News Stories

X3D: 3D Anywhere at SIGGRAPH 2011 [3D graphics standard, not stereo 3D]

8.7.2011

[Press Release]

From booth 814 the Web3D Consortium will be showcasing the broad impacts of its latest X3D release. Sponsoring several events including Birds-of-a-Feather meetings and a special ‘Tech Talk’ demo session showcasing their incredible X3D innovations. Attendees will learn about the new ISO (http://www.iso.org) specifications and functionalities for Extensible 3D (X3D) 3.3 as well as new collaborations for the delivery of interactive 3D over the web. This is a must-attend event to educate and engage yourself in the latest 3D Web developments.

 

At this year’s SIGGRAPH 2011 in Vancouver, Aug 7-12 (http://www.siggraph.org/s2011/), the largest annual conference for computer graphics, the Web3D Consortium (http://www.web3d.org/x3d) will showcase the broad impacts of its latest release of royalty-free International Standards for 3D graphics over the web. From Booth 814, the Web3D Consortium will be sponsoring several events including Birds-of-a-Feather meetings and a special ‘Tech Talk’ demo session. Attendees will learn about the new ISO (http://www.iso.org) specifications and functionalities for Extensible 3D (X3D) 3.3 as well as new collaborations for the delivery of interactive 3D over the web.

Platforms for 3D delivery over the web have been evolving for over 15 years. X3D and its suite of specifications have been enabling enterprise-scale 3D for over a decade, delivering content from high-end immersive platforms to consumer 3D TVs to mobile devices. With multiple encodings and API bindings for a common scene graph model, it is compatible with the broad range of web and industry technologies. The data integration capacities and the rich set of componentized features of X3D are expanding and providing new value in areas such as Geospatial, Augmented Reality, CAD, and Medical applications. Such robust, cross-platform web applications prove once again that X3D is a compelling, interoperable expression for interactive networked virtual environments. In Booth 814 you will find Web3D C members Bitmanagement (http://www.bitmanagement.com) and Fraunhofer’s (http://www.igd.fraunhofer.de) demonstrating their industrial-strength X3D software.

The Web3D Consortium is proud to announce a new release of the X3D specification: Extensible 3D version 3.3. X3D 3.3 has been released for public review and international comment. This new version includes several exciting new capabilities: a new Volume visualization component supporting the presentation of data such as medical scans and microscopy , a new Units statement that allows X3D worlds to retain their precision across scales, and a Binary Encoding which provides a compact representation of the scene.

The Web3D Consortium is a hub of international standardization efforts, engaging in cooperative projects with other principal organizations such as the W3C (HTML5 and Declarative 3D), DICOM (n-dimensional presentation states), IMS (eLearning) and OGC (geospatial web services for real-time interactive portrayal). We will present our recent progress on these cutting-edge projects as well as formally announce the formation of the W3C Community Group effort for Declarative 3D (separate press release). In all these areas, the Web3D Consortium leads the charge to insure the interoperability, longevity and ownership of your 3D content.

Read the original post here: http://www.prweb.com/releases/2011/8/prweb8701418.htm

Perfecting your 3D presentation: Dolby aligns with NATO of Calif./Nevada to improve perception

7.28.2011

[Excerpt]

In addition to film product seminars and marketing previews in the fall and spring, NATO of California/Nevada holds two to four such educational workshops, where additional topics have ranged from concessions to public relations to labor issues.

“With the influx of 3D screens across the board, major circuits as well as independents,” Moritz believed the timing for the Dolby visit to be perfect. He had already started discussions about the workshop when that infamous story hit in The Boston Globe about how “many theatres misuse 3D lenses to show 2D films, squandering brightness and color” (read here). “That cemented it” for Moritz. “I tested out all the members and they agreed this look at 3D would be perfect.”

In addition to 55 people in San Francisco representing some 20 companies, NATO and Dolby also hosted the event in Burbank for the convenience of the Southern California contingency of about the same size and make-up. “We have everybody from general managers of local theatres to district managers, chief technical staff and projectionists attend. In essence, anybody who has input into what is going on in the projection booth.”

…Bowling also walked attendees through his David Letterman-like “Top Ten Ways to Get 3D Right.” Living up to the company’s reputation as a technology leader and great supporter of our industry, Dolby made them one and all available in a handy guide and graciously agreed to share the handiwork with our readers as well. …

Read the full story, with illustrations and “Dolby Quick Guide to 3D Presentations” here: http://www.filmjournal.com/filmjournal/content_display/news-and-features/features/technology/e3idc33f756d0a70b6921d2467c99a221a5

< PREVIOUS ARTICLES NEXT ARTICLES >

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.

Oops, something went wrong.