3-D Workshop

HD VR 3-D Multimedia Design
Jeffrey W. Hillinger

The effect known in the Haunted Attraction Industry as "3-D," utilizes glasses to separate the colored light that is being transmitted to the eye. Viewed through ChromaDepth TM "3-D glasses" some colors of paint appear to float above the surface, while others seem to recede below the face of the surface. Red appears in the foreground, while blue becomes the background. Other colors are positioned according to their location within the light spectrum, i.e. an orange object would appear behind red but in front of green. Green would appear in front of blue as middle-ground, but behind yellow. The lenses then decode the depth information to create a left view for the left eye and a right view for the right eye. All images look normal without the lenses. 

ChromaDepth TM

Patented in 1992 by Richard Steanblik, the ChromaDepth TM process was originally used for printed materials. HD*VR 3-D TM introduced by Automated Entertainment in 1995 is actually a series of lighting and viewing effects incorporating the use ofChromaDepth TMlenses, worn as eye-wear (available in paper or plastic). The lenses combine refraction and diffraction that make thin film optics act like thick glass prisms. These lenses only require a one dimensional image to create three-dimensional effects, and treated correctly can take those images into the next dimension, using fluorescent colored substrates, pigments, dyes, and paint which are excited by ultraviolet light or Black-light. The fluorescent dyes, and paint then transmit their own visible light, enhancing the depth of the effect. There are two types eye-wear available Standard ChromaDepth TM which uses a set of (2) ChromaDepth TMlenses (normally for print material) and the HD viewers that uses (1) Clear lens and (1) ChromaDepth TM lens (normally used for light transmitting images). 

General Scenic Applications

Start with (non-fluorescent) black as the background and add a dark fluorescent blue pattern (splatter of dry-brush) to the background, to deepen the background of the effect. Then paint the desired objects in layers, according to the colors of the light spectrum. Red, orange, yellow, yellow-green, green, blue green, blue, and dark blue, with red being the front most surface, and dark blue being the furthest away. These colors can be applied as opaque or translucent, and can blend into each other to form a slanted surface and rounded surfaces. 

Note: sometimes indigo, and violet can fall into different depth positions depending upon the added or the saturation of red (or red noise) that might be mixed to achieve the color, this also can hold true with magenta.

Best results are from using strong, saturated, high contrast fluorescent colors, favoring reds, greens, and blues. All fluorescent paints and pigments are naturally transparent, and a white undercoat will help keep the dark base from deluding the intensity of the colors. A limitless number of colors may be mixed and used to divide the depth between red (foreground) and blue (background). The number of colors used in between will depend upon the depth and desired surface of the image. 

Highlighting 

Normally, highlighting is done with the addition of white spots, smudges, or a star-burst. In "3-D," however, this can cause a problem with how the white rides with the color being highlighted. White tends to fall within the middle-ground of the color depth. A white highlight on a blue object will float off of the object, while a white highlight on red object will read as a bright source floating inside of the image. The highlight color should be slightly closer to the color being highlighted. Use a color, which is about five (5) percent closer (towards red) than the highlighted surface. Green would be highlighted with yellow-green, and yellow we would highlighted with orange. If red is the base color, a brighter, more saturated red would be the highlight. Very small amounts of non-fluorescent white, fluorescent white, or black-light blue-white paint can be added to lighten the tint value when blending your highlight color. Adding white to your paint will give your highlight a pastel look or a tint of the original color, adding too much white, will read in the middle-ground of the 3-D imaging, which may not be desirable. Highlights involve paint mixing techniques that can only be mastered with experimentation. 

Shading

Black, or the next deeper color can be added to shade the image, and the outer edge of the image where different colors and shapes meet can be feathered or blended to avoid blurring and add definition to your image. Perspective, shadows, overlapping objects, shading (bright foreground objects, darker background objects), and distance blurring can dramatically stretch the perceptible depth in an image. Patterns and or texturing on the surface of your image can also help define the image's shape and depth, effecting what the eye interprets and exactly how much depth will be seen. 

Blending colors across a surface can create the effect of sloped surfaces, or roundness of the image. Starting with a saturated red on the part of the object closest to the viewer, feather in a yellow to make orange. Continue to blend the paint out to a saturated yellow all the way to the edge of your shape. Add black shading to the yellow edge to show roundness and a thick black line to help the viewer to see the height differences of the object. If the black line is too thin it may blur and disappear when viewed with the 3-D glasses. 

Using Non Fluorescent Black

Non fluorescent Black tends to ride with the color it is applied to. For instance, a black dot on a red shape will appear to be in the same level as the red shape, while a blue shape with a black dot will also ride on the same level as the shape. The brain compares the contrast between the images and decides at what depth it should be perceived. Black represents the edges of an object between two high contrast features, which are then compared. It is very important to add or blend black lines to the outer edges of the images to help the brain perceive the depth of the object. 

Color Irregularity 

Red on yellow without a black border to separate them has a misleading effect for depth and position, where the red looks as if it is inside of the yellow, and both colors will be perceived to be at middle-ground. Simply adding a black border will restore the colors to their normal locations. The same problem occurs with red on green where no black border separates the two colors. The governing element here is the brightness of the green. A bright green will act more like yellow in the middle-ground and a dark green will act more like blue sending the color to the background. To darken a bright fluorescent green, add a little non fluorescent black, but not too much, as it can pollute the fluorescent pigments of the fluorescent paint and inhibit the light transmitting properties of the paint. 

Red on dark blue can work without a black border; this is due to the fact that the red foreground color is separated by the blue background color. Lighter blues or other lighter color tints can act like yellow and also tend to fall into the middle-ground. A black border or a more saturated fluorescent color should be used whenever there is any question. Fluorescent magenta on black looks like a strong, red object surrounded by a velvety blue aura. This is due to the fact that magenta has blue noise or the blue has red noise. When mixing magenta we will mix red into blue to make magenta. This can be a very interesting effect. 

Lighting

While fluorescent pigments are more radiant when viewed under a black light fixture, the 3-D effect is also apparent in natural or white light. In fact, colored lights themselves can create the 3-D effect on objects or surfaces. Focus the Black-light toward the object which needs to be lit, and keep hot spots and spill out of the viewer's sight if at all possible. Experiment with different UV light fixtures and placement to create different looks and depth cues when viewed with the 3-D glasses. 

Floors

When planning your 3-D attraction, do not overlook the floor treatment. The effect of a red shape floating off of the surface of a wall is interesting, but this same effect applied to the patron walking surface is incredible. Patrons will actually step over red objects that are actually lying flat on the floor. 

While the commercial use of ChromaDepthä technology has been around since 1995, it was not until last year that the Haunted Attraction Industry started to embrace the 3-D concept in full force. The high level of creativity, cost effectiveness and simplicity of the 3-D attraction makes it a natural for the Haunted Attraction owner. The number of 3-D attractions more than doubled last year, and this trend will continue. Now is the time to jump on the ChromaDepthä band wagon and open a 3-D element of your own! The industry has only scratched the surface in the use of this new and exciting technology! 

Jeffrey W. Hillinger is owner of @utomated Entertainment in Burbank, CA. His HD*VRä 3-D™ Multimedia Design won the Lighting Dimensions International Award in 1995 for his HD*VRä process and has published a Booklet titled "HD*VR 3-D Multimediaä Design Guide" For more information you can Contact Jeff at (800) 880-6567 (818)755-0822, via email at info@automatedhd.com or visit the @utomated Entertainment web site at http://www.automatedhd.com 

Copyright Automated Publications, 1995/2000 All rights reserved

Acknowledgments:
Chromatek, Inc. Copyright 1995, All rights reserved. Earth Channel Communications, LLC. Copyright 1995/1996, All rights reserved. 
HD*VRä 3-D viewers are suggested for use with ZC&R Blackliteä and other forms of lighting effects and HD*VR ä multimedia presentations and are not intended for extended wear, performing physical activity, driving or operating machinery. Do not look into the sun with glasses. The ChromaDepthä lenses in these glasses are licensed and are protected under U.S.A. Patents: 4,597,634; 4,717,239; 5,002,36. @utomated Entertainment All rights reserved 1995/2000. P.O. Box 7309, Burbank, Ca. 91510-7309 

The Basic Principles to 3-D Haunting
John L Burton

The first use of ChromaDepth® 3-D glasses in a Haunt was in the summer of 1996 for the Maniac Maze in Louisville, Kentucky. Since then some of the many haunters who have jumped into this type of entertainment, without fully understanding the Basic Principles of the technology and its production value potential. When dealing with 3-D artwork the one thing that must be understood is the 'Dimension of Color' in the ChromaDepth® 3-D process., and the correct placement of these dimensions. Some haunts do a great job using color dimension, while others reach only about 20% of the possible entertainment value and 'wow factor.' Fully understanding the Basic Principles to 3-D Haunting will push your 3-D attraction to reach its full potential. 

In a 3-D attraction last year, I noticed an attempt to use yellow as a highlight to orange, but in this 3-D paint scheme, yellow should be the shadow of orange, and red the highlight. Another event had blue objects crossing over red ones, which contradicted the effect of the color concept. Blue should always be placed behind red to keep the proper depth. If the proper coloring sequence, correct size ratio and direction of presentation are not used the 3-D effect is greatly decreased. The problem is not the lack of ability to create great black-light artwork, but rather knowing the difference between ChromaDepth® 3-D artwork and standard graphic artwork. Fully understanding the sequence of colors for this type of 3-D is half the battle in creating awesome effects for the 3-D haunt, which stretch the limits of what is now seen as a 3-D attraction. 

Understanding Color Dimensions

Starting with the primary colors Red, Yellow and Blue, (as shown in diagram A-1), red is the color that appears closest to you, blue sets the furthest back with yellow in the middle. These 'Dimensions' create the 3-D effect. If you take a six color color-wheel (diagram A-2) and put it in a straight line you will see the order of the colors. Red is the first, then orange, yellow, green and then blue, (as shown in diagram A-3). The color purple starts moving toward the front because it is composed of red and blue, the beginning and end of the line. Where it sets depends on the ratio of blue to red. All colors are composed of these three primary colors, so when mixing colors, the amount of each hue will set the sequence. Mixing equal parts of red and yellow for orange, will set it half way between red and yellow (diagram B-1). If the artist mixed 75% red and 25% yellow the color will still look orange, but will set 75% closer to red than yellow, (as shown in diagram B-2). The same is true with green tones between yellow and blue, (as shown in diagram B-3). By understanding that how the color is mixed effects how it sets in the range, you can create more smother dimensional artwork. 

Blending Dimensions

The next step is to change the way your mind thinks about shading and highlighting artwork. In regular artwork the artist would generally use a darker shade of an object to place a shadow on that object. For instance, when painting a person's face, the artist would use a deeper shade of the skin tone to create the shadows within the face to generate depth in the artwork. When placing a shadow from an object on the ground the artist would use a deeper shade of the ground color to create that shadow. The opposite is true for highlighting an object. A lighter shade creates a highlight to that object. In ChromaDepth® 3-D artwork however, it is not a darker or lighter shade of the same color but rather a different color that creates greater depths and heights (3-D) in the artwork. Flesh tones contain red and red is the color which sets furthest forward in the sequence of colors, so to paint a person's face for 3-D, you should use yellow tones for the base or skin color. This allows you to have two colors, red and orange, for highlights and two colors, green and blue, as shadows. Mixing a non florescent black into a color, especially when using fluorescent paints, will cause the darker color to slightly shadow the brighter color. To achieve a deeper shadows, holes and distance colors behind the color being shadowed, a color further back in the sequence will have to be used. 

Size of the Dimensions

Presenting objects within the 3-D artwork in a size proper to their placement in the range greatly increases the depth of the artwork. Red is the closest color towards the viewer and blue the furthest away; therefore, red objects should slightly oversized and blue objects should be scaled down. The way to figure the size difference of each object by color is to first set a size for the red object and a size for the blue one. The yellow object would be a size half way between those two and so on for each of the other colors. If a red object is twelve inches (12") and a blue six inches (6"), then the yellow one is nine inches (9"), the green object is eight and a half inches (8.5") and orange on is ten and a half inches (10.5"), (as shown in diagram E). 

Presentation of the Dimensions

The way that the artwork is presented can also be crucial to the impact it will have on the patrons. Displaying a large detailed scenic artwork along the wall of a four foot wide hallway would be a waste of the man hours put into the work. For patrons to get the best effect from detailed 3-D painted scenery they need to see almost all of it together. By being able to take it in all at once, the 3-D within the scenery has much greater impact than walking beside it, taking in only pieces at a time. If you have an entire scene of art you want to display then give the patrons enough room to fully view the entire scene. Or decrease the scene to be viewed through a window or as a painting on the The angle that a patron views the artwork can be also be critical of the 3-D effects. With the proper angle, the artwork can create the effect that the objects are moving within the painting. 

Styles of 3-Dimensional Art

There are two basic 'styles' of artwork within the ChromaDepth® 3-D process. I refer to them as the Block Dimensional and the Flowing Dimensional. The Block Dimensional is painted in true colors with a definite separation between each dimension or color. For example; use the five basic colors to paint solid colored polka-dots on a wall in different sizes, blue being smallest, green being larger and so on to red being the largest. Paint this in a place where patrons will be walking towards it at an angle, as the patrons get closer the dots will appear to move in relation to each other.. I often hear patrons swear that the painted objects are actually moving. 

Block Dimensional is simplest style to create and is what is seen most often in 3-D attractions. Just by knowing where the different colors set in the sequence of depth, a person can create adequate Block Dimensional Style 3-D artwork. By fully understanding where the different colors set in the sequence, the proper size difference between each color, and direction of presentation, you can create awesome effects without being a great artist. 

The Flowing Dimensional style blends the colors together to create a flow to the artwork, the dimensions are still there, but now the gaps between the levels are gone, and the artwork flows from one level to the next. This style is more difficult to create, and is seen less often in a 3-D attractions. To master this style, you not only need a full understanding of the different colors, sequence and direction, but also the mixing and blending of colors. Achieving an adequate flow between dimensions is almost impossible without spraying the paint using spray cans, air brush, touch up gun or paint sprayer. The key to generating good flow between the dimensions is the ability to blend the colors properly. An example of Flowing Dimensional would be a word painted in bright red with a trail behind it as if the word was flying into view. The trail behind the word would need to blend through the colors. The tail would blend all the colors from red to orange to yellow or yellow-green at the tip. 

Examples of both of these styles can be seen in diagram D. The two styles can be used separately or together, as in a space scene where the stars would be Block Dimensional and space ships and shooting stars would be in Flowing Dimensional. The planets could use both styles by properly blending the right colors and making the surface appear to be rounded, yet floating between the levels of the of stars and ships. 

Too Much 3-D!

Yes, you can have too much 3-D. Applying the 3-D process to a moving prop or costume, can be too much for the mind to process. The eye sends more information than the mind can absorb. I discovered this when five different colors were used in a spinning tunnel or Black Hole. If too much of the tunnel is covered then it becomes too much to process. When painting an animated piece, such as a spinning tunnel, use only two or three colors with as much dimension separation as possible. For example; use red and blue or red, yellow and blue. Have the background (which should be black) showing between each of the different colors, at least 50% of the background of the entire artwork should be showing. An animated prop can have the same problem, as the prop could move too fast or you could have too much color coverage on it than the mind is able to process quickly enough. The other concern with painting animated props is to make sure that a blue part of the prop does not move past a red background piece. This shifting of colors would be confusing to the eye thus wiping out the planned 3-D elements of the effect. 

Light Not Paint!

In most cases when using props in a 3-D attraction I would use lighting techniques to achieve exciting 3-D effects rather than painting them in 3-D. Effects lighting, disco lights or flashing lights can bring 3-D life to inanimate props and set dressings. Spot lights, chase lights and flood lights can bring unbelievable impact to moving characters, animated props, inanimate props, solid black props, black rooms and much more. Experimenting with lighting effects is the next step you should take to achieve the ultimate in 3-D haunting. 

Since Maniac Maze in 1996, the 3-D attraction has become quite popular with Haunt designers around the country. Now that you have a clearer understanding of Color Dimensions, Blending, Presentation, Dimension Styles, and proper sizing of 3-D artwork, you can use these Basic Principles to reach the full potential of 3-D Haunting. Increasing the wow factor of your attraction 200%. 

John L. Burton is the owner of Theatrical Terror, the creator of the world's first 3-D Haunted Attraction and author of " The Art of 3-D Haunting." During his long career, John has created over 50 haunted attractions across the country he can be reached at Post Office Box 86, Benton, AR. 72018 or via phone at 501-794-1402

Beyond Black Light 3-D
Jim Confer

The application of 3 Dimentional Art and the ChromaDepth(TM) 3-D glasses are spreading through the Haunted Attraction industry like slime on a crypt wall. In 1999, Universal Studios Florida utilized this 3-D technology for the first time at their Halloween Horror Nights "IX" and the response was overwhelming. Crowds lined up to see the 3-D attraction called 'Universals' Creature Features' . >From the first day it opened through Halloween, when the wait was so long that people were scraping mold off of their shoes. The 3-D attraction was themed after an long abandoned neighborhood Movie Theatre, where a new innovation called "Fright-O-Rama in terrifying 3-D" had gone out of control. Now infamous creatures were leaping off it's movie screens and following the patrons through the maze of corridors and movie sets. Entering through the decreped lobby filled with posters of lost horror films that became more 3-Dimentional further into the darkness, you ventured into an auditorium with victims that scared you through a tattered movie screen and into the horror movies reality. Room after room, corridor after corridor your were surrounded with monsters and creatures in their own world of fright. 

The designer and art director for Universal Studios Florida, T.J. Mannarino, added an unexpected twist to the design of the attraction. Moving from Black Light 3-D effects to White Light 3-D effects. Some of the rooms were completely finished with ultraviolet paints and some in 'white light' paints with lighting fixtures gelled in reds and blues. From scene to scene the lighting changed from subdued hues of reds and blues to bright fluorescent Black Light colors which visually seemed to animated the 3-D effect. Floors appeared to rise up to meet your feet, pools of blood looked as if they rose up to your ankles and Specters throughout the attraction peered through and around walls to unsettle every wary patron. These effects viewed through the "ChromaDepth(TM)" glasses provided a delight to the senses at every turn. This was the only Haunted Attraction advertised as 3-D, but there were more thrills for those that wore the 3-D glasses at the other Universal venues. 

After the attraction of the Creature Features' in 3-D was finished the Art Director, T. J. ,challenged the scenic artists to go one step beyond in their art work. One of the four haunted walk - throughs at last year's event was 'The Mummy' in celebration of the new motion picture, "The Mummy". Patrons were taken to the deepest part of a pyramid tomb to witness the horrors and the curse of "Im-Ho-Tep". Guests wound their way through chambers of embalmers and winding corridors of Scarabs running from the ceiling to floor. With rooms of victims being mummified alive, this attraction had every effect that Universal could throw at them. Using a palette in the 3-D color range for white light we painted every stone, every column and every niche for the 3-D experience giving a full presence to every wall. Every room was detailed like a movie set. Low-key lighting in reds and blues were used to illuminate actual props from the hit movie. Viewing these through the 3-D glasses added extra dimension to every prop. We found that blending reds, yellows and blues in white light paints created a painted stone that you had to touch to see if it was real. This is the next step in scenic 3-D art. The simplest layering of colors provided the best effect. Starting with a black background, the depth color blue was sponged on, then by wet layering on combinations of yellows and reds created a great 3-D effect. The white light 3-D artwork in 'The Mummy' proved so succussful that T..J. would like to see more use of the 3-D technology in future Haunted Attractions at Universal Studios. 

The 3-D technology in Haunted Attractions, is limited only in the imaginations of the designers and artists. Soon the 3-D effect will be stretched to the visual limit, but for now only the simplest form of the art is finding its way into Haunted domains. In the next few years art directors and effects artist will find new ways to twist the patrons senses into uncharted realms. 

Setting up the senses to visually create more with less, is the goal for the future of haunted houses. The use of the white light 3-D color palette is an area of painting that seems untouched at present but promises to soon be an added feature in 'state of the art' Haunted Attractions. 

Jim Confer is a free lance Scenic Effects Artist and an owner of JimNI Studios in Orlando, Florida. He has been a scenic designer and effects artist with Haunted venues for over thirty years. He can be reached via email atjim@jimnifx.com , or visit his Studios web site at jimnifx.com. and also at 1-877-845-2639

JUMPING 3-D 

Some great effects can be done simply using the white light spectrum. A light source with a slow rotating three color wheel can add a new dimension and animation to the scenic 3-D technique. By painting the scenic treatment in planes (or levels) of the three major colors, Red, Yellow and Blue an animation or 'jumping' effect of the art can be achieved. The blue in the color wheel will cancel out the painted scenic blue and change the red to brown and yellow to green. As the wheel rotates the red will cancel the red, turn the blue to purple and the yellow to orange and so on. This gives the artwork movement as the color changes. Painting red directly next to blue already makes the colors vibrate and with the rotating color wheel illuminating the art ... the 3-D effect pops, jumps and moves at the viewer. A strobe light used with a color wheel can really set the patrons senses whirling. However, this effect should only be used in a few areas, as some people tend to get really dizzy and disoriented. Smoke or fog that is illuminated with the three color wheel can seem to disappear and reappear in an instant in front of patrons wearing the ChromaDepth(TM) glasses. 

Creating a Great 3-D Haunt
Joe Jensen

"3-D" was THE buzz word last year in the Haunted Attraction Industry. And why not? What other effect can a haunt designer use to create such huge audience appeal, just by painting the walls, throwing up some black light fixtures and buying some funny glasses? One attraction that did not even have the effect, was advertising that they too were 3-D (in a more literal sense of course), in an attempt to compete with one in the area that did. All of us at one point or another have wanted to splatter fluorescent paint all over the walls, ceiling and floor. A 3-D attraction is just the creative excuse that we Haunters around the country have been looking for. Turning two-dimensional surfaces into a depth filled three-dimensional universes is easy to do with a few simple guidelines, some creativity and a little artistic talent. I would personally like to thank John Burton of Theatrical Terror, who has taught me so much about Creating a Great 3-D Haunt 

How it works.

ChromaDepth™ glasses are a patented technology (see related article) that allows colors to take on three-dimensional characteristics. Blue seems to be far away when contrasted to red which appears close. If you have them, it is time now to put on those glasses to see what we mean. 

As you can see the colors move in and out. The circles show the relative placement in the space that the colors seem to live. The squares show what happens when we mix them up, and the long rectangular boxes show how using gradients between colors creates sloped planes. These charts allow us to create a scheme with which to start conceptualizing effects and paintings for surfaces. 

Brighter or hotter colors do not always seem closer than the duller or cooler colors A deep dark red still appears closer than a bright yellow. This makes choice of color based on perceived depth, more important than a color choice based on true representation or shadowing. Note how the gradients of white and black all seem to live on one plane. This limits our use of black and white shadowing and highlights. 

Light source.

As in regular painting it is important to place the light source correctly, so that the highlights and shadows are all in the proper location. This is even more important in 3-D painting, as the depth of the objects will fight against themselves if the wrong colors are used to shadow the colored objects. Blue can be used to shadow Red but vise versa creates a tunneling effect. 

In general the light source should be positioned from the audience's perspective into the picture, allowing the light to fade into the depth. This allows the painter to use the blues as objects far away and brighter warmer colors closer up. Again keep checking your chip chart to see how colors stack up to each other. 

Object Placement - Outline

Let us say we are painting a floor and we would like to have parts of it appear to fall away into the depths. First, what type of floor do we wish to portray? In this case we will work with tile. Sketch out the tile pattern onto the surface. Using chalk or pencil we work the grid into the floor. Next we take our chart and decide what is close and what is far a way. Mark where each of the colors go and then fill them in with appropriate density. For further detailing, highlight and shadow the squares with darker mixes of the same color. Thus creating contrast, detail and depth internally to the squares themselves without interfering with the 3-D color scheme. The trick here is to use same color with different degrees of brightness for highlights and shadow. For broad strokes and dramatic depth effects you can use different colors but for more detailed pictures you need to discipline the palette to the same hues. 

Experimentation

Nothing does away with experimentation. Every great artist or designer has hundreds of sketchbooks with thousands of drawings trying to come up with perfect technique in creating the internal vision. The same is true with painting for 3-D. Experimentation is the means to creating truly dynamic images. Make decisions before you put it onto the real surfaces using working drawings, models and paint elevations. I have found computer paint programs are the best means of truly learning the 3-D techniques for one simple reason – the programs allow you to paint on black. This allow the artists to use the standard haunted house background and also experience the depths the colors will give one as the colors are placed next to one another. (Of course you need your glasses on to do this.) 

Simple Observations For Haunted House Painting

Bold strokes work better than subtle ones

Black-light painted scenes jumps out more than ones lit with white light

Highlighting real objects usually fights the effect 

Colors must contrast each other

Black separating each object elevates the 3-D effect

3-D Room Ideas

Grid Room

Using masking tape, block off a long rectangular area of a black wall. Using UV spray paint (i.e. Red) create a gradient of solid color to little color ¾ down the rectangle then taking the second UV color (i.e. Blue) do the other side of the rectangle pulling it the opposite direction. The results should be long gradient lines that can form a grid. 

Outer Space Room

One of the simplest techniques with a great deal of impact, uses different color UV paints sprayed as circles of paint that fade into the black. 

Splatter Room

Dip a dry brush quickly into UV paints such as Wildfire or Roscoe brands, fling the paint from the brush onto the wall before it settles into the brush. With a bit of practice, this technique creates splatters across the walls. Taking body suits with hoods and painting them in the same manner allow actors to blend into the wall artwork and scare unsuspecting patrons. 

Hands Room

Gather a group of people with different size hands and dip them into the buckets of black light paints and then to place them on the walls creates a unreal "Blair Witch" effect. 

Faces Rooms

Collect the damaged, worn out or just cheap masks and spray or paint them with the different basic colors and intersperse them across a black wall. For a scare, add an actor in a black outfit and a similarly colored mask. 

Force Perspectives 

Use the same technique feathering effect as described in the Grid room on an entire wall to create a room or hall that seems to go on longer than it should. 

The Haunted Attraction Industry is just now beginning to understand how to use 3-D in their events, and the many different ways it can be done. By taking these simple guidelines and adding a little bit of creativity, the haunt designer can create an attraction with huge audience appeal, simply by painting the walls of his attraction, throwing up some black lights and buying some funny glasses. You too can turn your two-dimensional walls and floor into a three-dimensional universe of color, and Create a Great 3-D Haunt. 

Joe Jensen, is the creative director of Haunted America.com. He can be reached or via email at josephjensen@hotmail.com For further on-line tutorials and other 3-D painting techniques go to www.hauntedamerica.com and check out their revised exchange section.