FxFactory Development Partner Dashwood Cinema Solutions Sets 3D Milestone With New Plug-in Releases

June 24, 2010 - PRLog -- Noise Industries development partner Dashwood Cinema Solutions has released a significant update to its award-winning, professional Stereo3D Toolbox™ plug-in for stereoscopic 3D mastering, as well as an inexpensive limited edition (LE) version for a more accessible entry into stereoscopic 3D content creation. Developed by stereo-cinematographer and Dashwood Cinema Solutions founder Tim Dashwood, both plug-in suites are powered by FxFactory and are designed to work with Adobe® After Effects®, Apple® Final Cut Pro®, Apple Motion®, and Apple Final Cut® Express applications.

The recent explosion of 3D motion pictures in theaters around the globe has prompted exceptional interest in stereoscopic technology. Dashwood Cinema Solutions' Stereo3D Toolbox 2.0 leverages powerful technology for easy stereoscopic content creation on the Mac. Its expansive capabilities empower artists with the ability to repair, align and then output media to a wide-range of stereoscopic 3D formats. Innovative features in the new version offer a greater creative recipe; feeding 3D impulses with new capabilities that include: improved sub-pixel precision, pixel-precise straight or angled floating windows, high-contrast "ghost busting," intuitive preview tools, finer control of image exposure and color balance, 2D+Z-Depth to stereoscopic conversion, and more.

With Dashwood Cinema Solutions' new Stereo3D Toolbox LE, 3D enthusiasts have an affordable gateway into 3D content creation with the most basic stereoscopic 3D post-production tools necessary to optimize stereoscopically acquired footage. Features within the limited edition version incorporate convergence adjustment and vertical, zoom and rotational disparity correction tools, "autoscale," a preview screen within the user interface, and the ability to output clips to popular stereoscopic monitors and delivery formats - including YouTube® 3D.

"When we first released Stereo3D Toolbox version 1, we expected it to be used by a few small stereoscopic 3D production houses, but were completely surprised by the positive response from the Hollywood post-community, as well as the thousands of hobbyists around the world," says Tim Dashwood. "They each have very different needs, which is what prompted the development of version 2, with more professional stereoscopic tools, and the 'LE' version, to accommodate hobbyists' limited budgets."

"Since the version 1 release of Stereo 3D Toolbox, stereoscopic 3D has turned into a global epidemic, becoming a standard component of almost every animated feature-length film," says Niclas Bahn, director of business development, Noise Industries. "We were happy to work again with Tim Dashwood to develop an enhanced version of the version 1 plug-in, as well as a new lower-end release to satisfy the curiosity of enthusiasts just stepping into 3D waters."

Stereo3D Toolbox v2.0 Feature Highlights
  ● Precise Stereoscopic Alignment: Filters allow adjustments to the convergence of scenes with horizontal image translation (HIT), while eliminating vertical, rotational, keystone and focal length disparity using either pixel-based or scalable percentage sliders. All adjustments can be keyframed with sub-pixel precision and "ease in/out" Bezier curves. The "Geometry" filter also features the "autoscale" function to automatically eliminate cropped edges, as well as stereoscopic scale, rotation and reframe tools.
  ● Advanced Stereoscopic Mastering Tools: The "Virtual Floating Window" filter can be used to create and keyframe pixel-precise straight or angled crops to minimize the effects of stereo window violations, while "Ghost Toaster™" aids in the reduction of high-contrast crossover in circularly polarized display systems and monitors.
  ● Preview Tools Within the User Interface: Active preview tools that immediately present valuable feedback, including basic motion statistics, L/R difference mode, and the new anaglyph outlines preview. Circular Polarized 3D monitors are also now supported by the Canvas window in Final Cut Studio.
  ● Finer Control of Image Balance: Controls are now available for exposure, input and output levels, saturation, white balance preset, and individual RGB input/output levels.
  ● 2D + Z-Depth Conversion to Stereo3D: Designed for converting 2D+Z-Depth Map CGI renders to stereoscopic 3D, the "Z-Depth Map" filter can also be used to create custom rotoscoped depth maps in After Effects or Motion for 2D to 3D dimensionalization processes.
  ● Multiple Stereoscopic Formats: Supports the output of the most popular stereoscopic delivery formats, including side-by-side, above-below, line-by-line (a.k.a. field-sequential), column interleaved, checkerboard, and tunable anaglyph modes (R/C, B/Y, G/M). Also supports most inexpensive non-HD resolution 3D monitors and most of the new consumer stereoscopic active-shutter displays.
  ● Stereoscopic Text: Provides a complete solution for creating and positioning flat text in 3D-space.

Stereo3D Toolbox LE Feature Highlights
  ● Adjust Convergence and Correct Disparity: Filters allow adjustments to the convergence of scenes with horizontal image translation (HIT), while eliminating vertical, rotational and zoom disparity using pixel-based "ping-pong" sliders.
  ● Stereoscopic Input and Output: Accepts discreet left and right video clips, line-by-line interlaced 3D clips, or side-by-side clips (squeezed or un-squeezed). Also supports the output of popular stereoscopic delivery formats like side-by-side, line-by-line interlaced (field-sequential) and red/cyan anaglyph.
  ● Direct Upload to YouTube 3D: Finished stereoscopic 3D video can be directly uploaded to YouTube from the latest Final Cut Studio with side-by-side formatting.
  ● Autoscale: Eliminates the cropped edges created by adjusting convergence and repairing disparities.
  ● Preview Screen Within the User Interface: Includes active preview screens for valuable feedback, including monochrome anaglyph, L/R difference mode, and the new anaglyph outlines preview.

Availability and Pricing of Stereo3D ToolBox 2.0 and Stereo3D Toolbox LE                                                       Stereo3D Toolbox 2.0 and Stereo3D Toolbox LE can be purchased for $1499 USD and $99 USD, respectively.

After Effects, Final Cut Studio and Apple Final Cut Express users can also sample hundreds of other FxFactory plug-ins by downloading the free trial version of FxFactory from: http://www.noiseindustries.com/fxfactory.

About Tim Dashwood                           
Tim Dashwood is the founder of Dashwood Cinema Solutions, as well as a seasoned cinematographer, director and editor. He has been shooting stereoscopic photos as a hobby for the last decade and has more recently focused on stereo-cinematography. Dashwood has served as a cinematographer for five feature length films, countless short films and music videos, including a number in stereoscopic 3D. Dashwood's current projects include a stereoscopic feature-length film.

About Dashwood Cinema Solutions
Dashwood Cinema Solutions is a division of 11 Motion Pictures Limited, a Toronto, Ontario, Canada-based Production Company that specializes in previsualization, music videos and film production. For additional information about Dashwood Cinema Solutions, please visit: http://www.DashwoodCinemaSolutions.com.

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About Noise Industries, LLC
Established in 2004, Boston, Massachusetts-based Noise Industries is an innovative developer of visual effects tools for the post-production and broadcast community. Its products are integrated with popular non-linear editing and compositing products from Apple and Adobe. For more information about Noise Industries, please visit: http://www.noiseindustries.com.