News Stories

The Basics of Shooting Stereoscopic 3D – Part 3: Edge Violations and Floating Windows

11.16.2011

[3D Roundabout]

By Steve Shaw, Light Illusion

Last time in Part2 of this series, we looked at convergence and the pros and cons of parallel versus converged shooting. I concluded that, all things considered, I prefer the parallel approach in order to avoid keystoning problems and time lost during shooting. This month I will discuss issues concerning the edges of the screen, including edge violations and floating windows.

….

 

Conclusion

When viewing stereoscopic images on a small-sized screen, edge violations in negative parallax are something that must be considered, especially to the left and the right of the screen, as they will cause a conflict in the brain between the depth of the object and the screen’s edge. This can be dealt with in post, but can be avoided by using negative parallax effects sparingly, and using it within the centre of the screen.

The floating window can be a useful way to manage issues with objects leaving the screen unevenly and causing stereoscopic failure. …

See the full post here: http://3droundabout.com/2011/11/5430/the-basics-of-shooting-stereoscopic-3d-part-3-edge-violations-and-floating-windows.html

Classic 1953 book "The Theory of Stereoscopic Transmission" now available free on-line

10.23.2011

[SD&A email]
Classic 1953 book “The Theory of Stereoscopic Transmission” by Raymond and Nigel Spottiswoode now available free on-line

“The Theory of Stereoscopic Transmission and its application to the motion picture” by Raymond and Nigel Spottiswoode with illustrations by Brian Borthwick, originally published in 1953 but out-of-print for many years, is now available in electronic format at http://www.stereoscopic.org/library
This book is the latest addition to the Stereoscopic Displays and Applications conference Virtual Library, and joins several other pioneering but hard to obtain texts in the field of stereoscopic imaging.  By converting classic publications into electronic editions, the SD&A aims to make these volumes easily accessible to stereoscopic researchers once again.
“The Theory of Stereoscopic Transmission” provides a theoretical analysis of the three-dimensional geometry of capture and presentation of stereoscopic images as typified by 3D movies. Titles of chapters in the book include: Stereoscopic Depth Range, The Stereoscopic Window, Stereoscopic Calculators, Cameras with Variable Separation and Convergence, Projection, The Human Factor in Stereoscopic Transmission, and much more. An errata list is provided at the end of the book. Also included is an 8 page anaglyph 3D insert “Stereoscopic Diagrams” by Brian Borthwick and Jack Coote which illustrates some of the concepts in the book in 3D.
Author Raymond Spottiswoode produced several documentary short films during WWII, then such short 3D subjects as “The Black Swan”.  Joining with brother and co-author Nigel, they went on to spur the 3D film boom in the early 1950s and established Stereo Techniques Ltd. to produce stereoscopic documentaries and build improved 3D cameras.  Illustrator Brian Borthwick animated several short films including the 1952 3D film “The Owl and the Pussycat”.
James Spottiswoode, son of Raymond Spottiswoode, notes “It is very gratifying to me personally to have Raymond and Nigel’s book republished.  My father Raymond died in my early twenties and I became very close to Nigel during the last decade of his life.  We shared a love of mathematics and engineering and collaborated on several projects.  He died just when the first PC’s were emerging and the Internet was still ARPANET.  I know that both brothers would have loved the idea that their book was having a second life as a virtual publication”.
Lenny Lipton, stereoscopic technologist and SPIE Fellow wrote: “It’s wonderful that the Spottiswoodes’ book is being made available again. Empirically based, it proposes a theory that relates the geometry of stereoscopic camera and projection space and provides a coherent formalism that is elegant and rigorous. To touch on only one aspect of their work, the Spottiswoodes’ predicted the reduced interaxial requirement that is at the heart of modern stereoscopic image capture or generation and provided recommendations for dealing with the challenge.”
The SD&A conference wish to express their appreciation to the authors and heirs for their permission to make this book available to the stereoscopic community.
The book is available for immediate download from: http://www.stereoscopic.org/library
Also available at that link:

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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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