Want to create a realistic 3D scene in your production using 3ds Max and After Effects?

Adapted from a tutorial done by André Kutscherauer. Find more of his stuff at: www.ak3d.de

Creating Stereoscopic 3D in 3ds Max

The StereoCam modifier

Start by downloading and installing the StereoCam script. You can do this by simply downloading the script and copying it to your \3dsmax\scripts\startup folder. This tool simplifies the steps because it makes the 3D convergence plance visible from the viewport. In the modifier’s settings you can set your final screen size, the eye distance and more.

Creating Stereoscopic 3D in 3ds Max

Now You Can Set up a Free Camera

The StereoCam modifier is created to be used by a Free Camera. However, since, on a whole, we are more familiar with animating a Target Camera, this tutorial deals with setting up a scene for the creation of an easy workflow with the use of a Target Camera. First, create a new Free Camera naming it ‘S3D_Camera’. Now that this has been selected, you can go to the Modifier panel and select the StereoCam modifier. This creates two new cameras that you can use for the rendering stage later on.

Creating Stereoscopic 3D in 3ds Max

More advanced camera settings

To make your camera animation a bit more simple, you can now add a new Target Camera and name this one ‘Mastercam’. This camera is the only one you will be animating. The aim of this workflow is to animate only this camera and camera target, while any 3D camera can follow it properly and get the correct values for the “important Target Distance and Field of View.” To achieve this, you will want to link the “S3D_Camera to the Mastercam and align both cameras to the same position.”

Your first script

In order to forward the correct values from the Target Camera Mastercam to your Free S3D_Camera, you will need to set up three scripted controllers. Select the S3D_Camera opening the Graph Editors menu. Unfold all of “the values of the S3D_Camera, right-click on Projection Distance, choose Assign Controller and then the Float Script controller. In the next screen, insert the script: ‘Cam.Target_distance/(Cam.modifi ers[#StereoCamera].StereoScale/100.0)’.”

Adding more scripts

Now repeat the previous steps for two additional values. In the View field, you can now enter: ‘DegToRad $Mastercam.CurFOV’. And for your Target Distance, enter: ‘$Mastercam.targetdistance’. These 3 scripts will force the Free Camera to take all the values from your Target Camera. Now we can totally hide the S3D_Camera and just work with the Mastercam. Now we can animate this like we would any normal camera, bearing in mind that the convergence plane or screen, is always on the depth of the camera target. Now you can easily choose which parts of the scene you want to be in front of or inside of your screen.

Creating the stereo effect

Last but not least, you can “create an animation using the Mastercam and its target.” It is important to remember to only render out the “S3D_Camera_StereoLeft and S3D_Camera_StereoRight cameras that were created by the StereoCam modifier.” In After Effects, you will be able to import the “two animations into one composition, with the left movie above the right movie.” Place an adjustment layer on the two movies adding the effect 3D Glasses over that. After you have set up this effect in the right way, you can select the 3D format that you want to render out.

Source: A tutorial done by André Kutscherauer. Find more of his stuff at: www.ak3d.de

For an Amazing 3D viewing experience

In order to check your 3D stereo effect, ideally you should have a 3D monitor that is compatible with NVIDIA 3D Vision. If this is not available however, simple red/cyan glasses will also work just fine. For your “final output on a 3D flat TV with shutter glasses, the format side-by-side is good.” For the finest quality, encode “two full-HD streams onto a 3D Blu-ray.”

Source: http://www.3dartistonline.com/news/2013/08/stereoscopic-3d-animation-tutorial/

-Val Cameron/Dreamlight

PS: If you want to master 3D animation, and start creating your own cool movies, using free software, then head over HERE. 

Val Cameron