Specifications

78 Chapter 4 Production
3D/STEREOSCOPY WATCHOUT allows you to produce and present stereoscopic presentations, to
be viewed using appropriate display technology and glasses. These are some-
times referred to as 3D presentations, giving a perceived three-dimensional
viewing experience. Such presentations can incorporate still images as well as
video. They take advantage of the 3D capabilities of WATCHOUT, in many
cases creating the stereoscopic effect with no additional production effort,
since it can be calculated from the 3D position of media elements.
Still Images and Small Video When using still images and small video elements, it is generally sufficient to
place them at the proper depth (Z position). Hence, to make an object appear
closer to the viewer, move it to a negative Z position rather than merely scaling
it up to make it look larger. The amount of stereoscopy derived from the Z posi-
tion is controlled by the “Eye Distance” setting (see “Eye Distance” on page
125).
Large Stereoscopic Video Large or full-screen videos will not reproduce with a stereoscopic effect by
merely changing the Z position. Instead, the entire video needs to be produced
as stereoscopic footage, with separate left/right eye video files originating
from two cameras or a specialized stereoscopic camera. Use a Video Proxy to
incorporate such a video into your presentation (see “Stereoscopic” on page
140). High-resolution stereoscopic stock footage is available from companies
such as Artbeats:
http://www.artbeats.com/s3d
Stereoscopic Projection You need specialized display or projection technology to show a stereoscopic
presentation, combined with stereoscopic glasses worn by all viewers. See
“Stereoscopic Presentations” on page 86 for more details.