News Stories

Doctors Visually Enhance Prostate Surgery with 3D

12.17.2010

When men are diagnosed with prostate cancer, the concern is they won’t recover full bladder and sexual function, but a combination of robotics and 3D technology are helping make this delicate surgery more precise.

“This looks more like a movie theater, or IMAX theater for that matter,” Dr. Alok Shirivastava said of his operating room at the Cleveland Clinic Florida.

Using a robotic console and two 110-inch screens, Shirivastava and his operating assistants are able to see the areas they’re working on magnified in high definition 3D during surgery.

“It’s more precise and gentle on the patient because they are not unnecessarily touching or retracting tissue which does not need to be touched,” Shirivastava said.

That precision can improve the odds of preserving important nerves and tissue.

Ricardo Alvarez was amazed by his recovery after having the prostate removed with the new technology.

“Two weeks after surgery, I was doing my normal life,” the 47-year-old said. “My sexual function is normal. I have incontinence, but very minimal. I’m not worried about it.”

See the original story here: http://www.11alive.com/news/local/story.aspx?storyid=168630&catid=13

Brave develops 3D Panasonic ‘Padvertising’ (3D graphics, not stereo)

12.17.2010

Brave has developed its first tablet ad – dubbed a “padvert” – for Panasonic’s Viera 3D TV, in the first issue of Virgin’s Project iPad newspaper.

The ad’s interactive elements are triggered by the iPad’s accelerometer, which senses how the iPad is being carried and how the user is watching.

Tilting and moving the iPad will alter the content, to give a 3D-like effect.

Carl Gonsalves, digital director at Brave, said: “With ‘immersion’ being at the heart of the creative idea, this new ad medium enabled us to really create an entertaining ad experience with how the content is absorbed and navigated.”

Ash Bendelow, director at Brave, said: “Gone are the ‘click here’ days of rich media ad interaction, you cannot fail to want to play with this ad, meaning you willingly want to scroll beneath the advertorial style content layers to uncover more.”

Virgin’s Project magazine launched earlier this month.

Full story here: http://www.campaignlive.co.uk/news/1046493/Brave-develops-3D-Panasonic-Padvertising/

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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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