IBC 2011 stand number: 6.A01

At IBC 2011 emotion3D will present the Stereoscopic Suite X1, a software plug-in for Adobe After Effects that allows stereographers to optimize shot 3D film content for any 3D screen. emotion3D’s tool enables parallax adjustment in post-production, giving 3D film production companies the capability to leverage returns on film assets, create more rewarding experiences for audiences, and reduce the number of failed shots that have to be discarded.

Filming in 3D is “Tough as hell”, according to Michael Bay, director of the 3D film “Transformers: Dark Side of the Moon”, which recently reported the third largest worldwide opening in box office history. It’s tough because the 3D effect is baked-in to a film during shooting, where mistakes are easy to make but expensive or impossible to fix afterwards. As Walt Disney Studios’ vice president of production technology Howard Lukk recently explained, “There are enough things for the DOP, director and camera operators to try to track on the set as it is, without having to track interaxial and convergence… it needs to be less complicated”. This is a sentiment shared by SSX1 beta tester Wayan Palmieri, CTO of Digital Revolution Studios and others, which is leading to a more post-production oriented approach to making stereo feature films.

Anticipating this emerging demand, emotion3D developed an innovative software solution that enables stereographers to modify the 3D characteristics off-set, i.e. after filming. “Films that have been recorded with two or more cameras contain information about the scene geometry, specifically the relative distance of objects away from the camera. Based on this a so-called Depth Map of the scene can be computed. This enables new camera perspectives to be rendered, as though they had been recorded by additional cameras in different positions”, explains Mr Florian Seitner, CTO of emotion3D.

The perceived depth of a 3D scene depends upon a combination of the screen size and the distance from the screen to the viewer, which means that film shot for one display (e.g. TV) cannot typically be shown on another (e.g. cinema) without distorting the intended 3D impression – sometimes painfully. emotion3D’s plug-in allows filmmakers literally to edit in the 3rd dimension and optimally customize film sequences to any 3D display, whether cinema, home theater, TV or a mobile device.

Competing tools present the user with a dashboard of scientific-looking controls and parameters that have to be set up for each shot, which is time-consuming and can cause tempers to rise in the studio when schedules are tight. In contrast, the SSX1 tools are highly-automated, fast and robust over a wide range of content types. During development, emotion3D’s R&D team placed a strong emphasis on usability: “It’s so simple, even my 5-year old niece can dial the 3D effect up and down”, jokes emotion3D’s CEO, Tom Wilson PhD. A single slider enables stereographers to stretch or squash the 3D space (parallax), while another controls the extent of the pop-in/pop-out effect (convergence). Speed is another differentiator: the software is tailored to exploit the acceleration capabilities of multicore processors and graphics cards for maximum productivity. Furthermore, integrating the complex sub-pixel accuracy algorithms into After Effects ensures a smooth workflow.

After premiering this optical wizardry to great acclaim at the 2011 NAB Show, emotion3D will release the SSX1 to the international community of professional filmmakers in Amsterdam on 9th September at the IBC (International Broadcasting Convention). The team will be on hand to demonstrate parallax adjustment for re-purposing 3D TV content for headache-free viewing on the big screen. Visitors will be entertained by beautiful film scenes from Africa made for 3net by emotion3D’s content partner, Digital Revolution Studios – DRS (for 3D Safari LLC production, which is a partnership including Digital Revolution Studios and Wild Eyes Productions), and be able to see live on a 3D display how scene depth can be adjusted using the SSX1 plug-in sliders.

Pricing and Availability

Shipping from 9th September, the SSX1 is available for annual rental at $22,000 / €15,000. Customers should contact the emotion3D sales team directly at sales@emotion3D.tv.

www.emotion3D.tv
www.drs3d.com