2 questions on Stereo 3D toolbox

[Istvan Toth]

...ah, finally a s3d product which gives more importance to the geometric
corrections then to the color corrections. (OK Ocula I admire too)

I'm only sorry to see (if I'm correct) that on the side-by-side mode the
picture gets horizontally 50% squeezed. I have no idea how to project this
in a 2 projector polarized filter system. If the side-by-side pictures would
not be squeezed then I could project it directly to two separate projectors even with the Macintosh.

Second questions, do you offer only vertical interlace or is there an option
for horizontal interlacing too? I refer to the Hyundai monitors.

Congratulations for your product and other questions I will put only after I
bought the product:)
Istvan Toth

PS: I tried to download the Demo, unfortunatley after the file FxFactory.dmg is there it gives me Activation Failed before I do anything.

[Tim Dashwood]

Originally Posted by Istvan Toth

...ah, finally a s3d product which gives more importance to the geometric
corrections then to the color corrections. (OK Ocula I admire too)

I haven't had first-hand experience with Ocula but I hear it is quite good. I am working on implementing keystone correction in v1.1 as well.

Originally Posted by Istvan Toth

I'm only sorry to see (if I'm correct) that on the side-by-side mode the
picture gets horizontally 50% squeezed. I have no idea how to project this
in a 2 projector polarized filter system. If the side-by-side pictures would
not be squeezed then I could project it directly to two separate projectors even with the Macintosh.

The option is there for both side by side and over/under stacked to uncheck "Output 2:1 Squeezed." It defaults to "on" because side by side squeezed is becoming a standard format for the new generation of LCD displays with XPol passive screens. Hyundai IT and JVC already have theirs and Panasonic & Sony were demonstrating theirs are NAB.

Originally Posted by Istvan Toth

Second questions, do you offer only vertical interlace or is there an option
for horizontal interlacing too? I refer to the Hyundai monitors.

I have been toying with horizontal interlacing but I don't have a monitor to test it. I even left a spot for it in the output mode drop down. Which models of Hyundai IT monitors support this format?

Originally Posted by Istvan Toth

Congratulations for your product and other questions I will put only after I
bought the product:)

Please download and play with the demo before you buy. I've thrown everything I use in my day-to-day stereoscopic work into the 'toolbox' but I welcome feature suggestions as well as reports on problems. This product only existed in my mind two months ago so I'm still trying to improve it.

Originally Posted by Istvan Toth

PS: I tried to download the Demo, unfortunatley after the file FxFactory.dmg is there it gives me Activation Failed before I do anything.

Hmmm. Did you get to the installer? I think a new version was just uploaded about an hour ago so please try to download FxFactory again and then install. Noise Industries - Download

Have you upgraded to Snow Leopard yet?

[Tim Dashwood]

One more note on the unsqueezed mode for side by side.

You will have to make a sequence and slug that is twice the width of your source images to maintain full resolution. So 1920x1080 will end up being 3840x1080. Apply slug and then apply the Stereo3D Toolbox to it. Use the image well option to input your left and right eyes into the slug.

[Istvan Toth]

Hi Tim
only since 2 months you are working on this? Wouw!
Anyway I made it to download the Demo and indeed I see that this one is done by somebody who has some s3D blood in his arteries:)

In 2-3 days I will write more about the experience I made with it.

One thing I see already now, I would very much love to have reference-lines to set correctley the vertical parallax. Or what about the solution which is used in StereoMovieMaker? They copied a technic used in the astronomie where 2 images get continously substracted by each other and from the differences you can see visually down to pixelprecision where missalignments are present.

I agree many programs start to use the 2:1 squeezed format as default, but I don't like it. I prefer to preserve during the editing process as much of pixels I can. I think in 2-3 years we will have better s3D monitors and I would hate to see my footage cut down to 50% of the visual information. Also on the Macintosh a 1:1 side/side quicktime clip can be projected without problems with a 2 projector system, whereas a 2:1 format would need some conversions.

BTW when I use non gen-locked consumer cameras then I prefer to sync the L/R clips by using the sound track. Every consumer camera records the sound so I see it as the easiest way to do it in FCP. There is also another nice advantage, I can quickly jump to different parts of the clip and controll if later on there where some framedrops and maybe fix them. So what I do now is clapping my hands as in he beginning as at the end of each scene.

Ocula has a nice feature and one day I may buy it only for that: you can change in post the interocular distance. Obviously not more then 10-15 degree but it is enough to reduce a horrible Liliput effect.(Something I hate in most of the current s3D movies.)

Again, thank you for having developed this wonderful product
Istvan

[Tim Dashwood]

Those are both great suggestions and they will find their way into v1.1 (actually I already had difference mode in an earlier version.)

The only problem with unsqueezed side by side and the filter structure of Final Cut Pro is that the filter can only occupy the same dimensions as the source clip and not the sequence.
This is why you need to use a piece of slug that is double wide to accommodate unsqueezed side by side.

The side by side format is going to be around for a while. It is what Nippon and Hyundai IT have been using for broadcast in Japan and JVC's new 3DTV also uses this format.

However I think the best archival mode (if you aren't using unsqueezed) is over under with the split field option. By splitting the fields before squeezing into over/under I was able to maintain full resolution of converged objects or text when unsqueezed to interlace mode or displayed on an interlaced XPol screen.

I've seen that virtual interaxial feature in Ocula demonstrated and it is pretty cool. It isn't always perfect (because it is basically morphing a new POV between the existing left and right eye views) but is good enough for fixing hyper-stereo in most situations. I doubt a feature like this will ever make it into Stereo3D Toolbox. Morphing is beyond the scope of my programming expertise.

[Istvan Toth]

Originally Posted by Tim Dashwood

.....
This is why you need to use a piece of slug that is double wide to accommodate unsqueezed side by side.
.......
.

Now I have to make a stupid question concerning FCP, but how to you create an empty "slug"?

[Tim Dashwood]

Make your sequence first at whatever final resolution you want. Then from the generator menu select slug and then overwrite/insert into your sequence. Slug will take the same resolution as the sequence.

Apply Stereo3D Toolbox to the slug and then use both image wells for your left and right sources. This method will allow you to do unsqueezed modes (assuming your graphics card can handle the much wider resolution.)

Generators in FCP are limited to 2 minutes in length so the only workaround if you need something longer is to create your own (with lots of slug in a sequence and then export as a quicktime, then re-import)

[Istvan Toth]

Originally Posted by Tim Dashwood

Make your sequence first at whatever final resolution you want. Then from the generator menu select slug and then overwrite/insert into your sequence. Slug will take the same resolution as the sequence.

Apply Stereo3D Toolbox to the slug and then use both image wells for your left and right sources. This method will allow you to do unsqueezed modes (assuming your graphics card can handle the much wider resolution.)

Generators in FCP are limited to 2 minutes in length so the only workaround if you need something longer is to create your own (with lots of slug in a sequence and then export as a quicktime, then re-import)

Thanks. It worked fine.
I still struggle with the master comands, there is something I probably miss, but will come back to you later with it.

I have a 1680X1050 xpol Hyundai 22" monitor... Those monitors don't recognise the side-by-side format but only the horizontal interlace metod.
Thanks
istvan

[Carlton Bright]

Hello,
This thread has been very informative,
Thank You,
Carlton