Invite Blog

iZ3D, LLC, designer, developer, and pioneer of advanced 3D visualization systems, announced that it is among the notable 3D industry sponsors of the world’s first digital “3D Film & Interactive Festival” (3DFF). The festivities will begin on October 10 – 12, 2008 in Orlando, Florida and will continue October 17 – 19 in Cocoa Beach via “The 3D Film & Interactive Lounge.”The event is slated to be the first competitive, entirely digital 3D stereoscopic film festival in the world. For more information visit http://www.3DFF.org.

“3DFF is pleased to have iZ3D and its popular 3D monitors as a sponsor. The key to driving new technologies forward is great content. By educating and honoring 3D content pioneers as well as innovative technologists and groundbreaking hardware companies, we will further the entire entertainment industry. We are hoping these events will also generate funds for our 3D Film Preservation Fund dedicated to finding, conserving, restoring and ultimately digitizing historical 3D films,” commented The Dream Factory Studio’s Chief Creative Officer and Founder of 3DFF Christopher Crescitelli.

iZ3D will be featured during the 3DFF festivities in the Cocoa Beach Hilton Oceanfront for its three-day Space Coast Edition from October 17 through October 19. The venue will feature “The 3D Film & Interactive Lounge” where attendees will learn about advanced 3D displays and 3D video game presentations by leading 3D technology companies. The “3D Film & Interactive Lounge” will also tour the film festival circuit as part of a 3D outreach program.

“As a pioneer in this industry, iZ3D is pleased to support events that educate content creators on the benefits of stereoscopic 3D imagery to help them tell a story. We feel 3DFF’s non-profit initiative to acknowledge up and coming independent 3D producers and directors, emerging gaming technologies and other new content creators will propel the entire 3D industry forward,” remarked Thomas Striegler, CEO of iZ3D, LLC.

iZ3D monitors feature significant advantages over other 3D display systems. Gamers that want to experience spectacular game graphics will appreciate playing in stereoscopic 3D. Graphic artists have embraced the iZ3D monitor as an essential tool for 3D design. It is difficult to create images in 3D while viewing the design on a flat 2D screen. Movie buffs can now bring the thrill of a 3D movie to their home theater system.

The company developed this technology to create an adjustable 3D environment without eyestrain, spatial disorientation, or headaches. In 3D mode, viewers can see sharp 3D images and video by wearing iZ3D passive polarized glasses. Existing PCs equipped with a dual-output video card powers the display. Specifications include: 1680 x 1050 resolution; up to 170-degree 3D viewing angle; 5ms response time; 700:1 contrast ratio; and 16.7-million colors.

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Continuing to broaden its scope of development in the world of stereoscopic 3D, digital technology leader PassmoreLab now adds a hi-def microscopy division to its San Diego production facility. With already cutting-edge capability in the areas of live-action 3D video production, 2D-to-3D conversion, and other technical development for scientific research, education, and entertainment, this latest expansion enables the company to go where 3D has never been before – into the hidden world of animals, insects, plants, and the interaction of life on some of its smallest scale.

In order to accomplish such a breakthrough, it took the successful synthesis of microscopy with the technology of digital 3D video, coupled with the creation of specialized software, to surmount the technical problems that have hindered the process in the past. Company founder and president, Greg Passmore, noted that this recent success grew out of an ongoing process of innovation required to produce some of PassmoreLabs nature-oriented documentary films.

“We’re in the process of shooting a variety of nature-oriented projects,” says Passmore, “including films on sharks, vampire bats, butterflies, wasps, and other insects. One of the limitations we’ve had in the past has been that we have done some macro photography, but we were really lacking and wanted to be able to do high-definition stereoscopic microscopy. This is a very complicated process, it requires extremely scarce and expensive equipment, and there are a lot of complex technical issues involved in association with interocular distance and convergence. Many companies had, in fact, told us that stereoscopic microscopy was not possible, or certainly not practical.”

Over that past several months, PassmoreLab’s technicians have worked with a series of manufacturers to acquire and install a high-quality Leica binocular microscope that interfaces optically with a specially designed stereoscopic camera. “The unit operates in perfect synchronization,” says Passmore, “and it gives us the incredible capability now to shoot live microscopic life. We intend to use this imagery to significantly enhance the educational experience and viewing quality for our audiences.”

The company has already began experimenting with shooting live insects, as well as developing medical imagery related to human pathology, and other diverse scientific areas such as petrology and micropaleantology. Passmore points out that they are also working on a series of software enhancements for autocalibration and extremely fine levels of alignment. “We’ve been using bright-field and oblique optical microscopy,” he notes, “and we’re now experimenting with the use of stereopsis with dark-field phase contrast and digital-interference contrast microscopy. As we move into the use of high dynamic range photography in our mainstream productions, we expect to utilize many of the techniques we’re perfecting in HDR in order to cross apply into confocal microscopy.”

“We believe that PassmoreLab has special talents, by bringing together software engineers, mathematicians, visual artists, videographers, and musicians in a heterogeneous work environment, where everyone brings their own solutions to unique problems. Our goal is to use creative conflict and unique perspectives to produce novel solutions, which would normally be overlooked through the overspecialization that too often hinders the industry today,” Passmore stated.

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Following the announcement in August of the strategic partnership between 3ality Digital – one of the pioneers of modern stereoscopic production, and Quantel – the stereoscopic post production innovator, at IBC 2008 the first fruits of the new relationship were unveiled with the launch of 3ality’s 3flex SIP2100 Stereo Image Processor.

On show on the Quantel stand at IBC, the SIP2100 can analyse and in some cases, correct all the most common stereo3D faults, so helping to create technically perfect stereo (see appended Notes for Editors for more details of the SIP2100). The SIP2100 has applications right throughout the production chain – in acquisition, editing and deliverables. The result is better stereo on shorter schedules – a major step forward in speeding the widespread adoption of Stereo3D in post and broadcast. Quantel, with its broad market reach and leadership in stereo post production technology, has sole rights to market the 3ality SIP2100 worldwide.

The SIP2100 was demonstrated performing a variety of different roles on the Quantel stand:

• Processing content captured directly from the 3ality Digital TS2 stereo camera rig for display on a new-generation stereo-capable TV set via a Quantel Pablo
  
• Operating up and downstream of a Quantel Pablo in the Stereo3D theatre presentation
  
• Pre-correcting an incoming broadcast feed to Quantel’s new Stereo3D broadcast server

Steve Schklair, Founder and CEO of 3ality Digital Systems states, “The 3flex SIP2100 is one of the key technologies behind our production and post-production efforts. We have become so reliant on its capabilities that at this point I wouldn’t dream of making 3D content without a number of these devices because to do so would mean stepping back to the dark ages of stereoscopic filmmaking.”

“Until now, one of the great barriers to the wider adoption of Stereo3D has been the very small number of people with the expertise to make it work right first time,” said Steve Owen, Quantel Director of Marketing. “The SIP2100 effectively bottles 3ality Digital’s very considerable Stereo3D expertise, gained over many years in all sorts of stereoscopic applications, making good stereo much easier and faster to achieve. It’s just the kind of technology our industry needs to move Stereo3D into the mainstream, and Quantel has the market reach to bring it to the widest possible audience. This is just the first of a number of joint initiatives we are working on with 3ality Digital, all designed to speed the widespread adoption of Stereo3D in post and broadcast.”

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DreamWorks Animation SKG, Inc. announced that Pandamonium will be back in 2011 when the sequel to its worldwide hit, Kung Fu Panda, is expected to hit theaters on June 3, 2011. The Company also anticipates releasing the film into IMAX® theatres worldwide. Kung Fu Panda 2, like all DreamWorks Animation feature films starting in 2009, will be produced in stereoscopic 3D technology.

During its theatrical run, Kung Fu Panda has reached over $626 million in worldwide box office to date, making it one of the most successful films of 2008 and DreamWorks Animation’s most successful original film ever. The sequel will follow Po, the world’s biggest kung fu fan, as he continues his journey as the chosen one who fulfills an ancient prophesy while mastering the art of kung fu.

The sequel to Kung Fu Panda will once again star Jack Black, Angelina Jolie and other original cast members and will be directed by Jennifer Yuh Nelson, head of story on Kung Fu Panda. It will be produced by Melissa Cobb. Jonathan Aibel and Glenn Berger, who wrote and co-produced the original film, will also be returning.

DreamWorks Animation’s CEO, Jeffrey Katzenberg, said, “We are thrilled to reunite the creative team that made ‘Kung Fu Panda’ such a global success. Because of their imaginative work, Po’s path to heroism proved popular with moviegoers of all ages around the world.”

Bill Damaschke, Co-President of Production and President of Live Theatrical, added, “The story of ‘Kung Fu Panda’ provided a great introduction to these characters and afforded wonderful opportunities to further expand on the world we created in ancient China. Quite simply, there’s more story to tell.”

Kung Fu Panda, which has exceeded $215 million in domestic box office and over $411 million in international territories to date, will be released on two-disc DVD and Blu-ray on November 9, 2008 alongside a brand new companion story, Secrets of the Furious Five.

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Inition have developed a stereoscopic calculator called StereoBrain based on practial experience of planning and shooting stereoscopic productions.

It has two modes of operation; one for finding interaxial distance for a given focal length, subject distance and desired parallax, the other for calculating parallax for a given focal length, subject distance and interaxial. The software also allows you to calculate what effect a certain amount of parallax on a given screen size at a given audience distance will have in terms of perceived out-of-screen distance and eye angle (converged/diverged) of the audience when looking at maximum positive parallax subjects.

The software is in beta at the moment, and only available for PC. You can download a 20 day trial here: http://www.inition.co.uk/inition/product.php?URL_=product_stereovis_inition_stereobrain&SubCatID_=81

Inition hopes it proves itself useful in taking some of the guesswork out of shooting in 3D. It’s aimed at an audience that understands the principals of 3D and should be particularly useful to any stereographers out there. It’s also useful in CGI production.

Lees meer…

3D Digital Cinema is the new trend – particularly in the US. more3D and its partners Adobe, Maxon, fmx/09 and the Digital Production Magazine now start “invaZion ‘09″ the world’s first challenge for stereoscopic short films. Among many other prizes, the grand prize includes a complete 3D stereo projection system by more3D. Ambitious 3D artists from all over the world are invited to join at http://www.invazion.org.

Thanks to the unrivalled success of the latest digital 3D movies particularly in the US, a new interest in 3D stereo has awoken world wide. Hollywood studios, movie theatres and even manufacturers of home cinema equipment are jumping into the quickly emerging market. No wonder, because 3D movies have many economic advantages over regular 2D film releases: movie theatre managers celebrate rising visitor numbers, against the overall trend. The greater visual experience of 3D films lures back old customers and attracts new ones alike. Film distributors and producers warmly welcome higher box office results. An additional bonus is the fact that 3D movies cannot practically be illegally copied – a brought in camera would only record two overlaid images.

The overall 3D market suffered from a classical “chicken egg problem” for many years. Without good 3D content there is no sufficiently sized demand for home cinema or 3D-TV equipment and vice versa. 3D viewing pleasure in the cosiness of ones home was therefore restricted to a few individuals with slide projectors or PC based projection systems. Until now. The home entertainment industry is working hard to create a standard, but it will take a minimum of 1-2 years for something to be published and converted into actual products. Until then viewers will have to utilize the legendary but unloved pair of red-cyan anaglyph glasses. At least they can be used with almost any existing TV device.

“But why are there so few 3D movies on the market?”, one might ask. It is not at all simple to create good looking 3D movies. While editors know the do’s and don’ts of classical 2D films, making a 3D film is a totally different challenge because every object now has a place in space which has to be considered. It offers a whole new toolset for dramaturgy and storytelling which emotionally involves viewers deeper into the action. Professionals use 3D to support their story and avoid “throwing pie at the audience” for pure effect.

Ingo Nadler, co founder of more3D, Germany says: “Just adding a second camera does no good. 3D film is a new medium, just as colour film used to be. The laws and possibilities of this medium have to be researched and probed in practice. more3D intends to give creative talent all over the world the opportunity to use the invaZion challenge to tell their stories more intensively than ever and create compelling “tangible” viewing experiences. While invasion is just the beginning, more3D and its partners now already offer the tools for great 3D content.

Producers have had access to professional tools for the creation of 3D movies since the dawn of digital film making. Yet still, newcomers and pros have to learn the new dramaturgical rules and visual opportunities of 3D production. For this very reason more3D and its partners Adobe, Maxon, the fmx/09 and the Digital Production magazine send a clear signal towards 3D stereo, the medium of the future with invaZion – the first worldwide challenge for stereoscopic 3D short films.

3D artists, designers and film professionals all over the world are invited to create complete new films tailored to 3D or transfer existing films into the new dimension and register at www.invazion.org. Early 2009 a high class jury with film and industry experts will closely evaluate the participants’ productions in the categories “Stereoscopic Storytelling” and “Excellence in Visual Arts”. The winners will be rewarded with valuable prices, including among others a complete more3D projection system worth over 15.000 Euro that plays 3D films, applications and even games in 3D stereo. Many more awards are sponsored by the invasion partners. The winners will be announced in May, 2009.

“invaZion’09″ is a great opportunity for young film makers to gather experience with 3D film production and post production. With Adobe Creative Suite Production Premium and products like After Effects and Photoshop, Adobe offers the ideal tools for this task today”, says Michael Moertl, Business Development Manager with Adobe Germany.

Matthias J. Lange, Chief Editor DIGITAL PRODUCTION, comments: “invaZion is refreshingly different from other competitions. It is the challenge of a new dimension. Stereoscopy is the trend of the future and invaZion fills this future with new content.”

“The signs of the times point towards stereoscopy. CINEMA4D and the stereo camera setup for download at the invasion web site provide an invaluable contribution. Ease of use and the seamless integration into a production pipeline (e.g. using Adobe After Effects) make CINEMA4D the ideal tool for stereoscopic film making”, says Dirk Beichert, Marketing Director of MAXON Computer GmbH.

Lees meer…

Inition have developed a stereoscopic calculator called StereoBrain based on practial experience of planning and shooting stereoscopic productions.

It has two modes of operation; one for finding interaxial distance for a given focal length, subject distance and desired parallax, the other for calculating parallax for a given focal length, subject distance and interaxial. The software also allows you to calculate what effect a certain amount of parallax on a given screen size at a given audience distance will have in terms of perceived out-of-screen distance and eye angle (converged/diverged) of the audience when looking at maximum positive parallax subjects.

The software is in beta at the moment, and only available for PC. You can download a 20 day trial here: http://www.inition.co.uk/inition/product.php?URL_=product_stereovis_inition_stereobrain&SubCatID_=81

Inition hopes it proves itself useful in taking some of the guesswork out of shooting in 3D. It’s aimed at an audience that understands the principals of 3D and should be particularly useful to any stereographers out there. It’s also useful in CGI production.

Lees meer…

3D Digital Cinema is the new trend – particularly in the US. more3D and its partners Adobe, Maxon, fmx/09 and the Digital Production Magazine now start “invaZion ‘09″ the world’s first challenge for stereoscopic short films. Among many other prizes, the grand prize includes a complete 3D stereo projection system by more3D. Ambitious 3D artists from all over the world are invited to join at http://www.invazion.org.

Thanks to the unrivalled success of the latest digital 3D movies particularly in the US, a new interest in 3D stereo has awoken world wide. Hollywood studios, movie theatres and even manufacturers of home cinema equipment are jumping into the quickly emerging market. No wonder, because 3D movies have many economic advantages over regular 2D film releases: movie theatre managers celebrate rising visitor numbers, against the overall trend. The greater visual experience of 3D films lures back old customers and attracts new ones alike. Film distributors and producers warmly welcome higher box office results. An additional bonus is the fact that 3D movies cannot practically be illegally copied – a brought in camera would only record two overlaid images.

The overall 3D market suffered from a classical “chicken egg problem” for many years. Without good 3D content there is no sufficiently sized demand for home cinema or 3D-TV equipment and vice versa. 3D viewing pleasure in the cosiness of ones home was therefore restricted to a few individuals with slide projectors or PC based projection systems. Until now. The home entertainment industry is working hard to create a standard, but it will take a minimum of 1-2 years for something to be published and converted into actual products. Until then viewers will have to utilize the legendary but unloved pair of red-cyan anaglyph glasses. At least they can be used with almost any existing TV device.

“But why are there so few 3D movies on the market?”, one might ask. It is not at all simple to create good looking 3D movies. While editors know the do’s and don’ts of classical 2D films, making a 3D film is a totally different challenge because every object now has a place in space which has to be considered. It offers a whole new toolset for dramaturgy and storytelling which emotionally involves viewers deeper into the action. Professionals use 3D to support their story and avoid “throwing pie at the audience” for pure effect.

Ingo Nadler, co founder of more3D, Germany says: “Just adding a second camera does no good. 3D film is a new medium, just as colour film used to be. The laws and possibilities of this medium have to be researched and probed in practice. more3D intends to give creative talent all over the world the opportunity to use the invaZion challenge to tell their stories more intensively than ever and create compelling “tangible” viewing experiences. While invasion is just the beginning, more3D and its partners now already offer the tools for great 3D content.

Producers have had access to professional tools for the creation of 3D movies since the dawn of digital film making. Yet still, newcomers and pros have to learn the new dramaturgical rules and visual opportunities of 3D production. For this very reason more3D and its partners Adobe, Maxon, the fmx/09 and the Digital Production magazine send a clear signal towards 3D stereo, the medium of the future with invaZion – the first worldwide challenge for stereoscopic 3D short films.

3D artists, designers and film professionals all over the world are invited to create complete new films tailored to 3D or transfer existing films into the new dimension and register at www.invazion.org. Early 2009 a high class jury with film and industry experts will closely evaluate the participants’ productions in the categories “Stereoscopic Storytelling” and “Excellence in Visual Arts”. The winners will be rewarded with valuable prices, including among others a complete more3D projection system worth over 15.000 Euro that plays 3D films, applications and even games in 3D stereo. Many more awards are sponsored by the invasion partners. The winners will be announced in May, 2009.

“invaZion’09″ is a great opportunity for young film makers to gather experience with 3D film production and post production. With Adobe Creative Suite Production Premium and products like After Effects and Photoshop, Adobe offers the ideal tools for this task today”, says Michael Moertl, Business Development Manager with Adobe Germany.

Matthias J. Lange, Chief Editor DIGITAL PRODUCTION, comments: “invaZion is refreshingly different from other competitions. It is the challenge of a new dimension. Stereoscopy is the trend of the future and invaZion fills this future with new content.”

“The signs of the times point towards stereoscopy. CINEMA4D and the stereo camera setup for download at the invasion web site provide an invaluable contribution. Ease of use and the seamless integration into a production pipeline (e.g. using Adobe After Effects) make CINEMA4D the ideal tool for stereoscopic film making”, says Dirk Beichert, Marketing Director of MAXON Computer GmbH.

Lees meer…

Last modified (1^st update): September 22^th, 5.30 am (local time, Cologne)

If you are planning to come to Photokina in Cologne, Germany, there are a couple of companies to visit. Below is a quick overview of some of the companies offering stereoscopic products and/or services.

Hall 6.1 / Booth A048 B049: Cheung Yun 3-Dimension Technology Int’l Ltd.

A so far unknown exhbit

Hall 10.1 / Booth D 21: S3D Expo

A whole booth full of 3D – showing state-of-the-art technologies, including a 42″ autostereoscopic display, 3D Home Cinema, synchronized cameras, Lenticulars etc.

If you wish to get in touch with the Stereoscopy.com Webmaster at the trade-fair, send an e-Mail. Details are available at http://www.stereoscopy.com/contact

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Arqiva has successfully delivered the world’s first transatlantic 3D High Definition broadcast, at the International Broadcasting Convention (IBC) in Amsterdam.

IBC chose Arqiva to provide the satellite connectivity between the USA and Europe, with other key technologies being provided by industry leaders including Real D, Christie and 3Ality Digital.

Over 1000 delegates watched a live interview with Dream Works Animation SKG CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg on Sunday 14 September. The satellite transmission was uplinked from Los Angeles, USA and transmitted in a single hop via the IS9 satellite owned and operated by Intelsat – Arqiva’s chosen Digital Cinema satellite partner. An Arqiva SNG truck downlinked the signal in Amsterdam, Holland, enabling the IBC audience to experience this world first.

“Digital Cinema is an important new medium and demand for alternative content is growing rapidly,” said Barrie Woolston, commercial director at Arqiva’s Satellite Media Solutions division. “Live 3D High Definition broadcasts add an exciting new dimension to the audience experience and present significant opportunities for live event organisers and exhibitors. The big screen is the perfect showcase for the 3D experience and this demonstration has highlighted its enormous possibilities for driving revenues across an exhibitor’s network.”

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