News Stories

Allosphere, UC Santa Barbara – for content visualization (video)

11.17.2010

The Allosphere are UC Santa Barbara is a immersive environment for real time simulations and visualizations.  The inside of the 3-story dome is a cylinder with two Barco 3D projectors (active shutter) stitched together on either side of a central bridge, and a 500+ speaker sound environment, all driven by computers in real time.  A number of movie directors, game developers, and other creatives have toured the facility and are thinking of using it in their work.  Tours can be arranged through the office of Dr. JoAnn Kuchera-Morin, Director, Professor of Media Arts and Technology, and Music.  Contact info is here.  I highly recommend the experience.

Here is Dr. Kuchera-Mori’s 2009 TED talk with video from inside the Allosphere.

You’ll find more info at the Allosphere website here: http://www.allosphere.ucsb.edu/

by Phil Lelyveld

Home 3D growing fast, says DEG

11.17.2010

Consumer awareness of 3D-capable TVs has risen to more than 80%, while awareness of Blu-ray 3D players has increased to almost 60%, according to research released today by DEG: The Digital Entertainment Group.
Of the more than five million HDTVs expected to be sold between now and mid-January, 30% will be 3D-capable. And the crossover between consumers intending to buy 3DTVs and Blu-ray 3D players shows that 80% of those customers would purchase a Blu-ray player.

The DEG also cited data from UK-based FutureSource Consulting reporting that 3DTV sales in the U.S. are on track to represent 4.5% of all flat panels sold this year. This strong start is being echoed globally, with year one 3D adoption running at a faster rate than HDTVs in many territories, FutureSource said.

“The stars are aligning for home 3D this holiday season,” said Kris Brown, Vice President, Worldwide High Def Market Expansion, Warner Home Video and Chair, DEG 3D Working Group. “Now almost 40 Blu-ray 3D titles will be available at retail, either individually or in bundles and 3DTVs are selling at a faster pace than HDTVs in their debut period. With Blu-ray 3D players selling even better, it’s clear that retailers are making 3D hardware a doorbuster item for Black Friday.”

The DEG had previously announced that nearly 40 Blu-ray 3D titles hitting retail shelves by the end of the year, including 10 additional titles available on Blu-ray 3D day. These titles are: “A Christmas Carol” (Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment), “The Polar Express” (Warner Home Video), “Clash of the Titans” (Warner Home Video), “IMAX: Space Station” (Warner Home Video), “Open Season” (Sony Pictures Home  Entertainment) “IMAX: Under the Sea” (Warner Home Video), “Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore” (Warner Home Video), “IMAX: Deep Sea” (Warner Home Video), “The Official 2010 FIFA World Cup Film in 3D” (Sony Pictures Home Entertainment), and “The Last Airbender” (Paramount Home Entertainment).

This along with a number of 3D broadcast channels and an estimated 25 upcoming 3D video games represents more than 1,000 hours of 3D programming that will be available over the next 12 months.

source: http://hollywoodinhidef.com/2010/11/home-3d-growing-fast-says-deg/

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Specification for Naming VFX Image Sequences Released

ETC’s VFX Working Group has published a specification for best practices naming image sequences such as plates and comps. File naming is an essential tool for organizing the multitude of frames that are inputs and outputs from the VFX process. Prior to the publication of this specification, each organization had its own naming scheme, requiring custom processes for each partner, which often resulted in confusion and miscommunication.

The new ETC@USC specification focuses primarily on sequences of individual images. The initial use case was VFX plates, typically delivered as OpenEXR or DPX files. However, the team soon realized that the same naming conventions can apply to virtually any image sequence. Consequently, the specification was written to handle a wide array of assets and use cases.

To ensure all requirements are represented, the working group included over 2 dozen participants representing studios, VFX houses, tool creators, creatives and others.  The ETC@USC also worked closely with MovieLabs to ensure that the specification could be integrated as part of their 2030 Vision.

A key design criteria for this specification is compatibility with existing practices.  Chair of the VFX working group, Horst Sarubin of Universal Pictures, said: “Our studio is committed to being at the forefront of designing best industry practices to modernize and simplify workflows, and we believe this white paper succeeded in building a new foundation for tools to transfer files in the most efficient manner.”

This specification is compatible with other initiatives such as the Visual Effects Society (VES) Transfer Specifications. “We wanted to make it as seamless as possible for everyone to adopt this specification,” said working group co-chair and ETC@USC’s Erik Weaver. “To ensure all perspectives were represented we created a team of industry experts familiar with the handling of these materials and collaborated with a number of industry groups.”

“Collaboration between MovieLabs and important industry groups like the ETC is critical to implementing the 2030 Vision,” said Craig Seidel, SVP of MovieLabs. “This specification is a key step in defining the foundations for better software-defined workflows. We look forward to continued partnership with the ETC on implementing other critical elements of the 2030 Vision.”

The specification is available online for anyone to use.

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