Technica 3D, pioneering designer and manufacturer of 3D Rigs, has teamed with Vision III Imaging and Thales Angenieux to showcase an integrated product for stereoscopic use at this year’s NAB Convention. Technica’s hardware precisely aligns and controls digital cameras for capturing stereoscopic 3D images for the film and television industries.

The technology demonstration integrates Vision III’s just introduced v3D™ parallax scanning stereoscopic lens system for digital cinema applications with a pair of RED One cameras mounted with two Angenieux OPTIMO DP 16-42 Digital Cinema zoom lenses equipped with the new v3® AX4 parallax scanning units. The combination of these technologies significantly enhances the quality and realism of two-camera 3D productions.

“There were so few 3D rigs out there that I originally considered building my own,” said Chris Mayhew of Vision III. “Then we saw the Technica 3D rigs at IBC, and knew they had just what we needed in terms of flexibility, ease of mounting, and calibration. Plus, we can easily change the 3D camera configuration from a side-by-side to beamsplitter arrangement.”

The Vision III footage will be on display in the Thales Angenieux booth (C6037) during exhibit hours at the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) Convention, to be held April 12-15 in Las Vegas. The results of combining Vision III’s technology with state-of-the-art 3D techniques – called “v3D™” – will be available for viewing in real time on a 3D-enabled TV in the booth.

The use of stereo-paired cameras utilizing Vision III lens technology dramatically improves 3D content by providing enhanced object definition in a more natural looking environment, largely eliminating the “cut out” effect of background imagery. Logistically, Vision III also provides the advantage of being able to reduce the interocular distance (distance between cameras), which reduces audience eyestrain, without sacrificing the perceived depth of the scene. Integration of Vision III’s devices with the Technica 3D rigs requires no change in the 3D production cycle, and its effects are an invaluable tool for DPs, Stereographers, Creative Directors, and Producers alike.

In addition to producing a superior 3D experience, a single channel (left or right) of a v3D production can be released as a depth-enhanced v3 image that will play on standard 2D displays. v3 technology has been previously utilized and broadcast by CBS Sports in its coverage of: NFL Football, the Men’s and Women’s U.S. Open (tennis), the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament and by NBC’s “The Biggest Loser.”

Technica 3D currently provides two different models of its 3D rigs to the 3D production market: the Quasar, designed to mount larger cameras such as the RED, Sony F23/35 and 1500, ARRI D-21 and Genesis and the ultra-small Neutron, designed for the tiny 2/3-inch or 1/3-inch imager cameras, such as the SI-2K MINI and the Iconix.

www.technica3d.com