Dashwood Cinema Solutions Releases Stereo3D CAT

Groundbreaking 3D calibration and analysis system; award-winning Dashwood Stereo3D CAT™ delivers lightning-fast live depth analysis tools and disparity/alignment tracker for 3D camera calibration

Toronto, Canada – September 14, 2011 – Dashwood Cinema Solutions (www.dashwood3d.com), developer of cutting-edge Mac®-based stereoscopic 3D (S3D) products, is pleased to announce the availability of the award-winning on-set calibration and analysis system – Stereo3D CAT™. Introduced at NAB 2011, Stereo3D CAT won “Best in Show” for its abilities to simplify stereoscopic 3D camera calibration and monitoring. 3D production and rental facility, 21st Century 3D, is one of the first power production operations to add Stereo3D CAT into their arsenal. “With the recent proliferation of stereoscopic 3D live action production, we have seen many newcomers charging into the field,” comments Jason Goodman, CEO, 21st Century 3D. “Stereo3D CAT gives experts and novices alike the tools they require to empirically analyze their stereoscopic 3D images and eliminate guesswork in aligning 3D beam splitter rigs like the 21st Century 3D BX3.5. Stereo3D CAT demystifies many of the greatest challenges of shooting 3D, while simultaneously commoditizing the formerly expensive process of digital stereoscopic image analysis and reporting.”

Stereo3D CAT implements unique patent-pending technology to power systems for accurately aligning the geometry and colorimetry of stereoscopic setups, calculating proper interaxial separation for any given parallax depth budget, monitoring parallax and vergence in the scene, compensating for disparities in the image and logging all settings for future reference in production or post-production. Critically acclaimed IMAX 3D Cameraman and Stereographer Dylan Reade, known for his work on “Born To Be Wild,” was one of the first to beta test the Stereo3D CAT system. He has this to say about the new workflow solution: “Stereo3D CAT is a versatile tool that integrates many features formerly available only in a combination of high end systems, and it is poised to be a winner as a standalone approach to on-set stereoscopic monitoring.” Reade further adds, “The intuitive tools and features for alignment and parallax evaluation have been very well thought out. Of particular value is the ability to set and view HIT values in real time and the package is extremely portable. The small footprint was welcome on a theatrical set, but will be of even greater interest to smaller independent and documentary crews.”

Stereo3D CAT Feature Highlights:

Alignment Tracker™ with iPad® or iPhone® integration for lightning-fast rig alignment*

Stereo3D Visualizer to calculate dimensions of a scene, render a visual representation of the objects in the scene (including apparent roundness) and warn against settings that may cause viewer discomfort

Parallax Inspector™, which is a “magnifying glass” to confirm that positive parallax is within specified limits and will not cause divergence of the eyes

Stereoscopic Scopes including vectorsope, waveform and histogram overlay left andright eyes to aid with alignment of camera exposure, gamma and colorimetry

Stereoscopic Preview Modes including anaglyph, difference, split, side-by-side, lineby-line, and top/bottom

mode to hi-light negative and positive parallax cues in the scene

Discreet or Muxed stereoscopic input*

External Output in side-by-side, top/bottom, or interlaced*

Transmits alignment data to iPad for display in Dashwood 3D chart*

Support for most third-party I/O video cards that are Mac Compatible*

Compatible with most Mac Pro and Macbook Pro models*

*See Dashwood Cinema Solutions website for detailed system requirements and recommendations

“What makes Stereo3D CAT so different is that it’s built by professionals who know the ins-and-outs of the rapidly changing stereoscopic 3D production industry,” says Tim Dashwood, Founder, Dashwood Cinema Solutions. “Since its introduction, our Stereo3D CAT beta has been in the field, supporting some of the industry’s most in-demand S3D production teams. The real-world application not only helped accelerate our development, it demonstrated just how powerful the new workflow was for production teams. Even very early on, one of the beta testers was able to use Stereo3D CAT to analyze S3D images for an upcoming feature film they were shooting. Stereo3D CAT was so successful, it actually supplanted the 3D field monitors that would normally have been used.”

Above: Stereo3D CAT screen shot.

Dashwood Cinema Solutions is dedicated to developing 3D solutions that facilitate 3D Stereoscopic Workflows from production through post. In addition to Stereo3D CAT, the company offerings include a DSC Labs produced Dashwood 3D Chart for manual rig alignment, or heightened calibration when working with Stereo3D CAT; and Stereo3D Toolbox for 3D mastering in post-production.

Stereo3D CAT Purchase and Rental Information
Stereo3D CAT is available for today for 3D productions around the world. For more information about where you can purchase or rent Stereo3D CAT, please contact sales@dashwood3d.com.

About Dashwood Cinema Solutions
A part of the Noise Industries Development Partner Program since 2009, Dashwood Cinema Solutions is an R&D wing of Stereo 3D Unlimited, a Toronto, Ontario, Canada-based production company that specializes in pre-visualization, music videos and film production. Dashwood Cinema Solutions’ mandate is to find solutions to common problems in film production and post-production. Their award-winning flagship product, Stereo3D Toolbox™ is utilized by postproduction houses around the world for easy stereoscopic 3D mastering on the Mac platform.

For more information about Dashwood Cinema Solutions, please go to www.Dashwood3D.com or www.noiseindustries.com.

Above: Tim Dashwood and crew examine Stereo3D CAT depth analysis.

Stereo3D CAT™, Stereo3D Toolbox™, Dashwood 3D Chart™, Parallax Inspector™, and Stereo3D Visualizer™ are trademarks of Dashwood Cinema Solutions, a division of 11 Motion Pictures Limited. All other trademarks, registered trademarks and products mentioned herein belong to their respective owners.