Posts
FARO de Oriente Shot's
Recorded in the Sculpture Ride at the University City(CU) UNAM using the 3DiY camera's rig.
Tuesday, June 7, 2011 3D Test Results from Jordan and Mexico
Just a little show and tell here re some 2 camera tests for the C3DV project shot in 2 disparate locations by different clubhouse groups with separate camera rigs.
Jordan
Mexico
So far, real good.
Friday, April 29, 2011 Collaborative 3D Video Project Update 4/11 – Jordan, Mexico and South Africa onboard for Principal Photography
I just want to fill you in on some of the developments in the C3DV project that grew out of the ICCN annual conference recently in Los Angeles. The movie deal capital of the western world lent the project a little of its aura and we were able to take some big steps forward, most notably during a read through of the first draft of the completed script in a very speedy, informal session in the Biltmore hotel's lobby. Among those sitting in for the reading were Freedom Reign, from the Clubhouse in Hayward, CA and Suha Syouf and Saif Atari from one of the Clubhouses in Jordan, in the Middle East. Freedom discussed ways that his Clubhouse could develop much of the CGI needs of the project and Suha and Saif jumped in to take on much of the principal, live action, 3D videography. The script, originally written in English and Spanish (the Spanish scenes already pegged for shooting in Mexico City with the members of Alejandro Jiménez's Clubhouse) will now be shot in Arabic and Spanish and subtitled to accommodate members and audiences in various languages. Skype meetings are already in the works to begin the process of reconceptualizing the English language scenes for their new setting and any issues of cultural relevance. Following the reading we looked at imagery online of the areas around the Clubhouses in Jordan for suitable location settings. It looks to be an exciting transformation for the characters and setting of (formerly) Mike and Lee, and their CGI pet dog, now more likely a rabbit.
Part of the entusiasm for the shift to filming in Jordan was instigated by inadvertently seeing a video that Saif and Suha presented of a large, metal camera jib that one of their Clubhouse members had developed (video below). The idea of the 2 cameras mounted on the jib, shooting in 3D as they swept through space, was too exciting to ignore and we instantly found ourselves talking about the possibility of working together on this project. Before the conference had ended, the small camera package was passed on to Saif and the two Samsungs are probably already mounted on the jib as I write this. We'll post some test imagery of that as soon as it comes in. Alejandro has also purchased two Kodak cameras, similar to the Samsung cameras that went off to Jordan, so that his Clubhouse will be able to start shooting their scenes fairly soon.
And I can't leave out mention of the fortiutious discovery of some beautifully drawn work by members of Paballo Diboke's Clubhouse in Soweto, South Africa. These drawings sparked a conversation with him about filming some of the 2D scenes of the artist creating the characters as depicted in the script of first being introduced as a series of drawings that are eventually transformed into full, 3D, live action charaters. Paballo readily agreed to work with his members to draw and shoot the scenes needed for this portion of video. Skhumbuzo Ngobese, Coordinator of the Clubhouse in Etwatwa, also in South Africa, offered to help out with this part of the project.
Also, while at the conference, we held a panel discussion on the state of 3diy.blogspot.com and it's plans for the future and as a clearing house for information on the ongoing C3DV project. Many people have used the blog for the various demos, many unrelated to C3DV, and we hope to be able to continue posting fun 3D project demos and ideas going forward. So stay tuned. It will also continue to serve as the project page for C3DV as filming is about to get underway on 3 continents.
Lastly, the first draft of the script was completed with the members of Jeff Sweeton's Clubhouse outside of Chicago, IL. Members at Clubhouses in Utah, New York City and Bogota, Colombia all pitched in on the writing of the script. Jeff Sweeton pulled this whole aspect of the project together over several months. Without that effort this whole post would probably be about a cool camera jib video I saw while wandering around at the conference, but not too much about what was being done with it.
Home made camera crane \ رافعة كاميرا - صنع منزلي from PBYRC computer clubhouse on Vimeo.
أحد أعضاء نادي الكمبيوتر, أنس, قام بصناعة رافعة للكاميرا تسخدم في تصوير الأفلام, حيث قام بإعادة استخدام بعض الأدوات المنزلية بطرثقة ابداعية
سيتم استخدام هذه الأداة في انتاج بعض افلام النادي و دعم مشاريع برنامج أصوات الشباب "أدوبي" و أفكار أخرى
انتاج 2011
One of the clubhouse members, Anas, has built a home made camera crane for using in film making, he resued old material avialble at his house in a very creative way
this tool will be used in film some videos at the clubhouse, and supporting the Adobe youth voices program and other ideas
produced 2011
Tuesday, April 5, 2011 C3DV Green Screen Test - Mexico City to NYC
C3DV Green Screen Test - Mexico City to NYC from Computer Clubhouse on Vimeo.
This is just a quick test to see how some green screen shooting done at the Clubhouse in Mexico City (the boy and girl characters on a green screen) could be composed with other footage (dog, background, sound fx) created or acquired at another location (NYC). There are some chroma key issues, lighting/shadow problems, aspect ratio differences, etc. But the main point is just the facility of working w/elements from different sources. It took about an hour to put these elements together.
Friday, March 25, 2011 Setting Up the 3D Camera Rig
Here's a quickie demo of the point-n-shoot HD 3D camera rig for the collaborative 3D project. If you are at one of the clubhouses shooting scenes for this movie you will want to have a look at this video demo before you start shooting w/the rig. It's incredibly easy to set up and use but there are a few important things to remember:
Make sure the cameras are oriented in the correct left and right arrangement (they should match your eyes) and the centers of the lenses of the two cameras should be approximately 2.5 inches apart. If you are using the bracket mount that is currently with the rig (just a short length of metal bracket purchased at and cut by Home Depot) you will have the benefit of the pre-marked holes to mount the cameras into. If you're using a different bracket, just make sure there is a way to get the lenses the correct distance apart. If that angle distance widens too much, the footage may be unusable. Ideally, a bracket with slots, rather than holes, would be better for this purpose.
Once the cameras are arranged and the bracket is attached to the tripod (the cameras and tripod plate are attached with generic bolts and wingnuts that were purchased at Home Depot), and your actors are ready to roll, turn both cameras on, press record on each and then, BEFORE calling action, be sure to have someone clap their hands in front of the lenses to establish a synch point. THIS IS CRUCIAL FOR EDITING. Because the cameras aren't controlled by a single motor, it is impossible for them to start on exactly the same frame. The frame of video in each camera where the two hands meet gives the editor a perfect synch point for the rest of the shot. After the clap is complete, call action and have your actors perform their parts. THIS HAS TO BE DONE FOR EVERY TAKE. It's like the old hollywood movies when you sometimes saw someone holding a slate (or clapboard) and smacking the two top sticks together before action was called. That was done for synching sound and image. We're doing it to synch two left/right (eventually red/blue) images (the sound is already permanently in synch as they are now recorded on the same media).
Thursday, February 3, 2011 Stereographic photos with just one camera
Check out Keith's post on how to take 3D anaglyph pictures using a single camera. He has some pretty neat examples as well.
Thursday, November 18, 2010 C3DV - Tech Tests Update: CGI 3D to Anaglyph 3D
At long last, we've seen some 3d modeling conversion tests. And they look promising. As the requirements of the C3DV project call for mixing live action and animation in the same scenes, we decided early on to incorporate 3d modeling programs for the CGI material. Contributors to the project would be working in a variety of software programs--3D Studio Max, Maya, Poser, iClone, Blender, etc.--and the feeling was that we should do tests in each of these. The test were to prove that our theory of converting 3d modeling imagery to anaglyph 3d would work. And they did. You can see some early results below. The basic requirement for these artists was to emulate the double lensed camera approach to shooting live action 3d for anaglyph. To do that, each artist working on a test created two simultaneous (left and right) camera views in their program, with each virtual camera approximately 2.5 inches apart, just as w/the live action cameras (note: some programs offer far more specific control of camera placement than others). Then the outputted virtual camera files were sent off and processed for red and blue layering/blending in Final Cut in the same way as the live action footage. As we had hoped, the effect was exactly the same for both live action and CGI created imagery. The tests are extremely short and some are more effective than others, but you should be able to see an early, somewhat crude, working example of this technique in each of these. If you have any suggestions, or want to submit a test in another software, please feel free.
Poser by Sean Bryan at HCCI Computer Clubhouse, NY
3D Studio Max by Leontyne Robinson at the Harland Boys and Girls Club Computer Clubhouse, GA
iClone by Freedom Reign at Eden Youth and Family Center Computer Clubhouse, CA
Monday, November 8, 2010 3DIY - Dog Tutorial
3DIY- Dog Tutorial from Computer Clubhouse on Vimeo.
In this tutorial you will learn how to model the Disney character from the movie Bolt (2008), using Autodesk 3ds Max. This method can be applied when modeling any type of K9.
Tuesday, October 19, 2010 Collaborative 3D Video Project -- Story Treatment
This story was developed as a collaboration between participants of the Intel Computer Clubhouse Network, during the summer of 2010, interested in exploring three dimensional story development on an international scale. The Clubhouse Network empowers creative outputs and outcomes from underserved youth throughout the world and this story attempts to represent several key values expressed by teen and staff participants including:
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The next step is to begin writing the script based on the story treatment. I will be working on that with some of the members at the Howard Area Computer Clubhouse here in Chicago. However, we would really like to have your input into this process. Now that we have established the basic premise of the story, characters and locations, almost anyone that would like to write individual (or multiple) scenes can consider doing so. You can contact me for a full copy of the treatment as a guide to the scenes that need to be written and we can discuss what you might like to contribute. Our team here at Howard will take on the responsibility of coordinating any scriptwriting done throughout the network, and beyond, to make sure that it all fits together. You could write a lot or a little, and you can see your words turned into 3D action! Give it a try.
Prospective screenwriters, please get back to us by November 15th.
- an ability of youth to construct a world using illustration, Legos and media,
- self deception of youth following trauma,
- a dog viewed as an oracle but an unreliable source of direction and
- varied landscapes including a steampunk, fantasy garden, desert and urban milieu.
Untitled
A Synopsis in Three Acts
Act I
An Artist at a Computer Clubhouse creates Lee, an adolescent girl running away from her home with her family dog, Taymor (probably a cgi character), whom she was criticized for imagining was famous people. In another part of the world, Jose, an adolescent boy also flees his violent home but is followed by Esme, a teenage girl from that home.A Synopsis in Three Acts
Act I
Act II
Lee stumbles into a surreal industrial lot and is told by a seemingly wise prophet to enter a magical garden beyond the lot but she loses Taymor when she enters the garden. Jose leaves Esme and finds Taymor in the lot after it has been abandoned. Lee’s brother Mike, having followed her, discovers her in the garden.Act III
Lee, Mike, Taymor, Jose and Esme meet in the abandoned lot and, escaping an attacking Snake, realize they must join together to survive. The Clubhouse Artist puts them back in their respective homes with their new understandings.------------------------------------------------------
The next step is to begin writing the script based on the story treatment. I will be working on that with some of the members at the Howard Area Computer Clubhouse here in Chicago. However, we would really like to have your input into this process. Now that we have established the basic premise of the story, characters and locations, almost anyone that would like to write individual (or multiple) scenes can consider doing so. You can contact me for a full copy of the treatment as a guide to the scenes that need to be written and we can discuss what you might like to contribute. Our team here at Howard will take on the responsibility of coordinating any scriptwriting done throughout the network, and beyond, to make sure that it all fits together. You could write a lot or a little, and you can see your words turned into 3D action! Give it a try.
Prospective screenwriters, please get back to us by November 15th.
Monday, September 27, 2010 3D Portraits at the World Maker Faire 2010
A few of us from the HCCI Computer Clubhouse headed over to the big, gi-mongus DIY fest in Queens to run a little booth making 3d portraits. Anyone who came by our table and wanted to feel the 3d flow got snapped and photoshopped right before their paralaxed eyes (except for the one guy who had no depth perception, poor guy). Anyway, we were busy, as you can see from the photos and only stopped doing portraits when we ran out of glasses. The faire was a blast and if you were there, you probably had an incredible day. If you weren't, there's always the internet...
Your 3d Portrait crew consisted of Omar Diallo, Tyler Glover, John Watkinson, and moi. You shoulda been there.
If you want to try this at home, follow the video tutorial right here on this blog. Enjoy.
Your 3d Portrait crew consisted of Omar Diallo, Tyler Glover, John Watkinson, and moi. You shoulda been there.
If you want to try this at home, follow the video tutorial right here on this blog. Enjoy.
Wednesday, September 22, 2010 Autodesk Donation
I have compiled a list of the Autodesk software that was donated to the Intel Clubhouse Network that would be useful for the development of the movie. This is just a brief description to get familiar with what some of the software donated does.
MUDBOX digital sculpting and texture painting software gives modelers and texture artists the freedom to create production-ready 3D digital artwork without worrying about the technical details.
MOTIONBUILDER enables you to create more and higher quality animation. You can create, edit, and play back complex character animation in a highly responsive, interactive environment that is ideal for high-volume animation, virtual cinematography, pre-visualization, and performance animation.
SOFTIMAGE gives you the ability to quickly and easily create detailed simulated effects, advanced character rigs, and lip-synced facial setups. Enjoy expanded creative control over character animation.
AUTOCAD can be useful in designing and shaping the layout of the movie’s world. By designing the layout of the world it will help in telling the story properly. It will help in setting up the type of environment the character(s) will encounter.
AUTODESK SKETCHBOOK PRO is a painting and drawing software that offers the best-in-class sketching tools for professional designers and artists from all industries. Designed specifically for use with digitized pen tablets and tablet PCs, SketchBook Pro equips you with the tools you need to move easily from pen and paper to a digital environment.
Thursday, September 9, 2010 3D in the Teen Summit
There was a lot of 3D activity in the past Teen Summit in Boston. Here's a sampler:
Fred reports that his "3D Self-Portrait workshop went really well. We had a bunch of kids from all over the place, none of whom had done any 3D photography before. They watched the video tutorial that is up on the blog (and on the village) and then got right to work taking photos of each other and then editing them in Photoshop. In less than 3 hours everyone had a finished, anaglyph (red/blue) 3D image. Most were better than expected, especially for a first-time effort, which was even more impressive considering that they mostly worked on their own from start to finish."
Leontyne shares this about her workshop: "In the "Animate Your World" the teens learned how to do lip-sync animation and import sound into 3ds Max. The task before them was to use the sound recorder to record their voices. After recording their voices, they imported the sound into the software. That's when the fun part began: the teens then animated the facial controllers to match up with the sound bit for the character. This entire process of lip-syncing was fun for teens. Some of them had other teens and a Coordinator do the sound bits in different languages. They had so much fun that they wanted to meet again to keep working on the projects. It was a fun learning experience not just for the teens, but for myself also."
I was at the Augemented Reality workshop led by John de Felipe, from the Museo de los Niños Clubhouse in Colombia and people really enjoyed it. We designed our own planet by modeling a sphere in Blender, then applied to it a "planet" texture that we found online and finally exported it as a dae object that we could see float on top of a piece of paper with a black and white pattern when we put it on front of the webcam. The results are quite surprising.
Freedom lead a workshop using the I-Clone software to create a 3D talk show and commercial. Teens were introduced to how to use the software interface. They also learned the task of taking a picture of themselves, importing the image into the software, and designing a creator that look exactly like themselves. The teens also learned how to do a little bit of acting with their model, along with doing voice over.
Fred reports that his "3D Self-Portrait workshop went really well. We had a bunch of kids from all over the place, none of whom had done any 3D photography before. They watched the video tutorial that is up on the blog (and on the village) and then got right to work taking photos of each other and then editing them in Photoshop. In less than 3 hours everyone had a finished, anaglyph (red/blue) 3D image. Most were better than expected, especially for a first-time effort, which was even more impressive considering that they mostly worked on their own from start to finish."
Leontyne shares this about her workshop: "In the "Animate Your World" the teens learned how to do lip-sync animation and import sound into 3ds Max. The task before them was to use the sound recorder to record their voices. After recording their voices, they imported the sound into the software. That's when the fun part began: the teens then animated the facial controllers to match up with the sound bit for the character. This entire process of lip-syncing was fun for teens. Some of them had other teens and a Coordinator do the sound bits in different languages. They had so much fun that they wanted to meet again to keep working on the projects. It was a fun learning experience not just for the teens, but for myself also."
I was at the Augemented Reality workshop led by John de Felipe, from the Museo de los Niños Clubhouse in Colombia and people really enjoyed it. We designed our own planet by modeling a sphere in Blender, then applied to it a "planet" texture that we found online and finally exported it as a dae object that we could see float on top of a piece of paper with a black and white pattern when we put it on front of the webcam. The results are quite surprising.
Freedom lead a workshop using the I-Clone software to create a 3D talk show and commercial. Teens were introduced to how to use the software interface. They also learned the task of taking a picture of themselves, importing the image into the software, and designing a creator that look exactly like themselves. The teens also learned how to do a little bit of acting with their model, along with doing voice over.
Monday, July 19, 2010 3DIY: ROLLING THE DICE! Learn to model and animate dice in 3ds Max.
3DIY: ROLLING THE DICE! from Computer Clubhouse on Vimeo.
Learn to model and animate dice in 3ds Max. In this two part video, learn to model dice and animate it rolling in a scene. Enjoy!
Thursday, July 8, 2010 C3DV UPDATE: Cam Rig Tests
I finally had a chance to try out the 3D HD video camera rig that we showed off here in the update from the annual conference (Field Notes from Atlanta: Collaborative 3D Video Launch). Once you get your head wrapped around the fairly straight-forward set up and achieve a viable angle of parallax (to emulate both the distance between your eyes and the convergence of their individual sight lines)--which you do simply by screwing the 2 cameras close together on the metal bracket--it's remarkably simple to shoot and get very usable results for anaglyph 3D. The only thing you have to manually do to insure synchronicity between the two cameras is to "slate" each shot. In traditional filmmaking, slating (or clapping) is used to synchronize the sound and image recording devices (which is more of a film than a video thing from back in the day). Because the cameras don't start running at exactly the same time, the key issue for double camera 3D shooting is being able to synch up the two videos. I didn't have a slate handy, which would be convenient as you can write all kinds of useful info on them like scene and shot #, etc. (the cameras default file naming systems are not relevant to one another so sorting out lots of video files after you've finished shooting can be a bit of a mind bending experience that would be much relieved if you had an onscreen image at the head of each shot that made it obvious which two files went together). So I had to improvise and just clapped my hands together in view of both camera lenses in order to establish a synch point. (I've left Omar's clap in the second video so you can see a demonstration of this technique.) So, that's pretty easy to work out and you can quickly start shooting with a rig like this for 3D.
The slight bit of trickery comes in after you've copied the video files from the cameras' memory cards onto the computer you plan to edit with. Unfortunately, these lower-end HD cameras are not designed to create truly editable file types (and don't allow for the option to save at different codecs or file types). They default to .h264 files which are designed for exhibition (like a quick upload to YouTube) but not for editing. Pro edit tools like Final Cut and Premiere hate these files and will give you much misery (as they did me) when you try and cut with them. So, the little bit of trickery, and a bit of a pain, is too convert them before you edit with them. I used MPEG Streamclip to do this (free download) and was able to fairly quickly render them as useable .mov files for Final Cut. MPEG Streamclip is a fairly robust tool so I also trimmed the heads of each shot to the clap/synch signal and reduced the pixel size before converting the files. Then I imported them into a Final Cut project and simply laid them both out to start at the clap. I then created a channel setting in the color effects for the red and blue filtration which I saved as 2 favorite FX to be reused on all subsequent, anaglyph projects. This was simple to do and will be demonstrated in an upcoming post, complete with the shooting setup, tech info and tips, file conversion and final compression for upload of HD video results to web. For now, just enjoy these very short initial samples from the camera rig, which are really just a test to see if what was initially an idea about how to do this in a fairly simple, accessible and inexpensive way could work. I think it did. And once I put together some more tests and an easy to follow tutorial, you'l be able to borrow this rig (or make your own) and try some on your own. Warning: shooting in 3D this way is pretty addictive. It's hard now to think of a good reason NOT to shoot every Clubhouse video idea in 3D.
Test 1 is just 3 quick shots of some basic skateboarding into the cameras. I'm not quite satisfied by the effect as I was hoping to have the skater (Omar) and board feel more like they were coming right at you. That's going to take a little more work to figure out but we have a few ideas about how to do that. If it works out, I'll share that info in a follow-up post.
Omar Skating the Bronx in 3D - Cam Rig Test from Computer Clubhouse on Vimeo.
Test 2 is a quick improvisation with the tripod (all 3 legs pulled together) basically just dangled out over the bridge roadway as we were walking back from the Bronx where we shot the skating samples. I realized that the structure of the bridge and the traffic moving toward us could make for some interesting 3D so without much thought I just got a quick clap from Omar and extended the rig out into the traffic while slowly moving it around to take in views in a variety of directions. We slowed this down in Final Cut so that viewers wouldn't get too nauseous watching it.
Samsung Cam Rig test 3 or Alien Encounter on Macombs Dam Bridge from Computer Clubhouse on Vimeo.
In both cases, the 3D is pretty good but still veering towards the diorama look, where all the action seems to be taking place behind the plane of the monitor. In the still tutorial we were able to achieve the effect of objects protruding out from the screen (Making a 3D Anaglpyh Image) and I think that we will be able to achieve that here after some more tests. Stay tuned.
P.S. We originally thought, and wrote about, using an anaglyph plug-in for Final Cut to render the 3D effect, but after monkeying around with it we realized that it was just too inflexible for our purposes. Making the red and blue channels and shifting the video layers manually is easy and affords a much greater range of alignment.
Wednesday, May 26, 2010 Making a 3D Anaglpyh Image
Follow John Watkinson (w/Robinson, Cordia and Amara) through this step-by-step video tutorial and learn how to make the best 3D anaglyph images. Unlike most of these kinds of still images that we've been able to find, John's method gives the illusion of fully modeled space, w/parts of the image appearing to protrude out, into space, other parts at approximately the middle ground (or image/screen plane) and other areas behind and even deep in the background. A key to enhancing this effect is to compose your subjects so that there is an obvious sense of perspective, or deep space, in your set up, keep the main subject and background people steady (movement from one frame to the next will obscure the effect--still life compositions are easier, but less dramatic), and use lots of light, but not the flash (the flash will create harsh shadows from 2 different angles when you move the camera--you need the lighting to be consistent even if the camera angle isn't). Also, even though you only need two images to combine into the final product, you might take several sets of 2 as there's still an element of hit or miss in this process. Don't get discouraged if it takes a few tries to get a good grouping of images. You'll get it sooner than you think. You also want to keep track of which shot is the left eye angle and which is the right. That will be important when you composite the pictures in Photoshop. And it all goes better w/Mos Def. It's all in the video. Enjoy, and have fun making some anaglyph images of your own. AND PLEASE UPLOAD OR LINK TO YOUR RESULTS IN THE COMMENTS FIELD.
Click to enlarge
Tuesday, May 18, 2010 How to Make Anaglpyh (Red/Blue) 3D Glasses
Here's a short/sweet video I found that shows you all you need to know in about a minute. You'll need a pair or two of these for our upcoming posts. And you might want to pick up some Curtis Mayfield audio files for background music when you're making your glasses (it definitely makes a difference).
If you're like me, or you have a personal shopper, you can order the glasses in bulk from the same place we keep getting them from:
http://www.rainbowsymphonystore.com/red-blue-paper-3d-glasses.html
Here's a link to a world of anaglyph imagery and fun stuff:
http://nzphoto.tripod.com/sterea/anaglyph_links.html
Most of the sample images here and elsewhere that I've found on the web are pretty much limited to the 3D effect happening behind the plane of the screen; not much seems to be "coming at ya." I've also found that to often be the case with some of the attempts I've made in this area. However, John Watkinson (a volunteer/mentor at our clubhouse) and I (but mostly him) have been developing a new "recipe" for adding more modeled depth to 3D anaglyph imagery that definitely captures the illusion of space both within and in front of the screen. The results so far have been pretty impressive. The next post will be a demo of that technique using a hand-held, point and shoot digital camera and Photoshop. The results are fairly easy to achieve and can be accomplished by anyone with even a minimal grasp of the camera or the software. Stay tuned.
Other activities that go nicely with Curtis Mayfield's music: styling, interpersonal relationships, beverage appreciation, chilling, driving, serious thinking or light banter, admiring flowing patterns of smoke, strolling purposefully down the street, etc., etcetera. Please feel free to expand this list in the comments.
If you're like me, or you have a personal shopper, you can order the glasses in bulk from the same place we keep getting them from:
http://www.rainbowsymphonystore.com/red-blue-paper-3d-glasses.html
Here's a link to a world of anaglyph imagery and fun stuff:
http://nzphoto.tripod.com/sterea/anaglyph_links.html
Most of the sample images here and elsewhere that I've found on the web are pretty much limited to the 3D effect happening behind the plane of the screen; not much seems to be "coming at ya." I've also found that to often be the case with some of the attempts I've made in this area. However, John Watkinson (a volunteer/mentor at our clubhouse) and I (but mostly him) have been developing a new "recipe" for adding more modeled depth to 3D anaglyph imagery that definitely captures the illusion of space both within and in front of the screen. The results so far have been pretty impressive. The next post will be a demo of that technique using a hand-held, point and shoot digital camera and Photoshop. The results are fairly easy to achieve and can be accomplished by anyone with even a minimal grasp of the camera or the software. Stay tuned.
Other activities that go nicely with Curtis Mayfield's music: styling, interpersonal relationships, beverage appreciation, chilling, driving, serious thinking or light banter, admiring flowing patterns of smoke, strolling purposefully down the street, etc., etcetera. Please feel free to expand this list in the comments.
Thursday, May 13, 2010 Autodesk 3ds Max - Animate Your World
Thursday, April 29, 2010 Field Notes from Atlanta: Collaborative 3D Video Launch
Recently back from the Intel Computer Clubhouse Network's annual conference where a bunch of us gathered to brainstorm the collaborative 3D video project that I've been jawing about since we launched this blog. This post will be a quick summation and some ideas about moving forward. We also had a look at an inexpensive 3D HD video camera rig that was constructed by Keith Simmons at the Museum of Science in Boston which will be available to participants in this project. In addition, some network enthusiasts have offered to create their own, identical rigs (and we'll be available to help w/the specs, etc. on those--you don't have to be an advanced techno-geek, or subscribe to MAKE magazine to construct one of these things, but you will need about $250, most of which is the matching HD cameras). As soon as it's ready, I'll post a sample 3D movie shot with this rig.
So, a/p the "suggestion" of the blog's overlords, I should be keeping this brief. In fact, I probably should be done already. I'm trying. Bear with me. (I probably should've cut that). The conference session included a few dozen of us and 19 attendees forwarded their email addresses in order to participate in the project. In the course of the week following that session, I spoke w/several more people and enlisted their participation as well. So that seems like a great start, and even if half the list fades off, it's still a substantial, core production team. And several of the signees are individuals and Clubhouses w/fairly advanced video and/or 3D skills and capabilities!
That said, I want to quickly address a concern that arose from interested, though less technically developed, coordinators and prospective participants: you don't need to be a practicing 3D or video techno freak to get involved in this project. In fact, there are probably enough of those already in hand to satisfy that need. And we're here to help everyone along at whatever level they wish to engage. Though you might not have the obvious, related skill set for the bulk of this project, you, or the members of your Clubhouse, can probably produce music, collect sound fx from the web, write dialog, get snacks, etc., all of which are standard elements in any film or video production. And you can contribute as little or as much as you can handle. So don't be intimidated. And if you want to ramp up to more sophisticated roles (foleying sound fx, audio mixing, chroma-keying, After Effects, 3D modeling for background plates, etc.), you can. And they're not as difficult or mysterious as they sound. If you've been poking around in the Clubhouse for a little while, you should be able to pick this stuff up.
AND REMEMBER:
HOLD ONTO THE RED/BLUE (anaglyph--remember that word) GLASSES THAT YOU RECEIVED AT THE CONFERENCE. You'll need them to see the sample and basically everything that we do together on the collaborative 3D video project. Soon I will be writing a post that shows you how to make your own anaglyph glasses and where you can order them online (they're really cheap). I'll also be posting some projects and tutorials utilizing anaglyph 3D. Stay tuned for those and the next installment re the conference session, especially some ideas about the what and the how (it's too much to go into here and the blog police are at the door...).
Thursday, April 1, 2010 Autodesk 3D Max tutorial (box modeling a house)
Back to the Past
Due to the recent outcry regarding a public take-over of the internet, and anticipated congressional rollbacks in this realm, 3DiY will soon cease to function in 3 dimensions. Lacking government support of bandwidth and other structural elements of the internet, discussions and demonstrations of multi-dimensional space will no longer be supported after the deadline is announced (sometime after April First).To comply with the new rulings we will have to convert the blog to 2D and phase out all stereoscopy (you'll never hear that word again on this blog) and all of the wiggling animation, etc. Demonstrations of multi-dimensional activities will have to be viewed in 1 or 2D only (Tip: close one eye when watching demos, or just train your mind to hear/see a 1 or 2 in front of the D every time the term 3D appears on the blog). Petitions to return 3D to the web will soon be issued at all movie theaters, public web kiosks and doctors' offices. Please be ready to sign up and support the return of 3D to the web.
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