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Until recently, editing a stereoscopic movie was basicaly editing two
movies, one per eye. Every and each edit point on the left eye movie
has to be repeated on the right eye. With all the time consuming
and error probing issues you can think of. Plus, you didn't get
a stereoscopic control until you'd rendered both movies
Considering the stereoscopic hype shaking Hollywood, the major
NLE editors should soon offers native stereoscopy in their suite.
My approach in that project was "Don't wait for them, let's
build a stereoscopic NLE".
What would you expect of a S-NLE ?
- An unchanged 2D compositing workflow, for you want all the tools
and ergonomics you're used to work with.
- Real-time stereoscopic parameter setting, for you want in 3D
that very same level of productivity that you're used to in 2D
- Real-time stereoscopic visual control, for post-render control
is just not an option.
How can one make this happend ?
Whatever clever you are, at the end of the day, you'll need to
render two movies. The objective is to have theses two movies rendered
automaticaly from a single regular composition. Basicaly, you want
to output either the left or the right view, using a switch. I added
that smartness using expression that check if you're currently looking
at the left or the right movie. Once you're able to do this, for
both eyes, at the same time, and in real time, you've got the Stereo
NLE you're looking for.
Due to inherent limitations in AE scripting (geekly, no "pointers")
this could only happend with actually two compositions. To solve
this issue, I made the left and right compositions beeing perfect
clone of each other, and i scripted that cloning. To the user, there's
only one composition, even if the system duplicates it.
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The solution I've implemented uses expressions and scripting to make
regular monoscopic compositions behave actively as either left or
right comps. A flock or expressions check on assets names and compositions
names to generate the adequate content.
We're using :
- A strict Asset Management including Left / Right / Center identification
of every end each asset
- Clonable, Actively Left-and-Right compositions using AE 7.0
expressions
- Automatized cloning of the timelines using AE 7.0 Pro scripts
- A stereoscopic composition host the stereoscopic controls, unsing
AE 7.0 Expression Controls
The workflow is :
- Assets are "stereo-ized" using one-fit-all generic scripts supersetting Anchor Point and Opacity.
- Effects and transitions are set up, just like in a regular "flat" movie.
- Modifications are left/right replicated automaticaly
- Stereoscopy is controled in real-time using anaglyph or active stereo glasses.
Next time, next project, another life, I would implement this
features :
- Go to real 3D layout with L/R cameras.
- Automatize the L/R source swap in stereoscopic layers, by implementing
it in the replication script.
- Automatize the insertion of expression into Anchor Point and
Transparency, by implementing it in the replication script.
- OpenGL active stereo, please Adobe !
- More CPU power, please Santa Moore.
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