Stereo 3D Toolkit 2
  • Hi - Is it normal that After Effects becomes very unresponsive (long waits to respond to clicks) as soon as a second S3D workflow has been created? It seems to get worse the more workflows there are - In the Activity Monitor AE's CPU usage ramps up to 100% as soon as a 2nd workflow gets created... (on a new 12-core Mac Pro with 48 GB of RAM, PCIe SSD boot drive and AE cache on separate SSD)
  • Hi, Ralf.  

    I wouldn't say it's normal for AE to become unresponsive when using more than one workflow.  However, the more complex the scene is the harder it will be on the system once you make the S3D workflow.  Have you ever experienced this problem when working with only 1 S3D workflow in a project?  

    -Ryan
  • Is there a way to change the default settings for new S3D comps.
    I've a line interlaced monitor and creating new S3D defaults to Balanced Red Blue view, so every new comp and every update resets it and i have to manually change back.

    Also is it possible to set the default S3D controls settings? 
    i'd just like to have the 'display zero parallax' off ?

    love the workflow and use, but this would be a great timesaver!

  • Ron, those are both good ideas.  I should be able to implement them both and release an update in the near future.

    -Ryan
  • Will the script work in Cinema 4D R15?
  • Gary - Yes, the script is compatible with Cinema 4D R15.
  • I went back to run more tests with a different setup and it appears to be fine. Might have had something to do with heavy expressions in my setup. I agree with Ron Gilmour though - being able to set our own DEFAULTS would go a long way towards a smoother workflow.

    Hi, Ralf.  

    I wouldn't say it's normal for AE to become unresponsive when using more than one workflow.  However, the more complex the scene is the harder it will be on the system once you make the S3D workflow.  Have you ever experienced this problem when working with only 1 S3D workflow in a project?  

    -Ryan

  • When using the c4d stereoscopic camera in parallel mode, the zero parallax value gets limited to a fairly low number and doesn't look right when imported into after effects. Can there be zero parallax when the left and right cameras are parallel and don't intersect?
  • Hi Ralf,

    The Zero Parallax locator should still work if you're using a parallel camera from C4D.  The key is to make sure that both C4D and AE are set to parallel mode.  When you import the AEC to After Effects and create the S3D workflow, does the S3D control layer automatically set to parallel?

    -Ryan
  • Yes - it does, thanks. On a different note, now that R15's teamrender doesn't support stereoscopic renders, I work around it by rendering two separate left and right eye passes, each with a non-stereoscopic camera scripted to its proper stereoscopic place. Can you think of any other workaround?
  • Hi Ralf,

    I was able to get it to work without scripting extra cameras.  You still need to send the left/right channels to the render queue separately though.  Here's how I got it to work:

    1) Set stereoscopic to single channel:  
       Render Settings->Stereoscopic->Calculate Stereoscopic Images: Single Channel

    2) Set Single Channel to 1 to render the left camera 
    - make sure you add Stream Left or _LF to the file name

    3) Set Single Channel to 2 to render the right camera 
    - make sure you add Stream Right or _RT to the file name, it will overwrite the left channel if you forget to update the name.

    It's not a perfect solution, but it will let you team render the left and right channels without scripting in extra cameras.   

    Cheers,
    Ryan
  • Hey Ryan,

    Is there a way to fully uninstall 3d Stereo Toolkit from an AE install, so it prompts you for a serial number again?  Just deleting the .jsx doesn't seem to make a difference.  We've had some artists move around on machines and I'd like to clean it up.


    …ken
  • Is there a way to fully uninstall 3d Stereo Toolkit from an AE install, so it prompts you for a serial number again?  
    Please open a support ticket and we can get you a tool to remove your aescripts licenses.
  • I just DL'd the trial of the product, but when I try to open it I get an invalid SN error...how do I get to use it?
    Thanks
  • Hi Louis - when you open the script and are prompted to enter a serial number use "trial" without quotation marks.
  • Hi Ryan,
    Still getting used to using the product and seem really good, but I have hit a snag.  In AE cs 6 (Mac) I have been trying to composite a 3D particle effect into some s3D background plates.  I used the AE camera tracker to create an animated camera by tracking the left eye plate.  Then I comped in a cc particle world effect.  Looked great in one eye.  But then I ran the script, and in the final s3d comp the particle effect does not have stereo depth.  However a sample 3D text layer and solid layer do.  The cc particle world effect renders all at the same plane.  Would love to get some advise.  Have you ever had issues with cameras created by the tracker/solver?  I don't get the same problems when I create a camera from scratch ....  Thanks! - John.
  • Will this plug-in create video that works with active 3d systems (3d monitor and active glasses) or is it on limited to colored passive (red-green) glasses?
  • Hi John -- If you fill out a support ticket and upload your project I will take a look at it.  Support tickets are found on the contact page of the site. 
  • Robert - This plug-in will work with any stereoscopic 3d system.  Active or passive glasses, top/bottom, side by side etc...  You can also render the separate left and right streams for additional control over how you want to encode your stereo files.
  • I am looking to purchase this or another script for after Effects. Would this script work for 3D camera tracking, to transfer the Left tracked footage camera keys into the Right camera? To create 3D camera tracking and compositing of objects into real stereo footage? Would the I be able to try it out before buying it, or is the tryal very limiting. Hopefully my questions made sense. 

    Thank you 
  • You can download and use the script in trial mode for 2 weeks.  The method you describe could work depending on the footage.
  • Hi Ryan - is there any information on working with depth of field in the AE cameras while using the plug in? 
  • Yes, it works with the camera depth of field.
  • Hi Ryan,

    Does this work with C4D R16?
  • Hi Wing Tsang,

    Yes, you can use it with R16 and Cineware.  Bring your C4D project into AE and extract the scene data into a comp.  Create a stereo scene from the extracted camera. 

    There are 2 things to look out for before running the stereo 3D script if you are using this method.

    1) Remove "_S3D" from the extracted camera name if it's there.
    2) make sure the Guide_S3D layer and the Camera are both Unlocked
  • Hi Ryan,

    Is it possible to render stereoscopic 360 movies with your plugin? I'm particularly interested in this for our Oculus pipeline.

    Thanks,

    L
  • Hi Luke,

    The Stereo 3D Toolkit has been used to create stereoscopic content for the Oculus before.  As long as you have separate left and right video channels it should work.

    -Ryan
  • Hi Ryan,
    I am creating a scene in Cinema 4D R17 using its Stereo Camera, but for composting purposes I'd prefer using your rig and move the project to AE.
    Before I make the purchase, I'd like to ask 2 questions:
    1. Can I render Side-by-Side straight from AE
    2. Would it be possible upon purchase to have your tutorial scene with cubes available to learn from. The video quality on Vimeo and here is not good and I am having troubles seeing the things you were referring during the tutorial.
    I am sure the manual will come along, but the scene would be great and faster to dissect.

    FYI: I am using AE2015 and Cinema 4D R17

    Please let me know. Neb
  • Hi Nebojsa,

    Yes, you can render side-by-side straight from AE using Stereo 3D Toolkit 2.  The manual is included in the Trial download, so you're able to test it out for free ahead of time to see if it will do what you need.

    Cinema4D R17 has not been tested with the Stereo 3D Toolkit yet.  However, there is a good chance it will work.  R15 and R16 updates did not cause any issues.   Let me know how it works if you end up trying it out with R17.

    As for the c4d project from the tutorial, I will need to do some digging around to see if I can find it.  I'll post it up here and on the product page under additional downloads  if/when I find it.

    -Ryan
  • Thank you Ryan. I will take your advice and download the trial first to test it on R17. If everything works, I'll go ahead and make the purchase. Appreciate your prompt response.
    NEB
  • Also PC, windows?
  • Hey Ryan :)

    how do I have to create the movement of a element 3D object which should move from far away to outside the screen (pop-out)?

    I've tried to make the movement with a camera which moves to the title but it seems it's not the correct way? When I set "Zero Parallax" to a huge value of 100000 I get a little pop-out when the object is at final position. But unfortunately the whole animation has a pop-out.
  • Hi Julian,

    The zero parallax locator is the screen plane.  Any objects behind the zero parallax locator will appear to sink into the screen.  Objects in front of it will appear to pop out.  If the zero parallax locator is set to 0, and the logo moves from -1000 to 1000, it will look like it's traveling from inside the screen to outside the screen.

    To increase the amount of stereo depth, set the "Interaxial Distance" to a higher number.  This controls how far apart the left and right cameras are.  The farther apart the camera are, the greater the stereo effect will be.






  • Hey Ryan,
    thanks for your fast answer but with element 3D it doesn't seem to work with its "World Position Z"? So I have to change the layer to 3D and use the native After Effects Z-position?
  • Hi Julian,

    Stereo 3D Toolkit will work with Element 3D and give correct depth.  Making the Element layer 2D and using native After Effects Z-position will not give you a proper stereo 3D result.

    The attached screen shot shows the chessboard model included with Element 3D converted to Stereo 3D.

    When working with Element 3D it can be difficult to know where the model is positioned in 3D space.  Element 3D has a built in feature that makes this much easier.  Open the Element effect controls and go to Group > Group Utilities > Create Group Null this will create a 3D null object and link Element's transform to it.

    Using the group null, it is much easier to position the 3D model relative to the camera and zero parallax locator.  

    Anything between the camera and the zero parallax locator will appear to pop out of the screen.  Anything behind the zero parallax locator will sink into the screen.  To create a stronger depth effect, turn up the interaxial distance.

      




    Element3DChessboardStereo3dTest.PNG
    1300 x 612 - 551K
  • Hey Ryan,

    wow, thank you so much :)

    One last question: It it possible to use Nvidia Vision 2 with After Effects?
  • Hi Julian,

    No problem, glad to help.  Nvidia Vision 2 glasses will work.  You just need to make sure the stereo mode of the glasses/monitor matches the settings in after effects.
  • Hi! About two days ago, I downloaded the trial version. Worked well until today. I'm using Element 3d and I have issues with the RT precomp.
    When I render video, some frames crash with light of the scene. This error is from trial version? If I buy the plugin solve that problem?
    Hope you can help me.
    Thanks, and sorry for my english.

    Mariano from Argentina.

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  • Hi Mariano, if you open a trouble ticket and post your AE project I can take a look at it and see if I can figure out where the error is coming from.   The scene renders OK if you remove problem the light?  Does the light use any expressions?

    Cheers,
    Ryan
  • Hey Ryan! I'm using Stereo 3D Tookit and so far it's fantastic, but we ran into a little issue. Our client has recently requested that we use an off-axis camera for our stereo setup instead of on-axis. When we use that setup, it doesn't line up properly in AE. It looks like the problem is because the off-axis camera uses film back offset instead of camera rotation. Is there some trick to getting off-axis to work with Stereo 3D Tookit? Thanks for any help!

    Doug
  • Hi Doug, do you mind opening up a help ticket and uploading some screen shots of the issue you're having?  I'll also be able to send you a copy of an updated version of the script through the ticket system.  I'm sure we'll able to get it sorted out.
  • I'm interested in buying this script to use with AE CC 2018 and C4D R18. I know these versions are not listed as compatible, but has anyone tried it?
  • Quick thanks for creating this, how flippin' robust this is. When I was like 15 seeing Avatar I was dying that I couldn't afford any of that equipment, and 15 years later I'm on a $100 3D tv with your script making some of the coolest stuff I could have ever thought of. All of the controls are fantastic, I have no idea how you made so that 'update' just re-ups my right eye comp each time, really fantastic.

    Since you're obviously a stereo-nerd as well, give me a message if you ever want to some work your toolset has helped create, million thanks to you and your work.

    - Nick