Advanced stereoscopic 3D post-production tool now supports Final Cut Pro X through a newly redesigned on-screen UI
Noise Industries, developer of visual effects tools for the post-production and broadcast markets, is excited to introduce Dashwood Cinema Solutions’ Stereo3D Toolbox 4.0 to FxFactory, the latest update to its powerful plug-ins platform. The advanced stereoscopic 3D post-production tool now supports Final Cut Pro X through a newly redesigned on-screen UI. Stereo3D Toolbox 4.0 also now features exclusive display modes previously only available in the award-winning Stereo3D CAT. New on-screen controls are also compatible with After Effects CS6 and Motion. The new version is a free update for existing users. New users can purchase Stereo3D Toolbox 4.0 at a 33% discount for only 999.00 USD through FxFactory for a limited time. More information on Stereo3D Toolbox 4.0
Stereo3D Toolbox 4.0 Features Include:
On-Screen Controls*
Full on-screen control functionality is available in FCP X, After Effects CS6 and Motion 5 via unique and intuitive on-screen point controls, buttons and pop-up menus. Point controls allow the user to easily manipulate convergence, vertical, keystone, tilt, zoom and rotational disparities. The image balance mode has point controls for RGB saturation as well as input and output levels. The Z-Depth mode controls affect depth map luminosity and density along with extrusion camera orbit and intensity.
Parallax Line Guides
The Parallax Percentage Line Guides provide a simple overlay of custom or calculated screen parallax lines that can be set to any desired opacity. This helps the stereoscopic grader judge the overall parallax in the scene while making convergence adjustments.
Parallax Inspector™
The Parallax Inspector allows the user to magnify and examine the actual parallax in the scene, which is clearly outlined in easy-to-see red and cyan. It also provides a simple measuring device that helps determine if the parallax is within native divergence limits of any given screen size or custom percentage value.
Depth Analysis™
The Depth Analysis mode assists in quickly setting convergence and determining where objects are in 3D space. Green outlines indicate objects that are behind the screen plane and red outlines indicate objects in front. A quick adjustment to the Depth Analysis opacity slider reveals vertical disparities in blue and magenta.
Geometric Image Balance
The Geometric Alignment Mode allows for convergence adjustment and alignment of vertical, keystone, tilt, zoom and rotation disparities. Master reframe, scale and rotation controls are also available. All settings can be animated over time with standard keyframes. In Final Cut Pro X and Motion 5, you can hold down modifier keys to make manipulation even easier. Shift restricts to a single axis, command moves the control very slowly, and option resets the point control.
Balanced Exposure and Color
The Stereo3D Toolbox scopes present both the left and right signals simultaneously, allowing for accurate colorimetric balance of both eyes. Intuitive "ping-pong" sliders finely adjust both eyes at the same time, meaning less overall correction. Move a saturation slider to the right and you add saturation in that channel to the right eye, while removing it from the left eye. Move it to the left and the opposite happens. The concept is the same for input and output levels.
Exposure disparities and beamsplitter tint can be repaired quickly and easily, and corrections can be compared when using the checkerboard display mode. When the left and right images are sufficiently balanced, just add your favorite color correction on top of Stereo3D Toolbox.
Virtual Floating Window Control
Floating Windows are a necessary tool in stereoscopic mastering if objects in “theatre space” break the left or right edge of the frame or “stereo window.” The on-screen floating window control in Stereo3D Toolbox allows the user to simply drag point controls for the left and right edge of each eye to the desired position. The floating window positions can also be animated via standard keyframe control in After Effects, Motion or Final Cut Pro.
Z-Depth Map Mode for 2D to 3D Dimensionalization
The Z-Depth Mode of Stereo3D Toolbox allows for extensive manipulation of depth maps. Depth Maps can be restricted to a user-assignable Luma Range and then used to convert 2D sources to 3D. The amount of pixel displacement can be controlled with the displacement slider. The new Extrusion preview mode renders a 3D perspective of how the depth map will be applied to the 3D image. The camera point of view can be manipulated using the camera orbit point control.
Full Resolution Output
Stereo3D Toolbox 4 includes special "identifier" filters for managing discreet left and right eye sources, and allows for full resolution left or right eye output when used with the suggested workflow. Managing, editing and mastering stereoscopic clips is easy when used in conjunction with Final Cut Pro X’s automatic synchronize compound clip feature. Any one of the numerous stereoscopic analysis and output modes can be set at any time as the "global output mode," which will automatically change the output of the plug-in on all your clips that are set to use the default Global Output.
And So Much More!
Of course Stereo3D Toolbox still has the all of the award-winning features like Ghost Toaster™, patent-pending preview modes like Anaglyph Edge Outline, and the ability to move any 2D layer in 3D depth while maintaining the alpha channel, flip, flop and swap, as well as multiple anaglyph mastering modes. Try it for yourself by downloading and installing FxFactory.
*On-Screen controls are not compatible with Final Cut Pro 7 or Final Cut Express, but Stereo3D Toolbox 4.0 can still be used with standard sliders in the plug-in inspector.
About Tim Dashwood, Founder of Stereo3D Toolbox
Tim Dashwood is the founder of Dashwood Cinema Solutionshttp://www.dashwood3d.com/, a stereoscopic research, development and consultancy division of his Toronto-based production company Stereo3D Unlimitedhttp://www.stereo3dunlimited.com/. Dashwood is an accomplished director/cinematographer, editor and stereographer. His diverse range of credits include music videos, commercials, feature films and 3D productions for 3net, DirectTV, Discovery Channel and the National Film Board of Canada. He also previsualizes fight/stunt action scenes for productions such as Kick-Ass, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World and Pacific Rim. Dashwood has been developing stereoscopic 3D technology for the last decade and is the inventor of the award-winning Stereo3D Toolbox plug-in suite and Stereo3D CAT calibration and analysis system.