Leading visual effects software developer The Foundry is now shipping Ocula -- the unique collection of plug-in tools that solve common problems with stereoscopic imagery, boost productivity in post production, and ultimately help to deliver a more rewarding stereoscopic viewing experience.
Ocula plug-ins are designed to automatically replicate key processes on left and right channels and help artists polish and refine stereoscopic material, literally removing headaches from the final viewing experience.
"Since we announced Ocula at NAB 2008 this year, the entire toolset has been through extensive beta-testing and further rounds of development," said Dr Bill Collis, CEO, The Foundry. "As Ocula plug-ins enable precise, pixel-level manipulation of stereoscopic imagery, they will help artists to refine and finesse stereo footage in a highly productive fashion. Ultimately, Ocula will mean fewer headaches at the cinema."
Matt Welford, head of compositing at Weta Digital commented, "The team at Weta has worked closely with The Foundry on the development of Ocula. The result is a very useful toolset that solves many problems encountered during post production on stereo footage."
Ocula's tool set is based on brand new disparity-mapping algorithms, created by The Foundry's Academy Award-winning R&D team. Disparity maps track and correlate the differences in positional space and movement between corresponding pixels in the left and right cameras, delivering pixel-level control over images. Knowing where disparities occur, Ocula tools apply corrections by warping, stretching and squeezing only the areas of an image that require treatment. Image manipulation using disparity maps is different to the X, Y or Z-axis shifting of images, where only whole image planes are being shifted.
Ocula plug-ins allow artists to apply a multitude of adjustments to stereo image pairs. All corrections can be made to the left and right eye channels either together or separately, minimising or eliminating discomfort from the stereo viewing experience.
