Visual effects software developer The Foundry announced the release of OCULA 3.0 – a significant upgrade to their stereo plug-in toolset for the NUKE compositing system. In the three years since its original launch The Foundry has released a new version annually as well as several point releases, each with artist driven improvements.
“OCULA was developed in conjunction with customers facing the reality of delivering ambitious live-action stereo projects,” said Bill Collis, CEO, The Foundry.
Stereo 3D has seen substantial growth in the three years since OCULA was launched and collaboration with customers on live-action stereo projects, including Avatar, TRON: Legacy, Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides and Transformers: Dark of the Moon, has provided the opportunity to refine OCULA’s efficiency and workflow.
OCULA provides artists with a set of NUKE tools that assist with the integration of elements and help correct common stereo‐3D defects. Version 3.0 offers new tools to help fix mis-focused camera pairs and retime in stereo, as well as a range of workflow tweaks and improvements to speed up day-to-day use.
“Right off the bat the results we’re getting from OCULA 3.0 are truly amazing. This is a major step up from OCULA 2.2.” said Jose Fernandez de Castro Heller, senior compositor, MPC Vancouver.
“I love the new disparity map algorithm in OCULA 3.0,” said Mark Van Den Bergen, senior compositor, stereo, Dr D Studios. “We did tests using the depth map generated by OCULA to create digi-doubles of real live action in a CG snow storm to allow the FX team to blow snow particles around the people to get the correct holdout mattes in z-depth. We created geo from footage without building animated digital doubles.”
