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3D Stereoscopic Production & Delivery
Discuss 3D (stereoscopic video) acquisition, post and delivery.

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Old February 27th, 2011, 06:36 PM   #1
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Out of the Lab, in to Production

I recently completed a Stereoptical video-shoot of a 90 minute performance that involved 3 balconies of performers and an Orchestra. I used several paired cameras, and am beginning the post-production.
I had tested my collection of various paired cameras on a few smaller and much shorter performances,
and was glad to see the all functioned properly for this full-scale Performance.
I have also developed a workflow that works quite well. But a new problem is now being faced
due to the scale of this project; Rendering Time.

At home, or "in the lab" I have been using my modest, but capable MacBook Pro. (Intel Core 2 Duo 2.4 GHz)
But once I started the Post-work on this large project, (a total of 140 gigs of raw files alone) it hit me that rendering will need to be sped up, and dramatically.
I was wondering if anyone can recommend a Mac (or even PC) computer/system/setup that would minimize rendering time for projects of this size and scale.
Thanks,
Carlton
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Old February 27th, 2011, 10:08 PM   #2
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Re: Out of the Lab, in to Production

If you are using our filters to render your 3D then a Mac Pro with a really good GPU like the Nvidia QuadroFX 4800 will speed up everything significantly since we almost solely use the GPU to render. You can even realtime preview with the FX4800. Typical bottlenecks will usually involve disk read/write so a high speed RAID 0 array is also recommended.
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Old February 27th, 2011, 10:09 PM   #3
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Re: Out of the Lab, in to Production

What is your source format and what is your destination format (and specs)? 40GB for 90 minutes cannot be RAW video (unless you're shooting SD maybe).

What NLE are you using? Are there effects involved? If yes, what compositing/motion graphic app are you using? Since you mentioned mac, I'm assuming FCP, but if you are willing to shift to a PC-based system, CS5 with a good GPU (and CPU), with 12GB RAM (at least) will do wonders for your render.

What would an ideal render time be for your footage and project?
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Old February 28th, 2011, 10:41 PM   #4
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Re: Out of the Lab, in to Production

Realtime previewing of un-rendered, side-by-side media files would be of major value all of its own.
Thanks Tim.
And I did download a trial version of 3D toolbox about a year ago, but I was still "in the lab" and was so used to doing little projects and tests manually that I did not give the 3D toolbox procedure
time to become secondhand. But with a large project like this, it now seems necessary and appropriate.
The FCP timeline is very busy , with six, stacked sequences containing 1.5 hours of side-by-side files. Realtime previewing, and a program like the 3D toolbox
could help quite a bit and also evolve the workflow as the post-production work continues.


Sareesh,
Thanks for replying. The source formats are a collection of various formats. I am using homemade rigs with a wide range of paired cameras, from a pair of EX1's to a pair of inexpensive MUVI minicams.
Although Prorez (LT) is what I have been using as a destination format, a big project like this needs something less "fat", and I did some tests with EXCAM 1080 30p (29.97)
It is smaller, but have yet to view the tests through the projectors.

Thanks for mentioning the CS5 with a good GPU (and CPU), I did some googling and will keep an eye on that .
And the ideal rendering time is no rendering time, but real-time viewing, (as Tim described) is certainly a major improvement.

And FCP is correct, I am a videographer by trade and have using it specifically for several years now, (not by choice, but because it is the industry standard),
I know work-arounds in FCP, and work arounds around work arounds, so I feel my invested time-experience makes switching to PC an unwise thing. But I am keeping the PC option open.
The PC environment seems like in the long run, it will be more appropriate for 3D creation and also more open to 3rd party innovations and experimentation. It could be that the real potential and "identity"of 3D, may be the unique textural and "abstract" aspects of 3D, and it may blend with the musical arts to form a new type of Aural/Visual art form/entertainment experience of some sort.
It seems 3D is now mainly about "real-world reproduction" (such as sports) and Fantastical worlds/movies.

Technically speaking though, I am curious if you, or any readers feel a platform/system is available yet that with meet the industry standards for 3D production for the the next several years.
I heard the DCP format can be done with AE, using a third party product , put it is pricey. I wonder if a turnkey "package" or even a stand-alone 3D post production Package (but upgradable) will be offered by some company soon.
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Old March 1st, 2011, 10:07 AM   #5
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Re: Out of the Lab, in to Production

Quote:
Technically speaking though, I am curious if you, or any readers feel a platform/system is available yet that with meet the industry standards for 3D production for the the next several years.
There are too many standards and variables in 3D delivery at the moment for any one software to satisfy. Half of the industry does not even believe that 3D will be around in the next 'several' years. I hope it does.
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Last edited by Sareesh Sudhakaran; March 1st, 2011 at 10:09 AM. Reason: typo
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Old March 1st, 2011, 02:05 PM   #6
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Re: Out of the Lab, in to Production

Yes, and its been the situation since the beginning. It does not seem like the dust is settling yet.

Also, Tim mentioned I/O speed. What do you think of Apples Thunderbolt? Curious if it will reset any standards in the 3D world, or computer industry as a whole for that matter.

BTW- Here is a 5 minute rough-edit excerpt of a test shoot on a little concert using 5 pairs of those camera setups.

It is at:
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