TxTPEG Design Projects

Each semester, TxTPEG members will work on projects that are inspired by the amusement industry. Projects can be sponsored by corporations or be suggested by members. If you have any suggestions or would like to sponsor a TxTPEG project, contact us!

Previous  Projects

TxTPEG House of Horrors

House of Horrors was a step up from our previous Wreck the Halls haunted house. Planning started over the summer as our haunted house opened October 19th and 20th. The haunted house took over 800 guests through several different themed rooms which combined to total over 1,100 square feet. The project combined engineering design, prop making, artistic talent, costuming, makeup and theatrical lighting to create a one of a kind experience for the UT campus.

Pinball Machine

TxTPEG Members designed and built a 5 foot long mechanical pinball machine utilizing woodworking, rubber bands, springs and laser cutting to create a working game we were able to bring with us to tabling events in order to gain exposure for the org.

Wreck the Halls Haunted House

TxTPEG Members designed and built a 25' x 25' functioning Haunted House. After opening the holiday themed house to the public, TxTPEG had over 100 people come through. 

TILTING MAZE

TxTPEG members worked to design and build a operable tilting maze. The maze consisted of paths throughout the UT campus, and the student (marble) must avoid holes and go through obstacles in order to reach the UT tower.

Prompt: Since technology for launching roller coasters has been invented, it has been increasingly used in making thrilling new rides with more compact layouts and bigger thrills. The newest wave of coasters utilizing this technology are best described as “multi-launch coasters.” For this competition, you will be tasked with designing a coaster utilizing this multi-launch system, effectively “reusing” magnets during the launch in order to save money and create a more thrilling ride for a lower cost. These rides should be compact in nature and able to fit in any sized theme park. Rides such as Superman: Ultimate Flight at Six Flags Discovery Kingdom and Gale Force at Castaway Cove are two of such rides which do this. Your ride must adhere to the following criteria:
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Coaster Requirements:
- Length: 1000-3000 feet
- Maximum Height: 200 feet
- Minimum Number of Launches over Same Segment of Track: 2
- Roller Coaster Style: Either a Gerstlauer Euro-Fighter 2 or a Mauer X-Car Coaster
- G-Force Envelope: -2.0 G to 5.0 G
- SCENERY AND STRUCTURAL OBJECTS MUST NOT OBSTRUCT ANY RIDERS. POINTS WILL BE DEDUCTED FOR PHYSICAL IMPOSSIBILITIES AND SAFETY DISREGARDS.

Your coaster will be judged based on the following (100 Total Points):
- Layout Originality (0-30)
- Cost Efficiency (Reutilization of magnets, sharing of structure, etc.)  (0-20)
- Structural and Dynamic Feasibility (0-20)
- Model Quality (Smoothness, Scenery and other Details) (0-20)
- ​Theme (Name of coaster, how well it fits into the surroundings) (0-10)