How 3D Entertainment Technology is Transforming the Entire Industry

Let’s think about movies like Avatar, Avengers: Endgame, and other science fiction films. They can teleport us to an entirely different world through the use of 3D movie technology. For example, in the original Avatar, the main character opens his window and sees an amazing view of other planets. Thanks to 3D entertainment, this is now possible to recreate in real life. With the progression of 3D media, home entertainment is transitioning from a flat, out-of-reach picture to a realistic, three-dimensional portal.

Advancements in digital video imaging and screening technology have made 3D entertainment a reality. The equipment for viewing images uses either polarized glasses, which skew the light at different angles to overlay two images, or shutter glasses, which close each lens in rapid succession so that only one eye can see at a time. The media that uses 3D imaging is also very diverse. Today, we will look at how 3D technology is already being used in movies, video games, and television and what you can expect from the future of entertainment. 

3D Movie Technology

The great thing about 3D movies is that they add depth and make you feel like you’re part of the experience. You see cars flying toward you or snowflakes floating in the air all around you. The medium used to achieve such effects is through the use of special glasses. Now, 3D glasses technology has come a long way since they were used back in the 1990s. For example, one of the most popular tools used is called RealID, which relies on a unique digital stereoscopic projection method and special glasses. Unlike older styles of 3D technology, the glasses worn with RealD systems are not colored. This technology offers high-resolution images that rival the best high-definition 2D systems for clarity, though it has problems. 

Many experts often compare digital 3d vs. real 3d since they are the most often used technologies, and they certainly have their own merits. However, both of them require 3D glasses. Imax is primarily based on film technology, while RealD 3D and Dolby Digital 3D are digital 3-D formats. In the case of RealD 3D and Dolby Digital 3D, their differences are more technical than visual in nature.

New 3D glasses technology allows the viewer to watch 3D content on a wide range of mediums, including TVs and projectors. They don’t cost a fortune, thus making the amazing experience offered by 3D accessible to everybody. This is something we will take a closer look at in the net section. 

3D Technologies for Television

There are several options for viewing 3D content on televisions: 

• Anaglyph: You have to wear eyeglasses with colored lenses so your brain can fuse together the partly overlapping red and cyan pictures on the screen.
• Polarizing: You wear lenses that filter light waves in different ways, so each eye sees a different picture.
• Active-shutter: The left and right lenses of your glasses are fitted with liquid crystals that effectively “open” and “close” at high speed, in rapid alternation, so your two eyes view separate images (frames) shown on the same screen.
• Lenticular: You don’t need glasses with this system. Instead, a row of plastic lenses in front of the screen bends slightly different, side-by-side images so they travel to your left and right eyes. You must sit in the right place to see a 3D image.

It is also important to note that there are various 3d video types: 

• Side-by-Side 3D -In Side by Side 3D format, one frame is divided into left and right two sub-frames, with the entire frame for the left eye scaled down horizontally to fit the left-half of the frame, and the entire frame for the right eye scaled down horizontally to fit the right side of the frame.
• Top-and-Bottom 3D – In the Top and Bottom 3D format, one video frame is divided into two sub-frames, the upper one consisting of the sub-frame meant for the left eye and the lower sub-frame meant for the right eye.

Even though 3D television content has a long way to go, new 3D technologies will still have significant barriers to overcome. To start with, the world has about a century of 2D movies and TV programs; any new 3D equipment that’s developed for the foreseeable future will need to be able to play all this stuff as well. More seriously, imagine the extra cost of producing 3D programs and (worse still) outside broadcasts. Do you want to watch the Super Bowl in 3D? Fine! But that means you’ll need at least two cameras (and maybe two trained operators) on the pitch for everyone that’s there today. So, potentially at least, 3D TV programs could be much more expensive to make. Still, as technology advances, the future of 3D TV looks promising. 

3D Technologies for Computers

When talking about 3D technologies for computers, we first need to understand an important difference between 3D displays and 3D computer graphics. First of all, 3D graphics have existed for a long time. What they show us is a three-dimensional world rendered in a two-dimensional display. Even though it does give you a sense of the depth between objects, it is no different than viewing a standard television program or film shot in two dimensions. 3D displays, on the other hand, are designed to simulate depth using stereoscopic vision, presenting two different images so that the viewers’ eyes interpret the images as a single 3D image. The displays are two-dimensional, but the brain perceives three-dimensional depth.

In terms of watching the actual content, some displays require that you use real 3D glasses on the computer while others don’t. The most common type of 3D display is based on shutter technology, which uses special LCD glasses to synchronize two images. This technology has been used with computers for many years through specialized hardware. Now, it’s possible to produce 3D images in higher resolutions with greater refresh rates. Some virtual reality goggles, such as the Oculus Rift and PlayStation VR, can produce 3D effects the same way by displaying separate images for each eye.

Autostereoscopic 3D displays don’t require glasses. Instead, these 3D displays use a special filter called a parallax barrier built into the LCD film. When enabled, light from the LCD travels differently at various angles. This causes the image to shift slightly between each eye, generating a sense of depth. This technology is best suited for small displays like the Nintendo 3DS.

Advancements Made in 3D Computer Graphics Software

3D modelers are used in a wide variety of industries. The medical industry uses them to create detailed models of organs. The movie industry uses them to create and manipulate characters and objects for animated and real-life motion pictures. The video game industry uses them to create assets for video games. The science sector uses them to create highly detailed models of chemical compounds. The architecture industry uses them to create models of proposed buildings and landscapes. The engineering community uses them to design new devices, vehicles, and structures, as well as a host of other uses. There are typically many stages in the “pipeline” that studios and manufacturers use to create 3D objects for film, games, and the production of hard goods and structures.

Many 3D modelers are designed to model various real-world entities, from plants to automobiles to people. Some are specially designed to model certain objects, such as chemical compounds, or internal organs.3D modelers allow users to create and alter models via their 3D mesh. Users can add, subtract, stretch and otherwise change the mesh to their desire. Models can be viewed from a variety of angles, usually simultaneously. Models can be rotated, and the view can be zoomed in and out.

3D modelers can export their models to files, which can then be imported into other applications as long as the metadata is compatible. Many modelers allow importers and exporters to be plugged-in, so they can read and write data in the native formats of other applications.

Most 3D modelers contain a number of related features, such as ray tracers and other rendering alternatives and texture mapping facilities. Some also contain features that support or allow the animation of models. Some may be able to generate a full-motion video of a series of rendered scenes (i.e., animation). Professional 3D modeling services will be able to guide you through the creation of your images and choose the software that best fits the project. 

Trust Skywell Software With All of Your 3D Technology Needs

If your project requires the creation of 3D content, consider hiring Skywell Software to get the job done for you. We have the necessary skills and expertise already on staff to create precisely the right solution for you. Our professionals have the necessary know-how to make even the most imaginative creations come to life. Contact us today to learn more.