Dzignlight Studios Stereoscopic 3D Computer Animation for 4D ride films

Stereoscopic Production at Dzignlight Studios

What is Stereoscopic?
Stereoscopic media, when displayed and viewed correctly, provides the visual illusion of physical depth to a three-dimensional object or scene while using a flat screen or projection surface. To display stereoscopic media, two slightly different images are displayed; one image is displayed exclusively to the left eye, and the other image is displayed exclusively to the right eye. If done correctly, the differences between these two images are interpreted by the brain and the viewer perceives the displayed media in three-dimensions in front of and behind a flat surface, when the surface itself is only two dimensions.

What do we do?
Dzignlight Studios creates stereoscopic animation and visual effects (VFX) for stereoscopic films and stereoscopic HD. We also do digital stereoscopic conversion of monoscopic (2D, single camera) footage -- a painstaking process that is more of an art than a science. We also produce stereoscopic time-lapse media, as well as stereoscopic 3D product shots. Our president has even shot award-winning live-action stereo productions. Our first company stereoscopic project was completed in 1999.

How is it displayed?
Though the concept of stereo cinematography is over 80 years old, the technology to view stereoscopic films and animations has been changing rapidly in recent years. There have been many different display systems developed for presenting stereoscopic media. They all use their own method of presenting separate sources to each eye. Each display system has pros and cons which should be evaluated based on the audience requirements. We have outlined many of the common delivery methods at the bottom of this page.

Dzignlight Studios specializes in having the resources and ability to produce media for any stereoscopic display system, even extremely new or custom systems, because we understand stereoscopic production and we can meet any set of specifications.

Dzignlight Studios has the experience and the tools to create comfortable, easy-to-watch stereoscopic media to enhance any audience experience!

Our Stereoscopic Demo Reel Our stereoscopic demo reel was edited at HD resolution for Real-D™ display technology and is in full color. Specialized viewing technology is required to see it in its full glory. We can provide sources for that technology, or in special cases, a stereoscopic demonstration can be scheduled here at our studios. In lieu of a personal demonstration, two lower-resolution versions of the reel are available online below. Remember that our reel was designed to be viewed on screens larger than 7 feet (larger than 2 meters) wide, so if you are viewing this on a smaller screen, you can expect the stereo effect to be decreased proportionally.
Demo Reel Separated Stereo version (over-under) This full-color 800x450 file was designed to be viewed using a stereoscopic playback system, and is compatible with Peter Wimmer’s “Stereoscopic Player” or the DepthQ™ projection system. A 720p version is available here. A high-bitrate 720p version is available here.	Demo Reel Anaglyph Stereo version (red-cyan glasses) Please note that many colors have been distorted and/or entirely removed during the anaglyph conversion process. For the best viewing experience, please use red-cyan glasses with the red lens over the left eye. (Please note that cyan is neither blue nor green) (if the above Quicktime isn't working, click here instead)
Unfortunately, our stereoscopic demo does not include examples of our stereoscopic conversion process, as most of our conversion work has been on shots from an upcoming feature film and cannot be released yet. However, we can say that according to sources at Paramount Pictures and Real-D, "even with exceptionally difficult shots", our stereoscopic conversions "are accurate and comfortable" to watch.
If you have problems viewing the reel, please refer to our FAQ.

Common Stereoscopic Display Methods

Stereoscopic Display Type	Description	Pros	Cons
Polarized (linear or circular polarization)	Left-eye and right-eye projectors send two different images to the same screen. Projectors have light-polarizing filters placed in front of each objective lens which correspond to the filters on the inexpensive glasses the audience wears. New polarized LCD flat screens are available, as well.	Uses inexpensive “take-away” glasses, and is very useful for large groups of people. Most venue/ride films and feature films are displayed using this technology. Dzignlight Studios has produced media for dual-projector, linear-polarization systems, as well as for the Real-D™ single-projector circular-polarization systems.	Specialized projector setup required, dual projector setups must be aligned correctly, and specialized silver-reflective projection screens must be used. Specialized media playback hardware is needed.
Shutter Glasses	Left-eye and right-eye images are alternated rapidly on a single screen at speeds of up to 120 times per second, and the viewer wears electronic LCD glasses which are synchronized to the screen/projector and only show the left and right images to the appropriate eye.	A special screen is not always needed, although several DLP flat-screen stereoscopic display products were released in summer of 2007, targeted at consumers. Shutter-glasses are useful for small groups of people in small spaces. Projector and monitor setups are inexpensive and done with off-the-shelf hardware.	Shutter glasses are moderately expensive, costing upwards of $80 each, and specialized media playback hardware is needed.
Head Mounted Display/I-glasses	Left-eye and right eye images are displayed directly to each eye using separate screens placed in front of each eye.	Although the display technology is specialized, no specialized playback hardware is needed for interlaced systems, and media playback can be done from any consumer DVD player or other video source.	The head mounted displays are expensive, costing upwards of $400 each. Only one user can view the media at a time. Field-sequential stereo may be inappropriate for fast-moving subject material.
Anaglyph (red-cyan)	Left-eye and right-eye images are tinted red and cyan, then superimposed, and the viewer wears red and cyan glasses which filter out the opposite-colored image and display the correct image to each eye.	Anaglyph media can be (more or less) viewed on any color display, so no specialized media playback or specialized display hardware is needed. This makes anaglyph, done correctly, the most appropriate solution for broadcast. The glasses are very inexpensive and usually made of cardstock, which means they can be included with publications or products easily, and printed with logos or other advertisements at low cost.	Color reproduction, if any, is poor. Some web compression & broadcast procedures will mangle anaglyph color values, inducing subtle ghosting artifacts.
Lenticular	A plastic sheet with small vertical lenses is aligned over a regular screen displaying horizontally-interlaced media, refracting the media so that different images are seen from different angles. Is usually presented as a "multiview" display, not just stereoscopic.	Viewer does not need to wear glasses.	Requires specialized display hardware. Has several to many zones in the viewing area where the stereoscopic effect is lost, unless more specialized hardware is used to track the primary viewer's eyes and present the stereo image correctly to that viewer's location.
Side-by-Side	This is a manual version of a head-mounted display. The left-eye and right-eye images are displayed side by side. The viewer aligns the images one over the other manually by either crossing or relaxing his/her eyes.	Viewer does not need to wear glasses, although some ancient lens systems were developed to simplify the problem of manually aligning the images.	Most viewers do not have the patience for this kind of stereoscopic display, and some find it extremely difficult to achieve satisfactory results.

To link directly to this page, use http://www.dzignlight.com/stereo

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