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Director Michael Bryant at Sony Creative Software presents the cool new 3D features in Vegas Pro 10 just launched at IBC 2010 in Amsterdam.

Hardware 3d, sony

We told you about this last week, but here is another reminder. Today, Sony released an update, version 3.5, for the Playstation 3 that enables 3-D Blu-Ray support. Not only do you get 3-D Blu-Ray support with this update, but you also get a few other new features as well.

Additional new features in the 3.50 update include:

* Facebook Integration: Developers will be able to create PS3 games that have more interaction with Facebook. Once compatible PS3 titles are available, PS3 users can choose to access public information on Facebook – including user name, profile, uploaded photos and friends list – to enhance their gameplay experience.
* Grief Reporting Function: Users can send claim reports directly from the XMB for any inappropriate messages they receive from other PlayStation Network users. This feature is accessible from the option menu of the messages list in the FRIENDS category.

via : PS3 System Software Update v3.50 Available Soon

Science 3d, bluray, sony

Several companies have experimented with 3D in the operating room, and the field of laporascopic surgery seems a perfect fit: Inserting tiny cameras and probes into tiny holes to see things on screens, it seems a perfect fit to add back the important depth characteristics.  However, most of these systems to date have used bulky and low-resolution HMD’s.  Just recently, however, Viking Systems has received FDA clearance for their next generation-system which uses the Sony 3DHD flat planel and those same lightweight glasses that everyone is using these days.

It is purported for use in general surgery, urology, gynecology, spinal surgery, bariatric surgery, ENT and thoracic surgery. The system is scheduled for official launch at the American College of Surgeons’ Annual Clinical Congress which will be held from October 3-7. The company is working on getting the system CE approved as well.

via Viking Systems’ Next Generation 3DHD Visualization System.

Hardware 3d, biomed, sony, stereoscopic

Patrick Shettlesworth designs concepts for Sony Online Entertainment giants like EverQuest and Planetside, as well as newer games like The Agency, and has used the Wacom Intuos for some time.  Draw his concept on paper, scan it in, then touch it up with Photoshop and his Intuos, to provide the final result.  In about 5-7 hours per character.  He just upgraded to the new Cintiq, eliminating the paper drawing and scanning phase, and now can do the same work in 3 to 5 hours.

“With interchangeable pen nibs that emulate the feel of traditional media, the Cintiq gives you a natural drawing response that lets you be as expressive as you want,” he says. “I usually begin with a really firm pen tip, so I can keep the lines tight and clean. Once I start painting, I switch to a looser tip. It’s a process of gently laying in colors and gradually building them up, rather than going in really hard and firm.”

This new routine has transformed his process, providing an uninterrupted workflow that saves over two hours of development time per character. “It feels so much better to be on top of a drawing with your hand, the way you would do it on paper,” he explains. “I get into a rhythm when I’m doing something like this, and I don’t want to break it by having to scan or go back and forth with an eraser. And because I can move fast and loose in any direction, I can come up with way more iterations as I draw.”

A great success story, from someone in the industry using the tool every single day.  Full details after the break.

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Graphics, Hardware cintiq, sony, wacom

Another day and another big announcement from Sony Pictures Imageworks’ opensource initiative, this time to aid in all the pains of color transforming.  The new product, OpenColorIO, aims to provide a consistent method of storing and transferring color grading information between mainstream products, offering a simple streamlined way of maintaining this critical information.

Unlike existing color management solutions, OCIO is geared towards motion-picture post-production, with an emphasis on visual effects and animation color pipelines. OpenColorIO has been used at Sony Pictures Imageworks since 2003 to address the challenges of working with multiple commercial image-processing applications that have different approaches to color management. By providing a unified color environment, OpenColorIO greatly simplifies the task of creating and validating multiple-application color workflows.

It’s already up on their website for you to download and check out, with several ways to integrate it into your own workflow.

The OpenColorIO project includes a core C++ library (CPU and GPU), python bindings, and plug-in support for popular graphics applications. Example color profiles — which have been used on released visual effects & animated motion-pictures — are also included as references. But these profiles are merely a guide; as customization is an essential part of post-production, OCIO was developed with flexibility in mind.

Full release after the break.

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Graphics opensource, sony

Today at SIGGRAPH, Sony Pictures Imageworks and ILM announced that they have collaborated on a new open-source project named ‘Alembic’, a new interchange format designed to efficiently store animation in a format that can be ready by multiple software applications.

“Who better to understand the demands of high-end production better than those who are in the thick of it,” explains Lucasfilm CTO, Richard Kerris, “working with the team at Imageworks, I think we have created a file format that will have a significant impact on the industry as global production and shared workflows continue to be a driving force.”

“Even though we recently started using our new format on multiple productions, as soon as we learned about ILM’s concurrent development it was immediately clear that one open source format utilizing the very best technology from both companies would offer the best solution for the industry,” notes Rob Bredow, CTO of Sony Pictures Imageworks.

It sounds very similar to the work done by Autodesk over the last several years with FBX, but the entire format is open-source.  Hopefully other applications will begin to support it, and maybe we will finally one the “One Format to Rule Them all”.

Full announcement and details after the break.

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Graphics ilm, imageworks, opensource, sony

Stereoscopic 3D works by rendering two images on the screen, one for each eye.  Sony figures, rather cleverly I might add, that they can usurp that for other uses by displaying a single non-stereoscopic image for two players, giving full-screen multiplayer action to two players simultaneously.

Broke My Controller noticed the patents, filed a year ago and published on Thursday, that show a method for rendering separate images on the same screen, which are then filtered by glasses worn by player 1 and player 2. The glasses also look like they have earbuds, meaning players get a separate audio feed, too.

I imagine ghosting would be a problem with this, and the brightness loss might be annoying.  Still, it’s a clever new use for the growing technology.

via Sony Patents Alternative to Split-Screen Multiplayer.

Hardware sony, stereoscopic

Sony has unveiled a new Cybershot camera that holds the title of ‘World’s Smallest 3D Camera’.  Coming in 3 models, it seems to have a single lens capable of shooting 3D photographs that can be viewed with the Sweep Multi Angle screen in 3D.

“Sony is focused on being the leader in 3D technology leveraging its expertise to create the best 3D products contents and unique entertainment experience ” said Kelly Davis Director of the Digital Imaging Business at Sony Electronics. “Sony is making it easy to create personal 3D content that can be enjoyed with friends and family on compatible 3D television systems.”

Like all modern digital cameras, it also shoots video but I can’t find any information on if it can shoot 3D Video.  Price tags of around $400 would seem to indicate probably not.

via Sony Unveils The World’s Smallest 3D Cameras ~ MobileHuntz.com.

Hardware 3d, camera, sony

The Playstation Online system is down today for “maintenance”, but it seems it’s really to prep the system for the first four stereoscopic games for the platform, which come out tomorrow!

* WipEout HD (full game): Experience the adrenalin rush of navigating the twists and turns of futuristic racetracks at breathtaking speeds like never before.

* Super Stardust HD (full game): Experience asteroids fly past you as you navigate the deadly battleground — only a battle on a cosmic level will save the indigenous life below from destruction.

* PAIN: The stereoscopic 3D content will include the Downtown area and tutorial along with three modes, including two new modes created specifically with stereoscopic 3D in mind, Alien Toss and Ice Breaker.

* MotorStorm Pacific Rift (demo): MotorStorm Pacific Rift in stereoscopic 3D puts you in the driver’s seat of a buggy for a one track, single player race around the deadly Kanaloa Bay for a dangerously real battle against ruthless opponents.

They also mention at the upcoming “The Fight: Lights Out” will be available in stereoscopic 3D and combined with the Playstation Move.

via The Ultimate 3D Gaming Experience: Stereoscopic 3D Gaming on PlayStation 3 Available Tomorrow – PlayStation Blog.

Hardware ps3, sony, stereoscopic, video game

SpheronVR, makers of the SpheroCam HDR camera, has just announced that Sony Pictures Imageworks has invested in three of them for use in upcoming films.

“We are delighted that Sony Pictures Imageworks will be using Spheron VR Technology,” said Peter Taylor, Spheron’s Business Manager, “SPHERON-VR High Dynamic Range (HDR) imagery can enhance and streamline the process of creating immersive VFX environments; it’s great to see our technology being used to deliver cutting edge visual entertainment.”

The Spheron camera captures HDR lighting environments and 3D data in a full spherical area at up to 50 megapixels.

via SPHERON VR : Details.

Hardware sony, spheronvr