Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure | Universal Orlando Island of Adventure

I worked as a Show Set Designer on Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure at Universal Creative. I started in AutoCAD drafting show set design packages, focusing on four areas of the attraction: the Fluffy scene, the vertical track and backward section, the drop building, and the final unicorn scene as the ride returns to the load/unload station.

As the project progressed, I also created 3D studies to work through specific design problems. For the Ford Anglia flying car scene, I studied the car’s movement along the track and how to conceal the mechanical arm from guests while maintaining the intended show action.

I was eventually asked to create the animatic for the entire attraction from start to finish in Maya, bringing together the ride movement, environments, show scenes, timing, and point of view. I also made site visits during construction to follow the attraction as it was being built.

After the ride opened, a camera was mounted on a ride vehicle to capture the finished experience. The resulting footage was remarkably close to the 3D animatic I had created.

Tools: AutoCAD, Maya, 3DS Max, ZBrush, Photoshop, After Effects