Hello [FIRSTNAME]

We have a lot of new subscribers since the last issue, so I just wanted to say 'welcome' and to make it clear that 3Droundabout's remit is to cover any application that requires professionally produced stereoscopic 3D content. Of course film and TV grab the headlines when it comes to 3D - good or bad - but there's a lot of development going on in education and commercial applications too. For example, I've just spent the morning at Design London, a strategic partnership between the Royal College of Art and Imperial College, for the London leg of EON Reality's Virtual 3D Learning World Tour. Joined by Volfoni and Optoma, EON's Chairman Dan Lejerskar was keen to show how interactive 3D solutions can be used in education and training, and how these systems are becoming cheaper and easier to set-up.

So if you feel like sharing your experiences or opinions on any aspect of stereo 3D for any application, let us know - we're always looking for interesting stories and welcome new contributors. Our 2012 editorial calendar is also now available.

Finally, I'd like to highlight Al Caudullo's 'Faces of the Flood' charity campaign for the people of Lamlukka in Pathum Thani province of Thailand affected by the recent flooding. All proceeds from the sale of Al's stereo 3D photos and soon-to-be-released video will go directly to the people of Lamlukka to help them reconstruct their lives.

-Stella Plumbridge, Publisher

This month our articles start with Al Caudullo of 3DGuy Productions giving a fascinating account of his trip to the Gobi Desert to film wild horses. Steve Shaw of Light Illusion, serves up the third part of his enlightening seven-part series on the basics of shooting S3D. Part 3 looks at edge violations and floating windows.

Professor Dr Anne Bamford evaluates the effectiveness of 3D in education through research that shows a marked positive effect of the use of 3D animations on learning, recall and performance in tests.
 
Our case study this month is by David Cox of Sharp Cookies, who describes how 3D was used in a 4D experience at the Blackpool Tower visitor attraction in the seaside resort of Blackpool, UK. This project involved an impressive mix of live action, greenscreen and computer-generated imagery, and David gives many useful pointers. This is followed by a helpful explanation of how to calibrate 3D rigs by Florian Schäfer of P+S Technik.
 
Finally, Mike Knee of Snell provides an illuminating paper on techniques for automatic monitoring of stereoscopic 3D video, which provides an excellent reference for those involved in multichannel TV broadcasts. Enjoy!

-Yasmin Hashmi, Managing Editor