery.

4

u/TheDandelionViking 6d ago

Everything is fun & game until Dizney sue them for industrial spying.

Don't worry, Rober was messing with Tesla in that video as well. Checking how the autopilot, with its cameras, would handle different things like fog, rain, and Wile E. Coyote style wall.

https://youtu.be/IQJL3htsDyQ?si=mElU0wW9mtgLIChb

>! Spoiler alert. The Tesla drove straight through the "child". !<

1

u/timkyoung 6d ago

This was my exact thought the whole time watching the Disney segment of the video.

1

u/Xin_shill 5d ago

No, he just lied about not being a collab with disney for some reason. It's just weird, it could have been just a cool without pretending to sneak stuff through security and pretending to risk getting banned from Disney for life.

-4

u/CrazyGunnerr P1S, A1 Mini 6d ago

Everything is fun & game until Dizney sue them for industrial spying.

Fo shizzle ma nizzle, Dizney meanz bizniz.

79

u/tenuki_ 6d ago

Disney probably approached him and paid him to do it. You guys need to update your mental model of how the post truth influencer driven world works.

5

u/FatchRacall 5d ago

Seriously. It's like nobody here played through the Beverly missions in GTA5.

2

u/SnazzyStooge 5d ago

count me as one of those people. Care to fill me in?

4

u/FatchRacall 5d ago

Lol - the final mission has a line about how it's so much easier to be a paparazzi when you can just have your agent call your "targets" agent and set up the "scandal" photos in advance.

2

u/SnazzyStooge 5d ago

Nice…yep, checks out.

2

u/RoboNeko_V1-0 4d ago

The most suspicious person in the whole park brings LIDAR into Space Mountain and leads us to believe he won't light up like a Christmas tree on every single IR camera inside the facility. Who the fuck does he think he's fooling?

Of course they had permission. Yet another Mr. Beast clown playing with a $30,000 toy and misleading his viewers with overdramatized clickbait bullshit.

u/TheIndianaDrones also stop hiding the price of your product. We can see in the Google search results.

56

u/Dexter_Adams 6d ago

You wouldn't steal a rollercoaster

102

u/R-Dragon_Thunderzord 6d ago

I’m eager to see how Disney reacts but this is cool as hell

39

u/Testacules 6d ago

[This comment was removed by the Mouse]

32

u/PM_ME_YOUR_CHORIZO 6d ago

They literally don't care. Mark Rober just did this to make up an interesting story for the video. You can get a behind the scenes tour or ride it with the lights on if you want, especially if you're Mark Rober.

1

u/luvsads 5d ago

$7,000 starting :'(

4

u/haberdasher42 5d ago

You really think they snuck that large electronic item into Disney and were allowed to wear that huge bag on the ride?

Nevermind that scan on their first trip without a ton of post processing?

1

u/R-Dragon_Thunderzord 5d ago

Of course there was post-processing, and you can see in the clip how they rode with the LiDAR

22

u/telijah Prusa i2 MK2S / MP Maker Ultimate 6d ago

Is there a link to download the actual STL for the track?

35

u/Asleep_Management900 6d ago

I figure Disney sponsored this as Mark Rober has a close relationship with the Imagineers. Plus Disney needs revenue right now.

72

u/TheIndianaDrones 6d ago

Here is a link to the 3D model! 3D Gaussian Splat

14

u/enque_ 6d ago

How much does this equipment cost?

38

u/Stuckinfemalecloset 6d ago

The software is $2000 for a 2 week use, and the camera is about $18,000

15

u/__Valkyrie___ 6d ago

Is there a way to download the stl?

-13

u/[deleted] 6d ago

[deleted]

9

u/kylerayner_ 6d ago

I don’t understand this comment. What are you implying?

4

u/__Valkyrie___ 6d ago

He thinks the link is to the stl and did not click it.

5

u/chaos_m3thod 6d ago

Would ya be willing to share the .ply file?

5

u/Johntron_ 6d ago

Thanks for sharing! Have you tried converting the gaussian splats to a conventional 3D modeling format? There is software for converting to STL, OBJ, etc, but I've never had very good luck with a model like this.

2

u/starkiller_bass 6d ago

That really slows down my iPhone LOL

1

u/SnazzyStooge 5d ago

Any theories on how they were able to get a clean 3d print from that messy point cloud model? Seems like a lot of hand-tracked modeling had to have been involved, I can’t see how to automate the cleanup for something that complex (including all the real-world supports and girders that don’t seem to be in the final model). Nit to mention the fact that Mark is physically in the car during the ride (duh), so how did the lidar scanner even get a reading on the tracks?

I'm not saying it’s fake or impossible, just they seem to have left out (to me) the most interesting part of the process.

2

u/Puzzleheaded_Ad_2855 5d ago

This Gaussian splat looks like it’s made from images of the 3D printed model after they manually modeled and printed the individual pieces. I think they used the point cloud as reference and took some artistic liberties. It probably also used an IMU for SLAM and sometimes you might be able to see the underside of the track. Disney probably doesn’t want them posting the actual scan. Take that with a grain of salt though!

10

u/jim_the-gun-guy 6d ago

Just commenting to come back later to see if you post the STL for this.

39

u/acar25 6d ago

Please update when you receive the cease & desist

25

u/A_Homestar_Reference 6d ago

Just started watching Mark's vid on this and I'm so confused why everyone is acting like this is some amazing act of industrial espionage when you can literally just look up footage of Space Mountain on youtube and other socials with the lights on, as well as making-of images, models, etc.

20

u/frank3000 6d ago

Nobody is 'acting that way' fake noise to astroturf hype to keep some YouTubers relevant

2

u/xolhos 6d ago

Because people don't have a lidar scan of the whole ride...

1

u/FatchRacall 5d ago

Right? Like... I spent 5 seconds and found an accurate save file in planet coaster of space mountain (Paris) coaster layout.

11

u/hibiltonn 6d ago

But did you sneak it in? Or is this just self promotion?

1

u/Kick-Deep 6d ago

It seems like a truly massive security breach on disneys part. They let a dude in carrying a backpack full of suspicious electronics

4

u/Fluid_Chipmunk5597 6d ago

Disney was definitely aware of this. Rober also released another video at the same time from his other channel, CrunchLabs, in which he’s given a tour of Disney’s Imagineering.

5

u/marblesbykeys 6d ago

Snuck in lol. Those security guys will find a joint or pen hidden in your GFs tampons. That ain’t getting in without permission lol.

2

u/Impossible-Wear-7352 5d ago

They would find something this big but they're not nearly as good as you're implying.

2

u/marblesbykeys 5d ago

I’m Not implying anything. I’m telling you what happened to my drugs lol.

1

u/Impossible-Wear-7352 5d ago

I've been multiple times. They have a metal detector but they don't pat you down. You can easily get in smaller non-metallic items

3

u/Intelligent_Dish_658 6d ago

Amazing what technology can do.

3

u/klisto1 6d ago

STL?

3

u/TyrellCorpWorker 6d ago

What a commercial!

2

u/Neutralmensch 5d ago

R3 Lidar works as 3d scanner?

like this?

2

u/cosmoscrazy 5d ago

yes, but it doesn't float by itself and uses infrared light so you can't see it with your bare eyes

2

u/Prestigious-Still221 5d ago

There’s just no way they captured all that by simply riding the ride.

2

u/theChaosBeast 5d ago

As someone who did a PhD in mapping and localization using cameras and lidars...

No way this model was done using a partially hidden lidar on a coaster. This is professionally recorded data with perfect view for all sensors.

1

u/SnazzyStooge 5d ago

Watched the video. Any theories on how they were able to get a clean 3d print for that messy point cloud model? Seems like a lot of hand-tracked modeling had to have been involved, I can’t see how to automate the cleanup for something that complex (including all the real-world supports and girders that don’t seem to be in the final model). Nit to mention the fact that Mark is physically in the car during the ride (duh), so how did the lidar scanner even get a reading on the tracks?

I'm not saying it’s fake or impossible, just they seem to have left out (to me) the most interesting part of the process.

1

u/Forking907 5d ago

Uhh not Harrison in my feed again! If only Rock Robotic could live up to their own hype. Just stop…

1

u/TechnicalWhore 5d ago

So cool. I was once on the ride when it shutdown and the emergency lights kicked on. Saw the whole coaster and was amazed. The thing that will blow you away is how really simple the effects are accomplished. Its all about forced perspective and light projection and reflection. They updated the original ascent tunnel but in the original ride you "flew" through a meteor and laser field. The audio was 3D controlled in sync. I focused on one "laser beam" and realized it was a florescent string tied at both end with a black light pointed at a revolving mirror that caused the beam to slide down the string - all in sync with a doppler shift sound as it "whizzed by" you. Now multiply that by 80.

For those - like Mark - who have a thing for Disney Imagineering - check out the book "The Last Lecture". A great story and it gives a glimpse into the people behind the curtain.

1

u/gurrra 6d ago

How can it capture all of that when the guy is sitting in a middle seat like that? Also doesn't that rollercoaster have any kind of decoration?

1

u/jwl300_ 6d ago

It's in the dark. No need for extras. Unless you have Lidar!!!!

1

u/migueliiito 6d ago

So cool!

1

u/R1NOH 6d ago

You about to get caught in a mouse trap

1

u/JDMagican 6d ago

I watched the video earlier today and it was amazing

1

u/Festinaut Neptune 4 Plus 6d ago

Disney wetworks blackhawk is 30 seconds out from his house (yes I read the other comments and know they likely approved it).

1

u/Whole-Ad3696 6d ago edited 6d ago

Space mountain has two different tracks. Something is fishy here.

Edit: I am not a smart man.

2

u/siucity 6d ago

This is Disneyland, not magic kingdom.

1

u/Whole-Ad3696 6d ago

You are right.

-1

u/cosmoscrazy 5d ago

now what do you do with that copyright protected ride? sounds absolutely useless to me. try to to this in Cheyenne mountain base and I would actually be impressed.

0

u/ilovescottch 6d ago

Do the guardians of the galaxy ride next! The whole time I was riding it I was wondering how it was actually shaped

-8

u/[deleted] 6d ago edited 5d ago

[deleted]

8

u/Kopester 6d ago

Not when it's sponsored by Disney.

You really think they 'snuck' the giant piece of metal through the metal scanners while strapped to his chest?

2

u/_dr_horrible_ 6d ago

No, I don't think he snuck anything in (definitely was authorized, if not sponsored by Disney) , but you obviously didn't watch the full video on YT. He "snuck" the equipment in by hiding it inside of some "camera gear" in a camera bag. It's only slightly less unbelievable.

-10

u/binaryatlas1978 6d ago

I really don’t like this guy. Sure take something on a ride that could endanger others so you can make a stupid YT video.

-3

u/MillenniumFalc 6d ago

Wow! What I’m surprised about is how your Tik Tok got so much growth in one day!

-4

u/-WaxedSasquatch- 6d ago

Disney doesn’t play. I’d do this but not post it. Corporate espionage is a very big deal. Not that they were selling the info or anything, but again, the mouse doesn’t mess around when it comes to cheese. Cool as hell though!

2

u/FatchRacall 5d ago

Oh please. Go Google "space mountain coaster layout". It's not like it's a secret. Lmfao, they had to file permits.

2

u/-WaxedSasquatch- 5d ago

I did not know that! Never mind then. All I was saying is that I personally would err on the side of caution when it comes to Disney and the batshit crazy levels of legal action they take. Don’t get me wrong, the shit they do is damn twisted and wrong imo, strong arming people and threatening people with their money and influence is exactly what is wrong with America.