Re: 3D from movies

[P3D Peter Davis <pdavis@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

> P3D Peter Davis wrote:
> > Backgrounds and characters are moved laterally
> 
> Animation stand cameras are moved as well, typically with some sort of 
> motion control.

I've never heard of an animation camera like this.  Every one I've
seen is a fixed camera/lens assembly with movable planes to hold
various cel and background layers.

> What I'm wondering is whether using a pair of images from a "3-D" animation 
> piece, where objects are computer drawn and rendered with z-axis
> imaging and/or lighting _rotation_ consistent with a change in POV, would 
> yield a successful stereo pair with full effect...

In theory, computer animation should be as capable as live photography
of yielding serendipitous stereo, since the computer model of a
tracking shot is based on the geometry of perspective, etc.  Again,
though, it's likely that between any two frames of animation, there
will be some movement of the principal characters.

I guess that the "Toy Story" View-Master reels were done by actually
making left and right images of the same scene.  If the scene is fully
modeled, this is easy, but time consuming to do.  I suppose Pixar did
this specifically for View-Master.

-pd

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