News Stories

Lenticular floors guide crowds to the right

[by DigInfo News]

A research group at the University of Electro-Communications is proposing a method to guide pedestrians within buildings and stations where crowds may be disordered, using lenticular lenses to stimulate the visual field.

Lenticular lenses are made up of rows of lenses that each have one semi-circular side, and there is an image underneath the lens, which changes according to the angle of view. They are currently used in 3D post cards and glasses-free 3D TVs.

“The images on the sheets laid on the floor beneath them appear to move to the right, as pedestrians move above them when they walk. Since people have a tendency to give priority to their visual sense to maintain their balance when they walk, their eyes will be attracted in that direction.”

By laying sheets out like this over long distances in stations, the flow of people can be guided to the right, and it is thought that disorganized crowding can be mitigated.

“Right now a striped pattern is moving to the right, but an image could also be used as well, for example, some kind of character could be laid down, and walking on the right-hand side could be achieved as people feel they are following a character who is moving to the right.”

Field test results showed this method to be more effective than projecting images from a projector, and there is the further advantage of no expense for electrical power.

“Lenticular lenses are now being used in displays such as posters and post cards, and laying them on the floor has not been considered, so we don’t clearly know how durable they would be.”

They plan to conduct future tests using a number of people to verify just how people might be guided through public facilities.

See the original story here: http://www.diginfo.tv/2011/05/10/11-0087-r-en.php

Deutsche Telecom uses Pictorvision technology for 3-D aerial spots

[by Broadcast Engineering]

Pictorvision’s eclipse 3-D aerial system was recently used onboard a helicopter with a pair of RED ONE M-X cameras for a Deutsche Telecom series of commercials called “A Thousand Little Things.” Directed by Paul WS Anderson, the spots were shot in Berlin and Los Angeles by director of photography Vern Nobles. Nobles said the eclipse performed better at holding the 3-D camera package steady than anything he has used before.

“There is too much mass to use physical gyro systems, and other systems can’t look straight down,” he said. “We needed to shoot as slow as 1fps for time-lapse ramping, and no other system was stable enough to do it.”

 

Nobles’ helicopter setup included Pictorvision’s eclipse and a pair of RED ONE cameras with M-X sensors and Angenieux 17-80mm zooms. The Deutsche Telecom spots are being shown both in theaters as well as on TV in Europe.

See the original post here: http://broadcastengineering.com/products/deutsche-telecom-uses-pictorvision-technology-3-d-aerial-spots-20110510/index.html

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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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