How To Best Enjoy HM-3D

After launching HM-3D, I suggest that you hit escape, and go to the Options screens and set it up as follows:

DETAILS                  -         High
SHADOWS                -         On
SCREEN TILTING    -         On
SCREEN SIZE           -         All the way to the right (full screen)
BRIGHTNESS           -         Varies

HM 3D was designed to be used with a brightness level of 2 while viewed in a completely darkened room.   But depending on the brightness adjustment of your monitor and when run during daylight hours, some adjustment may be required.

The exterior of the Mansion is supposed to be night, but should be fairly well lit.   The foyer should be slightly dimmer.   When you step out of the stretching room, it will become considerably darker, and if you look to the right, the wood-work on the wall will be semi-dark, but the texture still visible.   And the boarding area becomes still darker.   After you board your virtual "doombuggy" and have gone up the stairs, the track should appear as black.  If it's gray, turn down the brightness.

I've found that the very best viewing is at night with all the lights out.   But be forewarned; you may get an eerie feeling that you're being watched, and as the hair starts to rise on the back of you neck, don't be surprised if you hear the voice of Ghost Host quietly beckoning to you become the 1000th grim grinning ghost!   But then again, maybe it was only your imagination...
 

                               SOUNDS

SOUND                    -         On
MUSIC                     -         Off
SOUND VOLUME    -         Crank it up and tear off the knob!
DUKE TALK            -         Off
AMBIENCE              -         On

                            HM-3D
                             FAQ

Question:    How long did it take to make HM-3D?

Answer:        About three hours a day, almost every day, for nine months, and then at a more relaxed pace for another 6 months.  It was my second job, but it was a labor of love : )
 

Q: Where did all the images come from?

A:  As you can probably imagine, the first thing I did was to search the web for every Haunted Mansion fan site in order to find photographs and sound files.  There sure are a lot of HM lovers out there!   Next, through a process of elimination, the best of the lot became the source images for the labor intensive task of cropping out the desired elements and performing any required digital touch up in order to get them ready for import into the Duke Nukem file system.  This included the time consuming process of creating multiple images for animated objects.  I would guesstimate that at least one third of the total time spent on this project was working with various paint and graphics programs to prepare the images.

However, there were many pictures needed that were not to be had, or at least were not taken in such a way that they could be used.  For those, I again had to scour the web for replacement objects.   For others, they had to be digitally built from scratch.

Special mention should be given to Al's Photo Archives at  http://www.disneyfans.com/index.htm , now known as DisneyFans.com.  When I first found Al's site, I nearly fell off my chair!   You see, not only does Al have massive amounts of HM digital photography that he has taken on his site, but much of it covers those nooks and crannies of the grounds that a casual visitor may not have even thought of to take a picture!   They were an invaluable reference to laying out the topography of the grounds.   Also, of course, many of the objects you see outside and inside of the Mansion are from Al's photos.   A list of photo credits follows this FAQ.   And by the way, Al's site has thousands (yes, that's correct, thousands!) more of his digital photography that extensively covers the lands of Disneyland, Disney World, and other theme parks and themed events.

Q: And the sounds?  Where are they from?

A: Most of the audio is from the MP3 file of the HM attraction sound track.  Some miscellaneous sounds needed but not on that MP3 were found at a couple of the WAV audio sites on the net, and parts are from the HM Anniversary CD .

Q: The movement around the exterior of the Mansion is a bit jerky.  Why is that?

A: There is so much detail put into the Mansion grounds that slower systems, such as 133 Mhz or lower, can't quite keep up with it.  Other than getting a faster PC, you can try jabbing the arrow keys in short bursts in the direction you want to go in.  Also, you can use the 1 key on the numeric keypad to point down a bit.  That will eliminate objects in the distance, and will speed up the display.   Fortunately, the inside of the Mansion doesn't suffer from this, and is very smooth while walking and riding in your doombuggy.

Q: The Mansion grounds look great, as well as the train station area, but why is there a Disneyland style construction wall instead of including more of the New Orleans grounds?

A: I had grand plans to have Critter Country and Rivers Of America included, but after the display started getting slower and slower, that area just could not have any more added to it.  Also, there are a limited number of "building blocks" available in the Duke Nukem game system, and those had to be reserved for the ride portion itself.

Q: Are you planning on doing any other Disneyland attractions?

A:  I was toying around with an idea for a new attraction.  But as far as current existing attractions, I think Splash Mountain would be at the top of my "A" list, as it could be quite colorful and have lots of zip-a-dee-do-dah type music.    The only thing missing would be water, but hey, keep a spray bottle handy and give yourself a little "spritz" at the appropriate time!   Watch this site for SM-3D news!

            Digital Photography Credits

From  DisneyFans.com  (Al's Photo Archives)  at  http://www.disneyfans.com:  Exterior photos:

     1.   HM Plaques on brick entrance pillars
    2.   Potted vine plants on brick pillars
    3.   Grillwork on Mansion's front and side verandahs
    4.   Bush left of Mansion's front steps
    5.   Light Poles
    6.   Hanging lights in verandahs
    7.   Iron fence surrounding the grounds
    8.   All potted plants, bushes, and flowers in the Pet Cemetery
    9.   Front verandah gable (rests on the four columns above the steps)
    10. Drooping "ghost" trees, such as by the side service entrance
    11. Exit sign by the exit crypt
    12. And what you see indirectly, the topography based on reference photos

    Interior photos:

    13.    Foyer candle wall sconce
    14.    Foyer wallpaper
    15.    Wallpaper in changing painting gallery
    16.    "Following" male bust in changing painting gallery
    17.    New safety graphic at Doombuggy loading area
    18.    Knight in hall after you board your virtual "Doom" buggy
    19.    Wallpaper by knight
    20.    Red chair just left of endless hallway
    21.    "Tomb Sweet Tomb" framed needlepoint in main hallway
    22.    Portraits in main hallway
    23.    Bonnet and wall unit left of the Grand Hall
    24.    Arm torches in unloading area
    25.    Crypt fence in unloading area
    26.    Roots growing down from ceiling by Little Leota

 From   http://www.doombuggies.com   :

      1.  13 Hour grandfather clock in hallway
      2.  Animated raven (from 8mm film)
      3.  Animated dueling portraits in Grand Hall (from Cheers video)
      4.  Animated singing busts in graveyard (from Cheers video)
      5.  Graveyard owls, cats, and pop-up ghost  (from Cheers video)
 

 By the way, Doombuggies.com is considered to be the quintessential Disney's Haunted Mansion fan site.  Many other fine sites, but there always has to be a best of everything, and this is it!

From   http://www.hiddenmickeys.org/disneyland/Secrets/Square/Mansion.html   :

      1.  Grim Reaper in graveyard crypt and flying ghosts

 For behind-the-scenes info on the Disney Parks, Hiddenmickeys.org is the place to go when you just can't get enough!

 From   http://www.grimghosts.com/wdw/index.html   :

     1.  Teeter-totter ghosts and ghost on swing in graveyard

A great virtual tour of the WDW Haunted Mansion at this site.  Enjoy!  Enjoy!

  Thank you for visiting Hm3D.  As is for all other fan sites, Disney created artwork and copyrighted names and trademarks are the property of Walt Disney Company, who retains the commercial rights to such.

 I hope you enjoy running Hm3d, and suspect you may be looking at the Haunted Mansion in a new light the next time you're at one of the Magic Kingdoms.
 
 
 

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