How to simulate an off-axis camera to produce correct stereo pairs in Blender
Since Blender doesn’t have a stereo camera and I couldn’t find a good solution to create stereoscopic animations in this open source 3d application, I decided to write a python script to simulate an off-axis stereo camera. This script sets the 'stereo window' in Blender and not via postproduction. It creates a parallel off-axis camera rig, the best and correct way to produce stereo pairs. Then you can use the 'Node Editor' in Blender to control the left and right camera render output. This output can be a full-colour left and right stereo image (e.g. side-by-side) or just a red/cyan anaglyph to quick proof the stereo effect. How to use? Watch the video tutorial or see the old website.
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| Python Script: | BStereoOffAxisCamera_1_5.py | Watch: | Script Version 1.3 (1.5 comming soon!) | |
| Zip Package: | Stereoscopic_Rendering.zip incl. demo blends | Watch: | Script Version 0.3 (0.5 comming soon!) | |
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The new script for Blender 2.5 beta is very alpha and has only basic functions but it works very well so far. Download: BStereoOffAxisCamera_0_5_3.py (If you find some issues, bugs etc. please send me an email). For more infos and how to use, watch this short Video tutorial. |
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52sec. (69MB zipfile) animation as red/cyan anaglyph compressed with lossless Apple Quicktime Animation Codec. For best playback quality: please use the the Quicktime Player (Win/Mac), otherwise you'll see the Ghost effect in this video. |
Single frame from the orange project as red/cyan anaglyph. Currently I render the whole scene (90 frames). Once this is done, I'll upload the result as side-by-side video and red/cyan anaglyph. |
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Anaglyph still from the movie 8½ (Federico Fellini, 1963) with Marcello Mastroianni and Anouk Aimée. This is just a test to see how the script can be used for 2D to 3D conversion. Done in Blender 2.5 with 'Sticky' Texture Mapping. |
francoisgfx 1 week ago
thx for your answer. I have seen the making of on fxguideTV where they are correcting the vertical alignment w/ Occular on Nuke (something that sounds possible to do with a wrapper and the coming up libmv lib.
for more detail on the camera :
http://g4tv.com/attackoftheshow/gadgetpr0n/71878/Avatars-Cameron-Pace-3D-Camera-Rig-Review.html
how they corrected the vertical alignement :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L6PZMQV9Jb4#t=1m55
for more detail on the camera :
http://g4tv.com/attackoftheshow/gadgetpr0n/71878/Avatars-Cameron-Pace-3D-Camera-Rig-Review.html
how they corrected the vertical alignement :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L6PZMQV9Jb4#t=1m55
3dprep 1 month ago
Is there a modification that can be made to eliminate the anaglyph part from the script. Otherwise it looks great. just need it to work for an active stereo setup
Tutur 1 month ago
nice script, thanks a lot :)
DexterLB 2 months ago
Here's my variation on the script: http://www.ageek.tk/a/StereoRig
anaglyphiques 2 months ago
thanks for the script. I'll try it these days and I will tell you about it.
http://anaglyphiques.free.fr
http://anaglyphiques.free.fr
chris 2 months ago
I'll try it asap. Thx a lot
Riko (vfxn3d) 2 months ago
Thx for this script!!!
Guest 2 months ago
Hey Guy,thank you for this very useful script. I have one question - is it useful to use an Empty-object as a target or not ?
is there a trick to merge both camera sequences in one render operation ?
THX, BenNO!
is there a trick to merge both camera sequences in one render operation ?
THX, BenNO!
Numarul7 2 months ago
MrO go to http://www.graphicall.org/builds/ and find a Mac build
MrO 2 months ago
Can´t find the Blender 2.5alpha >= Build r28503 for Mac
: (
: (
Numaurl7 2 months ago
Hi! This will be made like an addon to blender 2.5 ? To apear in add mesh menu >3D stereoscopic camera.
Will be nice!
Will be nice!
sozap 3 months ago
hello Sebastian,
Thank you very much for your work ! I was looking for a stereo camera script in blender, and you made a really nice job.
I've wrotten a little script that works with yours (the 2.5 version) , to render both camera, and creating Left and Right directories.
Then you can edit sequences in the sequencer, and render both L/R edit as well. It's still very WIP and quick and dirty, but it may be usefull to someone that wants to make a movie.
http://pastebin.org/338116
run the script and look in the render panel.
If you find it useful don't hesitate to make what you want with it.
Thanks again !
Thank you very much for your work ! I was looking for a stereo camera script in blender, and you made a really nice job.
I've wrotten a little script that works with yours (the 2.5 version) , to render both camera, and creating Left and Right directories.
Then you can edit sequences in the sequencer, and render both L/R edit as well. It's still very WIP and quick and dirty, but it may be usefull to someone that wants to make a movie.
http://pastebin.org/338116
run the script and look in the render panel.
If you find it useful don't hesitate to make what you want with it.
Thanks again !
Re: from Sebastian Schneider (noeol)
Thanks sozap! Your script is very usefull.
Reyn 3 months ago
Hi, Sebastian, thanks a lot for the effort. This will greatly help us in our current film in production right now. Really thanks for the big help. =)
-Reyn
-Reyn
Glandelf 3 months ago
Hello, a very useful plugin :-)
But I'm surprise, cameras left and right don't cross on the empty zero parallax ! Is it really normal ?
But I'm surprise, cameras left and right don't cross on the empty zero parallax ! Is it really normal ?
Re: from Sebastian Schneider (noeol)
This is normal, this is OffAxis. instead to setup a 'toe-in' camera rig (which always produces a vertical parallax) it's possible to shift the virtual 'back pane' of the camera. The script calculates this shifting in pixel, depending on the camera separation; angle and distance to the zero parallax. The most professional stereo-3D movies these days, are using this technology instead of 'toeing-in' cameras.
LOGAN 4 months ago
Nice script. Although I would suggest to remove the separate RGB for the left image and directly feed the image into the R channel of the composite. The reason is that with color renders you will notice that primary colors look dark through one eye and light through the other. This is being corrected by having the left image fed as a whole into the Red channel. Using only gray in your scene this problem will not arise. The method is called 'Half Color Anaglyph'.
Re: from Sebastian Schneider (noeol)
Thanks for the hint (Half Color Anaglyph) I'll use this in my next tutorials.
francoisgfx 4 months ago
Hi Sebastian,
Great work !!
I know there is this rule everyone wants to follow about both camera should be parallel ...
But have you took a look at the Fusion 3D Camera System ? lenses are moving, so I have no clue how they solve the disparity issue (is it how it's called ? ) but they are doing it, and the good thing is that the non parallax plane will always match with depth of filed !
what do you think about it ?
Great work !!
I know there is this rule everyone wants to follow about both camera should be parallel ...
But have you took a look at the Fusion 3D Camera System ? lenses are moving, so I have no clue how they solve the disparity issue (is it how it's called ? ) but they are doing it, and the good thing is that the non parallax plane will always match with depth of filed !
what do you think about it ?
Re: from Sebastian Schneider (noeol)
It's possible to film with a toe-in stereo camera (like James Cameron's Fusion System in Avatar) but this means, that you have to correct the vertical parallax in the postproduction (Keystone correction) or direct in the camera via extra processor unit or maybe special lenses.
Monty 5 months ago
Cool! Great little tool you got cookin' here. Look forward to seeing your work and I'll try and get you a render or something.
Monty 5 months ago
Thanks for this great little piece of code Sebastian.
I'm noticing an issue with the crop node. When rendering at anything besides 100% size alters the crop nodes. After the render, the crop values are changed and you have to manually re-input them.
Comments:
1. It would be nice to animate the screen plane.
2. A graphic representation of the safe zone.
3. Ability to change the parralax (via parenting nulls possibly).
I wish I had the coding knowledge to do this myself.
Thanks again and happy Blending!
I'm noticing an issue with the crop node. When rendering at anything besides 100% size alters the crop nodes. After the render, the crop values are changed and you have to manually re-input them.
Comments:
1. It would be nice to animate the screen plane.
2. A graphic representation of the safe zone.
3. Ability to change the parralax (via parenting nulls possibly).
I wish I had the coding knowledge to do this myself.
Thanks again and happy Blending!
Re: from Sebastian Schneider (noeol)
to 1: yes this is a good idea (to simulate an animation of a character(view) who is shrinking or growing), is on the ToDo list for the next version
to 2: I did something similar in Version 1.5 (Near/Far-Plane)?
to 3: I'll try this in the new script for Blender 2.5/2.6
to 2: I did something similar in Version 1.5 (Near/Far-Plane)?
to 3: I'll try this in the new script for Blender 2.5/2.6
Pak 5 months ago
Great work. Thank you. Looking forward to see next versions.
Sebastian Schneider (admin) 6 months ago
Feel free and leave some comments. You can always delete your own comment as long as you stay on this website.