News

DASHWOOD UPDATES AND EXPANDS THE STEREO3D CAT PRODUCT LINE

Tim Dashwood — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 17:11:45 +0000

The award-winning Stereo3D CAT™ 3D calibration and analysis software has been updated to version 1.1 with new features and is now available in reduced-price and free versions

Toronto, Canada – April 12, 2012 – Dashwood Cinema Solutions, developer of stereoscopic software for the Mac, is pleased to announce the immediate availability of price-reduced and free versions of the award-winning Stereo3D CAT™ stereoscopic calibration and analysis software. This marks the first time powerful stereoscopic monitoring, analysis and playback software is available for use by anyone with a Mac computer and a compatible HD capture device.

“We are very excited to bring elements of this professional tool to the masses at absolutely no charge,” said Tim Dashwood, founder of Dashwood Cinema Solutions. “The full version of Stereo3D CAT has been used on major Hollywood and IMAX 3D projects with amazing results and now a free subset of those same features are available to anyone with a Mac, a compatible capture device and an HDMI1.4a 3D camera. Customers will experience a dramatic improvement in the quality of their 3D work, and I think it will also become a valuable training tool for budding stereographers.”

The free version of Stereo3D CAT includes the same parallax line guides, left/right solo, anaglyph, split displays, QuickTime playback and Stereo3D Visualizer of the full version, however it limits resolutions to HD and screen sizes to 3DTV or mobile devices. Depth analysis, side-by-side, line-by-line, checkerboard, superimpose, difference, Parallax Inspector, Alignment Tracker, 3D waveform/vectorscope, variable interaxials, are features only offered with the Personal license. Geometry correction, metadata logging, IMAX screen sizes, external output and phone tech support are features only included with a Full license of Stereo3D CAT. Customers who want to eliminate these restrictions can simply purchase a license for Stereo3D CAT software, starting at US$999 for licenses purchased online at Dashwood3D.com with the coupon code “NAB2012″. This coupon code represents a 20% discount and expires 04/22/12. The regular pricing starts at US$1249.

About Stereo3D CAT™

Designed by stereographers for stereographers, the award-winning Stereo3D CAT system is an indispensable calibration, monitoring, and analysis tool for Mac OS X. Its features include the patent pending Alignment Tracker, Stereo3D Visualizer™, Parallax Inspector™, Parallax Line Guides, Depth Analysis, 3D Monitoring Modes, Stereoscopic Waveform/Vectorscope, Geometry Correction and Logging Meta Data Support. Stereo3D CAT supports input from any QuickTime compatible capture devices and Blackmagic Design’s Decklink Extreme 3D or UltraStudio 3D.

Stereo3D CAT™ availability

Stereo3D CAT™ is available now at www.dashwood3d.com/stereo3dcat.php

The free version and a 15-launch full-featured trial are available for immediate download. For a limited time, licenses purchased online at Dashwood3D.com with the coupon code “NAB2012″ will start at US$999. This offer expires 04/22/12. This offer only applies to Stereo3D CAT licenses and excludes the Dashwood3D Chart and other Dashwood products.

Dashwood will be showcasing Stereo3D CAT in booth C9510 during the NAB 2012 show held in Las Vegas from April 14-19. Dashwood will also be showcasing its entire new product line, including brand new features in its Stereo3D Toolbox plugin for After Effects, Motion and Final Cut Pro.

To schedule a press briefing with Tim Dashwood during NAB, please contact Erin Shields (erin@dashwood3d.com)

Press Kit

A Press Kit with logos, screenshots and photos is available at http://www.dashwood3d.com/Dashwood_Stereo3D_CAT_press_kit.zip

About Dashwood Cinema Solutions

A part of the Noise Industries Development Partner Program since 2009, Dashwood Cinema Solutions is an R&D wing of Stereo 3D Unlimited, a Toronto, Ontario, Canada-based production company that specializes in pre-visualization, music videos and film production. Dashwood Cinema Solutions’ mandate is to find solutions to common problems in film production and post-production. Their award-winning flagship product, Stereo3D Toolbox™ is utilized by post-production houses around the world for easy stereoscopic 3D mastering on the Mac platform. For more information about Dashwood Cinema Solutions, please go to http://www.Dashwood3D.com

Stereo3D Toolbox, Stereo3D CAT, the Dashwood 3D Chart, and Stereo3D Visualizer are trademarks of Dashwood Cinema Solutions, a division of 11 Motion Pictures Limited. All other trademarks, registered trademarks and products mentioned herein belong to their respective owners.

Press Contacts

Zazil Media Group

Janice Dolan

(p) +1 617 817 6595

(email) janice@zazilmediagroup.com

xxx

DASHWOOD ANNOUNCES NATIVE HARDWARE SUPPORT IN STEREO3D CAT FOR BLACKMAGIC DESIGN’S ULTRASTUDIO 3D AND DECKLINK EXTREME 3D DEVICES

Tim Dashwood — Wed, 11 Apr 2012 17:10:18 +0000

The award-winning Stereo3D CAT™ 3D calibration and analysis software now natively supports 3D input from Blackmagic Design’s UltraStudio 3D or Decklink Extreme 3D.

Toronto, Canada – April 11, 2012 – Dashwood Cinema Solutions, developer of award-winning stereoscopic software, is pleased to announce 3D input support for Blackmagic Design’s UltraStudio 3D and Decklink Extreme 3D devices in the Stereo3D CAT v1.1 software update. When Stereo3D CAT is paired with either device on a Mac, users can monitor, calibrate and analyze real-time stereoscopic 3D feeds from dual-SDI or HDMI1.4a 3D cameras.

“Blackmagic Design has set a new standard for affordable, portable, and user-friendly 3D products,” said Tim Dashwood, founder of Dashwood Cinema Solutions. “I really love the idea that anyone with a Thunderbolt equipped Mac can simply plug in the UltraStudio 3D, patch in a 3D rig or any compatible HDMI1.4a 3D camera, and then monitor or analyze a full-raster live image directly on the screen with Stereo3D CAT. Product integration like this really expands the accessibility of our tools.”

“With the advent of 3D we’re doubling up on everything” says director of photography Bert Dunk ASC, CSC. “Cameras, lighting, cables, it just goes up exponentially once you get into working with mirror rigs, so we are always looking for anything that can reduce the size of these on-set items… smaller pieces of gear, smaller tools to work with that can still do the job. I think that Stereo3D CAT running on a small Macbook and an UltraStudio 3D box is the perfect portable solution for that sort of thing.”

About Stereo3D CAT™

Designed by stereographers for stereographers, the award-winning Stereo3D CAT system is an indispensable calibration, monitoring, and analysis tool for Mac OS X. Its features include the patent pending Alignment Tracker, Stereo3D Visualizer™, Parallax Inspector™, Parallax Line Guides, Depth Analysis, 3D Monitoring Modes, Stereoscopic Waveform/Vectorscope, Geometry Correction and Logging Meta Data Support. Version 1.1 now also supports large format sensors and IMAX screen sizes. Stereo3D CAT also supports input from QuickTime compatible capture devices in addition to Blackmagic Design’s Decklink Extreme 3D and UltraStudio 3D.

Stereo3D CAT™ availability

Stereo3D CAT™ is available now at www.dashwood3d.com/stereo3dcat.php

The free version is available for immediate download. For a limited time, licenses purchased online at Dashwood3D.com with the coupon code “NAB2012″ will start at US$999. This offer expires 04/22/12. This offer only applies to Stereo3D CAT licenses and excludes the Dashwood3D Chart.

To schedule a press briefing with Tim Dashwood during NAB, please contact Erin Shields (erin@dashwood3d.com)

Press Kit

A Press Kit with logos, screenshots and photos is available at http://www.dashwood3d.com/Dashwood_Stereo3D_CAT_press_kit.zip

About Dashwood Cinema Solutions

A part of the Noise Industries Development Partner Program since 2009, Dashwood Cinema Solutions is the R&D wing of Tim Dashwood’s Toronto, Ontario, Canada-based production company that specializes in stereoscopic pre-visualization, music videos and film production. Dashwood Cinema Solutions’ mandate is to find solutions to common problems in film production and post-production. Their award-winning flagship product, Stereo3D Toolbox™ is utilized by post-production houses around the world for easy stereoscopic 3D mastering on the Mac platform. For more information about Dashwood Cinema Solutions, please go to http://www.Dashwood3D.com

Press Contacts

Zazil Media Group

Janice Dolan

(p) +1 617 817 6595

(email) janice@zazilmediagroup.com

xxx

John Harper, stereographer, The Three Musketeers & Resident Evil:Retribution

Dashwood Cinema Solutions — Thu, 29 Mar 2012 04:30:28 +0000

John Harper on the set of The Three Musketeers. Photo Credit:Rolf Konow, SMPSP

We generally like to shoot 3 to 4 rigs during a scene so it’s a challenge getting lens and the rigs lined up and preparing to shoot. The first camera assistant and the convergence puller sort of work as a team to get the size offsets, the roll, the near/far, and everything in line just before we shoot. The thing is, you’ve got one man at the rig, one man back at the convergence cart and they’re talking over walkie to help each other line the rig up.

The benefit I see with the Stereo3D CAT is the ability for one individual to do most of the work at the rig by himself and not have to deal with walkie cross-talk or other sorts of information coming in. He’s doing his job by himself which I think is a way more efficient way to line the rig up. So, my favourite feature is the alignment tracker.

I think that the common perception is that on-set or shooting live 3D is somewhat cumbersome and slow and I think a lot of producers, directors, DPs are leaning towards conversions because of that perception. What I would like to see, and what I think Stereo3D CAT can help with, is efficiency of shooting live 3D on set and being much quicker.
The other advantage of Stereo3D CAT is the ability to take our 3D equipment to different locations and training crews to be able to use the CAT very quickly and do the line-ups quicker, which means we don’t have to bring the specific 3D crew to, let’s say, Thailand. They’ve got good camera assistants over there, we can train the camera assistants or techs to use Stereo3D CAT to do the line ups and then I think it takes less experience using the 3D CAT than it would trying to train them in the more conventional methods.
That’s the other advantage, you don’t necessarily have to drag or equip your crews with a 17 inch or larger monitor you could probably or you can do it portably off a Macbook because now you’re relying on the mathematics or the geometry of the Stereo3D CAT.

(transcribed from an interview)

John Harper has over 17 years of Feature film technical experience under his belt. More importantly, he has spent the last 3 years working with 3D systems such as Pace, Element Technica and P+S Technik . Shooting 3D rigs with Sony F35, Arri Alexa, Phantoms, Wiesscam, Red Ones and Red Epics.
Over the past 2 years, John has trained camera crews (new to 3D) in Canada, England, Germany, United States and New Zealand. He endeavors to promote 3D as a medium and continues to search for better On Set Solutions for shooting 3D. Shoot 3D – All Terrains – All The Time.

Resident Evil Retribution- Stereographer and System Tech
47 Ronin 2nd unit- Stereographer and System Tech
3D German Telecom commercial -Stereographer and System Tech
The Three Musketeers- Stereographer and System Tech
Circus Soleil 3D- ( New Zealand portion) System Tech
Queen Elizabeth visit to Toronto – ( live 3d performance) 3D consultant
Resident Evil Afterlife – A camera Stereo First Assistant

Simon de Glanville, stereographer, IMAX Flight of the Butterflies, Enchanted Kingdom

Dashwood Cinema Solutions — Wed, 28 Mar 2012 04:31:23 +0000

As well as my conventional role as a DP, setting up shots and lighting, organizing camera moves, I also look after the 3D. So I work on a shot-by-shot basis with the director to find a satisfying and exciting 3D experience for the audience. Something that compliments that scene and creates a 3D look that feels real to the audience. Because a 3D space has to be relatively narrowly defined we can’t accommodate the world in the way we do with our own eyes. So the difficulty for me is trying to put a realistic or satisfying amount of volume into a scene while accommodating all of the aspects of that scene. I’ll have to try to control the shape and the size of the scene and the elements that appear within it. Particularly with nature documentary, my difficulties are often dealing with branches and foliage that exist closer to the camera than I’d like, and accommodating various elements of the scene that aren’t predicted because you’re working with a constantly evolving scene that you can’t necessarily rehearse.

One of the rigs used on IMAX Flight of the Butterflies. Red Epics with P+S Technik Freestyle

Shooting things in 3D is always technically more challenging. There’s twice as much equipment so twice as many things to go wrong. For our department often the most complicated thing is alignment… getting the two cameras to see exactly the same scene in the same way so that every aspect of that scene is perfectly aligned. Therefore alignment can take some time. Often the lenses you have from the rental house won’t actually be match pairs, so you can have complications in terms of getting them to match with the geometry and their scaling.

Apart from the main challenges inherent in aligning a beam splitter, the other main challenge is monitoring the constantly evolving parallax that you often have on documentaries. You don’t have the luxury of being able to rehearse or set the frame in the environment, so things are constantly changing and you need to be able to manage that and maintain a comfortable parallax throughout. So you really need to be on top of the overall parallax in the scene and be able to constantly measure it.

I used Stereo CAT on a natural history block of the IMAX film Flight of the Butterflies, and on that particular block we had a number of tools. We had Stereo3D CAT, we had a Transvideo monitor and we had a Marshall passive 3D monitor. I found myself using CAT the entire time throughout the shoot. In fact, the other two became redundant for me, mostly because the CAT alignment tools are so clear. For aligning the rig I find the tools very useful. We could look very accurately at the vertical alignments, the rotational alignments, things that become slightly difficult to see on a low resolution monitor become very easy to see with Stereo3D CAT. The fact that you can zoom in and look at those, the aspects of alignment made it very, very easy to get pixel perfect alignment. And I think the thing I enjoyed most about it is how clear the monochromatic anaglyph is. It was always very, very easy to see the overall level of parallax throughout the scene. It’s a very clear, high resolution picture and the offset is very clearly colour marked so you can put any flavour of grid references up and really easily measure to a fraction of a percentage point.

The other useful thing is that it appears to have no latency and particularly no latency between the two eyes. So with fast action and moving shots it became much, much easier to judge the overall parallax or the parallax on the subjects.
I also love the alignment inspector, which allows you to zoom in and very accurately measure any area of the scene so you can see visually the amount of offset of that particular part of the scene but it also gives a percentage and pixel value for the offset.

I think that the greatest thing about Stereo3D CAT is that it’s effectively a one-stop shop for all the stereo requirements you need on set. It’s great to have multiple tools available to you on set, you can just literally have a Macbook beside you. Obviously the alignment tools are very useful and the parallax inspector is very useful but it also has a 3D calculator attached which does the same math as any other 3D calculator but also has some very useful aspects in terms of a visualizer that allows you to see the volume and the position of various objects within theatre space relative to a particular viewing position within the theatre. It’s useful for demonstrating to directors and other people you work with what your intention is and how you intend to use the stereo within that scene. Probably the most useful aspect of CAT in a production mode is the fact that you can output the image to the director’s monitor with your hits and disparity correction applied so you can show the director what your 3D intention is going to be for that particular shot but also it allows you to show it to him in the best possible configuration.

The usefulness of CAT extends beyond the production stage. I’ve also found it to be very helpful in terms of communicating my 3D intentions down the pipeline. So after we’ve done the day’s shoot, I can have the DIT output the dailies in side by side, which I can put straight through CAT and then see my monochromatic anaglyph image and then I can do some very simple HITs (Horizontal Image Translations) on those and then CAT will give me a very accurate percentage value for that HIT which I can then pass down through the post pipeline. So I can take notes and then pass them on further down the line so I know that when dailies are being viewed or when promos are being cut it’s shown in the way that I’ve intended it to be viewed.

(Transcribed from an interview)

Trained at Image Quest 3D under the Oscar winning cameraman Peter Parks OBE, Simon de Glanville has developed a great deal of stereoscopic expertise. He has worked on a huge variety of 3D projects, from HD corporate films to IMAX documentaries, and is a member of the 3D consultancy Vision3.

Simon has been involved in 3D film making for over a decade and throughout that time developed a deep understanding of the various elements required to create an quality 3D experience.

His credits include:

Enchanted Kingdom (feature), Kingdom of Plants 3D (documentary), Madame Butterfly 3D (feature), Flight of the Butterflies (IMAX feature), Horrid Henry(feature), Pirates of the Caribbean 4 (2nd unit – feature), TT3D (feature doc), Carmen 3D(feature), Flying Monsters 3D (documentary), Samsung/NatGeo (commercial),Bear Grylls 3D (commercial), Samsung – Chelsea 3D (commercial), Port Baku 3D(corporate), Old Contemptables 3D (feature), 24 3D (commercial), Swan Lake 3D(live event), London Eye 3D (corporate), Toledo 3D (corporate), Starlight Express 3D (commercial), Cadbury 3D (corporate), Alien Oceans 3D (documentary), Bugs 3D (IMAX Feature)

David Stuart, 3D rig technician – 3D Camera Company

Dashwood Cinema Solutions — Wed, 28 Mar 2012 04:31:10 +0000

David Stuart

I’m typically a second assistant camera and mirror rig technician. In the 3D department I’m the one responsible for making sure the cameras are aligned. Sometimes depending on how many cameras we have I’ll also pull convergence, but most of the time I align all of the rigs and get everything evened out for the stereographer so that he can do his job properly.

The biggest challenge on set is working within an already existing camera department, a lot of the times first assistants that don’t have a lot of 3D experience are generally quite hesitant about me being around the camera and letting me do my job. So a lot of the time I spend just getting in whenever I have a few moments to tweak the rig. On some of the longer format things I’ve done, more studio based typically, I don’t get very much time at all around the camera. I get a few minutes, whereas to do a proper alignment you need at least five minutes. I’ve even been aligning as the Steadicam goes to set more than once so a lot of my time I spend just chasing the camera.

Because on most sets I don’t have very much time at all to do my job, it’s important that what I am doing is very accurate and very quick so Stereo3D CAT helps me to look at a sub-pixel level, and at the alignments that I’m doing which most on-set monitors don’t. So rather than spending three minutes on alignment and running back when I think I’m finished, looking at it on video village, realizing that it’s actually out a bit, so you run back to the camera, make an adjustment, etc. Whereas when using Stereo3D CAT I’m able to scan, look at everything, make my adjustments very accurately and very quickly and minimize the amount of times that I have to run back to the camera.

Another one of the larger challenges I have on set is with 3D becoming so popular so quickly a lot of things are running to catch up and video monitoring is one of those things so a lot of the times we can be dealing with eyes being out of synch or just having one or two seconds of lag which, when you’re aligning, can be quite difficult because it’s hard to align when the eye is sort of like an elastic band and just sort of comes in and out. So with Stereo3D CAT there’s no latency so I can trust the image that I’m looking at and we’re able to work much quicker and much more effectively.

The feature that I use most in Stereo3D CAT is the parallax inspector because of its ability to look at things with an intense magnification. I’m able to know 100% that my alignments are perfect and I don’t have to redo things time and time again after looking at them on various size monitors on the set.

Groundbreaking 3D Calibration and Analysis System is Released

Dashwood Cinema Solutions — Wed, 14 Sep 2011 04:06:49 +0000

Award-winning Dashwood Stereo3D CAT™ delivers lightning-fast live depth
analysis tools and disparity/alignment tracker for 3D camera calibration

Toronto, Canada – September 14, 2011 – Dashwood Cinema Solutions developer of cutting-edge Mac®-based stereoscopic 3D (S3D) products, is pleased to announce the availability of the award-winning on-set calibration and analysis system – Stereo3D CAT™. Introduced at NAB 2011, Stereo3D CAT won “Best in Show” for its abilities to simplify stereoscopic 3D camera calibration and monitoring. 3D production and rental facility, 21st Century 3D, is one of the first power production operations to add Stereo3D CAT into their arsenal. “With the recent proliferation of stereoscopic 3D live action production, we have seen many newcomers charging into the field,” comments Jason Goodman, CEO, 21st Century 3D. “Stereo3D CAT gives experts and novices alike the tools they require to empirically analyze their stereoscopic 3D images and eliminate guesswork in aligning 3D beam splitter rigs like the 21st Century 3D BX3.5. Stereo3D CAT demystifies many of the greatest challenges of shooting 3D, while simultaneously commoditizing the formerly expensive process of digital stereoscopic image analysis and reporting.”

Stereo3D CAT implements unique patent-pending technology to power systems for accurately aligning the geometry and colorimetry of stereoscopic setups, calculating proper interaxial separation for any given parallax depth budget, monitoring parallax and vergence in the scene, compensating for disparities in the image and logging all settings for future reference in production or post-production. Critically acclaimed IMAX 3D Cameraman and Stereographer Dylan Reade, known for his work on “Born To Be Wild,” was one of the first to beta test the Stereo3D CAT system. He has this to say about the new workflow solution: “Stereo3D CAT is a versatile tool that integrates many features formerly available only in a combination of high end systems, and it is poised to be a winner as a standalone approach to on-set stereoscopic monitoring.” Reade further adds, “The intuitive tools and features for alignment and parallax evaluation have been very well thought out. Of particular value is the ability to set and view HIT values in real time and the package is extremely portable. The small footprint was welcome on a theatrical set, but will be of even greater interest to smaller independent and documentary crews.”

Stereo3D CAT Feature Highlights:

Alignment Tracker™ with iPad® or iPhone® integration for lightning-fast rig alignment*
Stereo3D Visualizer to calculate dimensions of a scene, render a visual representation of the objects in the scene (including apparent roundness) and warn against settings that may cause viewer discomfort
Parallax Inspector™, which is a “magnifying glass” to confirm that positive parallax is within specified limits and will not cause divergence of the eyes
Stereoscopic Scopes including vectorsope, waveform and histogram overlay left and right eyes to aid with alignment of camera exposure, gamma and colorimetry
Stereoscopic Preview Modes including anaglyph, difference, split, side-by-side, line-by-line, and top/bottom
Depth Analysis mode to hi-light negative and positive parallax cues in the scene
Discreet or Muxed stereoscopic input*
External Output in side-by-side, top/bottom, or interlaced*
Transmits alignment data to iPad for display in Dashwood 3D chart*
Support for most third-party I/O video cards that are Mac Compatible*
Compatible with most Mac Pro and Macbook Pro models*

*See the Stereo3D CAT page for detailed system requirements and recommendations.

“What makes Stereo3D CAT so different is that it’s built by professionals who know the ins-and-outs of the rapidly changing stereoscopic 3D production industry,” says Tim Dashwood, Founder, Dashwood Cinema Solutions. “Since its introduction, our Stereo3D CAT beta has been in the field, supporting some of the industry’s most in-demand S3D production teams. The real-world application not only helped accelerate our development, it demonstrated just how powerful the new workflow was for production teams. Even very early on, one of the beta testers was able to use Stereo3D CAT to analyze S3D images for an upcoming feature film they were shooting. Stereo3D CAT was so successful, it actually supplanted the 3D field monitors that would normally have been used.”

Dashwood Cinema Solutions is dedicated to developing 3D solutions that facilitate 3D Stereoscopic Workflows from production through post. In addition to Stereo3D CAT, the company offerings include a DSC Labs produced Dashwood 3D Chart for manual rig alignment, or heightened calibration when working with Stereo3D CAT; and Stereo3D Toolbox for 3D mastering in post-production.

Stereo3D CAT is available today for 3D productions around the world. For more information about where you can purchase or rent Stereo3D CAT, please contact sales@dashwood3d.com.

About Dashwood Cinema Solutions

Stereo3D CAT™, Stereo3D Toolbox™, Dashwood 3D Chart™, Parallax Inspector™, and Stereo3D Visualizer™ are trademarks of Dashwood Cinema Solutions, a division of 11 Motion Pictures Limited. All other trademarks, registered trademarks and products mentioned herein belong to their respective owners.

Press Contact

Zazil Media Group
Kathleen Langlois
(p) +1 413 374 7655
(email) kathleen@zazilmediagroup.com

Zazil Media Group
Janice Dolan
(p) +1 617 817 6595
(email) janice@zazilmediagroup.com

3DTV interview with Tim Dashwood

Dashwood Cinema Solutions — Thu, 30 Jun 2011 06:28:04 +0000

Originally published on 3DTV.com June 20, 2011
by Marshal Rosenthal

3DTV
Let’s begin with what the challenges of shooting 3D are for the videographer?

Tim Dashwood
The list of challenges for shooting stereoscopic 3D is very long. Traditionally every cinematographer has always attempted to create depth in a scene through lighting, camera placement, camera movement, occlusion and lens selection. Some of those same techniques that work very well in 2D can actually hinder the creative process when shooting stereoscopic 3D. It almost requires ignoring your instincts and a necessity to retrain yourself on how to be creative within the limitations of S3D. Once you have been doing it for a long time you begin to think in 3D and get quicker and quicker at choosing the correct convergence and interaxial separation. You owe it to your whole audience not to cause eyestrain.

3DTV

How do you compare the “physical scene” to the “projected scene” as regards 3D?

TD
[In] reference to the physical scene versus the projected scene, it is easy to memorize a set of rules and a list of scenarios to avoid, but to truly become a skillful stereographer, you need to be able to fit your depth bracket (the depth of the scene) into the parallax budget for your target screen size.
Of course it isn’t as simple as just following an algebraic equation because there needs to be a consistency between shots and a depth script should be respected throughout the project. The challenge is to balance the director’s desire to utilize depth cues whenever possible and the goal of not taking your audience on a roller coaster ride for the whole film.

3DTV
Let’s talk about your software program, Stereo3D CAT. What’s the problem that it’s designed to solve, and how does it go about doing it?

TD
Stereo3D CAT is a collection of new software tools that can be added to the stereographer’s arsenal to help him save time on set and communicate with the other creative departments on the project.
When combined with the Dashwood 3D chart from DSC Labs, it can help calibrate the stereoscopic camera rig alignment much faster than [was] humanly possible before. It reads special markers on the chart and provides the rig tech with exact measurements (wirelessly via iPad) that aid in the alignment on all 3 axes for each camera. It also helps match color and gamma between the cameras and can flag issues with shutter sync. But camera alignment is just one small aspect of Stereo3D CAT.

Continue the interview at 3DTV.com

Stereo3D CAT wins 2011 Vidy Award

Dashwood Cinema Solutions — Wed, 20 Apr 2011 03:44:26 +0000

Stereo3D CAT has been awarded the 2011 Vidy Award to recognize achievement in the advancement of the art and science of production and post-production technology.

From the editors of Videography Magazine, the Videography Vidy Awards are the longest-running awards program at NAB. We are proud to accept this prestigious award, another significant milestone for the company.

LE 3D Editing Software Reviewed

Dashwood Cinema Solutions — Thu, 14 Apr 2011 19:02:00 +0000

Originally published in Videomaker Magazine April 2011
by Mike Houghton

If you’re interested in creating 3D video, this plug-in provides a great way to mix your footage together for a reasonable price.

Unless you’ve been avoiding the movie theater for the last couple years, you’ve likely seen a 3D movie, possibly with explosions and car chases, bursting from the screen. Perhaps as you left, you held onto your 3D glasses thinking: “I wonder if I can make my own 3D videos.”

Yes you can. You’ll need two cameras or a special adapter to record 3D images. Once you have the footage, you’ll have a new problem: crafting a stereoscopic video. Bring in Stereo3D Toolbox LE and a lot of the hassle of doing that is gone. And depending on how you eventually show your 3D video, those theater glasses might come in handy after all!

Upgrade to the Third Dimension

Stereo 3D Toolbox LE is available through the Noise Industries FxFactory plug-in suite.

It’s compatible with Final Cut Pro, Adobe After Effects, Motion and even Final Cut Express. FxFactory is a plug-in manager that is free to download and install and includes plenty of demo plug-ins. Once installed, the plug-ins will appear in the “effects” tab in Final Cut Pro. If you’d rather not see particular filters, you can unselect them in FxFactory to tidy things up.

Mixing it Up in 3D

The Stereo 3D Toolbox LE mixes two separate footage tracks into a single 3D video. Footage has to either be separate clips from separate viewpoints or side-by-side, which is a common 3D format. It doesn’t handle footage acquired “natively” or “baked” formats. Just as you can’t remix the ingredients of a baked cake, it doesn’t remix video already in one flattened 3D signal. You must start with separate ingredients.

Initially, some of the plug-in terminology is confusing to those not acquainted with 3D jargon. However, there’s a big “click here for help” button in the settings panel that opens a webpage, which details what the buttons and sliders do. It uses some big words, but still explains details in a user-friendly way.

When you have suitable 3D footage, place it in the editing timeline, go to your “effects” tab and apply the Dashwood Stereo 3D Toolbox LE filter. Then input what kind of format the footage is, either by adding the second track or setting the filter to work with side-by-side footage. The filter mixes them together and creates the 3D footage.

One downside with separate left and right video files is that in order to keep the timing of the footage locked you have to “nest” the sequence. Moving the footage without doing this throws the timing of the two video tracks off. It’s not difficult to do, but it is one more step.

A Little More to the Left

Presto, your footage is 3D! But what if it’s misaligned? If the camera position, rotation or zoom was off on set, does that mean a re-shoot? Not always. Three filter controls can fine tune the vertical, rotational and zoom disparity of the images. The vertical disparity moves the images vertically to align properly. If one of the video cameras was unintentionally too high, this will help bring the footage together. Same for the other two controls, except they change the rotation and zoom respectively. Shooting with two cameras is tough enough and this takes the edge off getting everything absolutely perfect on set.

There’s also a convergence adjustment. Essentially, this controls how far forward or back objects appear in 3D. Further down, an option for “autoscale” clips off the outside sections of the footage where only one of the two video layers exists. Without this adjustment, there would be leftover, non-3D footage, on the side of the screen. By turning autoscale on, the video scales up and the unused portions are not a problem.

To the Theater

So, you’ve tweaked the footage to perfection, now it’s time to pick a format. Depending on your equipment, you have some choices here. Stereo3D Toolbox LE has several 3D modes to choose from. You can go retro with red/cyan anaglyph, or you can stay modern with either interlaced 3D, for use with Passive Polarized 3D monitoring systems, or side-by-side 3D, a common standard of 3D formats. While anaglyph might not be cutting edge, it’s viewable on any television and the Internet with the proper 3D glasses. The latter options cater to more recent 3D display technology.

Looking at the Big 3D Picture

Stereo 3D Toolbox LE is a powerful tool, valuable for intermediate and advanced video enthusiasts. Professionals might want to check out the full Stereo3D Toolbox as it provides much more control, however it comes with a bigger price tag. The lite edition is great for those starting to explore the possibilities of 3D video. It provides a way to mix 3D footage in a format compatible with 3D viewing equipment. For the price, it’s not only a bargain; it’s almost a steal.

Stereo3D Toolbox 3.0 adds real-time playback

Dashwood Cinema Solutions — Tue, 12 Apr 2011 17:34:45 +0000

Originally published on MacNN April 12, 2011

3D developer Dashwood Cinema has announced an update to its stereoscopic 3D mastering software, Stereo3D Toolbox 3.0. The set of nine plug-ins can align stereoscopic videos, reduce ghosting and adjust parallax, among other options. The plug-ins are built on Noise Industries’ FxFactory platform and work with Adobe After Effects, Apple Final Cut Pro, Apple Motion and Apple Final Cut Express. Version 3.0 introduces streamlined code that speeds up operation, including faster previews and real-time playback on supported hardware.

New to v3.0 are multi-input management options for multiple-interaxial rigs, parallax inspection and depth analysis tools. Custom anchor points are now available for keystone/tilt/rotation disparity correction. Many features have been brought from Dashwood’s just-announced Stereo3D CAT system, such as Dashwood 3D Chart auto-calibration.

The suite requires Mac OS X 10.5 and a supported graphics card; it works with a minimum of Final Cut Studio 2, After Effects CS3 or Final Cut Express 4. The suite costs $1,500, with a discount to $1,200 during the NAB show through April 18. The current shipping product is the older v2.0 release, with version 3.0 — a free upgrade for 2.0 owners — to launch in the second quarter.