3D animation in three dimensions: the rocky road to the obvious
Hugh Murray · Proceedings of SPIE, the International Society for Optical Engineering/Proceedings of SPIE · 2006
That animation created using CG modeling and animation tools is inherently three-dimensional is well known. In the middle to late nineties IMAX Corporation began actively exploring CG animated features as a possible source of economically viable content for its rapidly growing network of stereoscopic IMAX® 3D theatres. The journey from there to the spectacular success of the IMAX® 3D version of The Polar Express is an interesting mix of technical, creative and production challenges. For example 3D animations often have 2D elements and include many sequences that have framing, composition and lens choices that a stereographer would have avoided had 3D been part of the recipe at the outset. And of course the decision to ask for a second set of deliverables from an already stressed production takes nerve. The talk will cover several of these issues and explain why the unique viewing experience enabled by the wideangle geometry of IMAX® 3D theatres makes it worth all the pain.