Medtron Make3D User’s Manual 1.1.6
Part
#1
Table
of Contents:
Shooting Stereoscopic 3D Movies
Setting the Vegas Project
Properties
Create Video Pairs from raw input
files
Time Synchronize and Align Video
Pairs
Automatically Create the 3D
Timeline
Edit, Convert and Adjust the 3D
Timeline
Adding Make3D Toolkit Icons to
Vegas Toolbar
Adding Make3D Keyboard Shortcuts to
Vegas
Opening the Make3D Toolkit Inside
Vegas
Opening Projects Created with Older
Versions of Make3D
Make 3D Video Toolkit User
Interface
Select Video Directory and
Extension Group
Import Video Camera Files Group
Synchronize and Align Video Pairs
Group
Vegas Timeline Utilities Group
Make3D, Make3D_Split and Make3D_Delete are application extensions for the Sony Vegas Pro multi-track media-editing software system, and are designed to work with high definition 16:9 video files. The Make3D Stereoscopic 3D Toolkit provides a complete 3D workflow inside Vegas. From importing camera files to rendering final output, there are tools that help you perform the many tasks necessary to create professional stereoscopic 3D productions.
The Make3D workflow is divided into the following logical steps:
If you have installed a version of Make3D prior to 1.1.0, then some files may have been copied to the Sony Vegas Script directory.
Make_3D.dll
Make_3D.png
Make_3D_Delete.dll
Make_3D_Split.dll
Make_3D_Split.png
Microsoft.DirectX.dll
Microsoft.DirectX.DirectSound.dll
Normally the Sony Vegas Script directory is located at:
or
After installation Make3D, Make3D_Split and Make3D_Delete should now be visible in the Vegas Pro [Tools / Extensions] list.
After the Make3D trial period expires, you must obtain a new License Key to restore full functionality. Unlicensed copies of Make3D are limited to four video file pairs per directory, and will not add more than four video file pairs to the timeline.
You must include the Activation Code in your License Key request! The Activation Code is available in the Make3D Activation dialog.
Added Activation
Codes.
Fixed “Find Audio
Clicks” bugs.
Added support for Horizontally
and / or Vertically Mirrored video files.
Added Thumbnail
(*.M3T) files to improve Make3D workflow.
Added “Bypass
Camera Sync and Align Procedures” tool.
Added German
template finding.
Changed “Create LR
Jpgs” tool to “Create LR Data”.
Moved WAV
file creation to “Create LR Data” tool.
Improved and fixed
“Find Camera Alignment” tool.
Improved
“Diagnostics” tool.
Fixed template
finding bugs.
Fixed “Adjust
3D Pan Crop” bugs.
Added support for PAL
and IVTC Film input camera files.
Added PAL, IVTC
Film and BluRay output options to “Render 3D Timeline” tool.
Changed “Append 3D
Videos” to "Insert 3D Videos".
Changed “Append 3D
Photos” to "Insert 3D Photos".
Added “Append 3D Photos” tool.
Added “Sync Left” and “Sync Right” 3D Timeline re-synchronization tools.
Added built-in Help dialogs and Hint bars.
Improved the “Make3D_Split” tool.
Improved the “Make3D_Delete” tool.
Improved the “Verify Video Pairs” tool.
Improved the “Import Left Videos” tool.
Improved the “Import Right Videos” tool.
Fixed and improved the “Create New 3D Timeline” tool.
Fixed and improved the “Append 3D Pairs to Timeline” tool.
Fixed “Adjust 3D Pan / Crop” bugs.
Added mismatched camera zoom correction
Added inter-camera rotation correction.
Improved the “Find Camera Alignment” tool.
Improved the “Adjust 3D Pan Crop” tool.
Fixed an audio template recognition bug.
Allow renaming or moving video directories.
Added new “Yellow/Blue Anaglyph” 3D Timeline format.
Added new “Green/Magenta Anaglyph” 3D Timeline format.
Improved the “Find Alignment” tool.
Improved the “Adjust 3D Pan Crop” tool.
Improved the “Cleanup Directory” tool.
Improved 3D Timeline error reporting.
Fixed a “Create New 3D Timeline” ShiftX bug.
Added support for “Vegas Pro 8.1”.
Added new “Adjust 3D Pan Crop” tool.
Added new 3D timeline “Split” tool.
Added new 3D timeline “Delete” tool.
Added new “Diagnostics” file creation tool.
Added “Windows Media Video V11” template recognition.
Fixed a “Create Wave Files” bug.
Fixed a “Create JPEG Files” bug.
Fixed “Render Timeline” bugs.
Cleaned up Install and Uninstall procedure.
Removed the “Adjust Stereo 3D Window” tool.
Removed the “Reset Stereo 3D Window” tool.
Removed the Microsoft DirectX dependencies.
Added new “Render Timeline” tool.
Added support for automatically creating interlaced files.
Added mask files for creating Interlaced output files.
Moved all mask files to “Common Files Folder” directory.
Fixed a Windows Vista activation bug.
Restore compatibility with Vegas Pro8.0 (Build 144) and later Vegas versions.
Added support for Anaglyph and Dual Stream 3D Timeline formats.
Improved the Make3D User Interface.
Added new “Create New 3D Timeline” tool.
Added new “Append 3D Pairs to Timeline” tool.
Added new “Convert Timeline 3D Format” tool.
Added new “Adjust Stereo 3D Window” tool.
Added new “Reset Stereo 3D Window” tool.
Fixed “Import Left Videos” and “Import Right Videos” bugs.
Version 1.0.12
Added new “Change Video Ext” to support additional video camera types.
Changed default video file extension from” .m2ts” to “.MTS”.
Added new “Import Left Videos” and “Import Right Videos” tools.
Added auto-detection of missing installation
files.
Removed the “Update Status” button.
Fixed additional "Create Jpg Files" bugs.
Changed Make3D manual format to “.pdf”.
Version 1.0.11
Added graphic "Create Video Pairs" tools.
Added graphic interface to "Load 3D Videos" tool.
Fixed a "Create Jpg Files" bug.
Version 1.0.10
Installation missing files bug is fixed.
If you capture a pair of video clips with two cameras horizontally separated by a few inches, then you might have the stereoscopic data necessary to create a 3D movie. The cameras should be the same make and model, using the same focus, zoom, exposure, timing, and aligned properly. Although, Make3D can correct minor camera misalignment, it is best to minimize problems before shooting by properly setting up the cameras and using audio synchronization clicks:
Unless you are using expensive studio GenLock cameras, the left and right video recorders will not be synchronized! Fortunately, absolute time synchronization is not necessary to achieve near professional results. There are two main timing issues: recording start times and long term clock drift. Without GenLock there is nothing you can do about clock drift, but with current manufacturing techniques, the crystals inside the cameras are quite accurate. Under normal circumstances, recording durations up to a few minutes will not have a lot of timing drift between the cameras. Nevertheless, it is probably a good idea to limit individual recordings to a few minutes. Unfortunately, differences between camera recording start times are serious problem, but there is an inexpensive audio click solution. Even when using a single remote control to start both cameras, they will not start at exactly the same time. Typically, the difference between the recording start time is only a few frames, but more than one frame shift can cause serious 3D artifacts for moving subjects.
Purchase an inexpensive animal training clicker from your local pet supply store. Normally, they are small plastic boxes about the size of a matchbox and cost less than two dollars. They have a metal thumb tab inside, that when pressed generates a sharp clicking sound. The clicker generates a double pulse, the first when you press the metal tab and the second when you release the tab. The Find Clicks tool is used to locate these pulses in the audio tracks from the cameras, and to select the left and right start frames to synchronize the recordings. Within four seconds after starting both cameras, press and quickly release the clicker tab about a foot above or behind the cameras. You should be able to see the click pulses in the audio tracks when you use the Find Clicks tool. A little experimentation with the clicker and short test recordings will help refine your technique.
1) Use the same focus and exposure settings on both cameras!
2) If possible, place cameras on a sliding mounting bar. This helps keep the cameras aligned properly. Otherwise, make sure both cameras base-plates are positioned as if they were both sitting on a single flat horizontal bar, with both cameras at same height and tilt angle.
3) For proper stereoscopic 3D, the correct separation between cameras depends upon the zoom setting! Cameras should be separated about 2.5 inches for each X power of zoom. Thus, cameras set to 8X telephoto should be separated by almost two feet. At 1X, wide-angle the cameras should be only a few inches apart. Slide bars are often used to adjust inter-camera separation in stereoscopic 3D rigs.
4) Zooming can cause problems. Full telephoto or full wide-angle zoom with matched cameras is usually acceptable, but it is very difficult to get intermediate settings the same on both cameras. If using intermediate zoom settings, it is best to reset both cameras to full telephoto or full wide-angle between adjustments, as this helps keeps errors from accumulating. Zooming cameras during a shot seldom yields good results.
5) Under most circumstances it is best to adjust the horizontal camera alignment so that the furthest object in the cameras field of view is at the same position in both cameras viewfinder. For exterior shots with backgrounds at far distances the cameras optical axis should be aligned parallel to each other. For interior shots, close-ups or macros toe-in the cameras until the object farthest away is aligned.
The Make3D Toolkit is designed to work with high definition 1440x1080 camera files, and the Vegas Project Properties can affect some of the Make3D tool results. The project “Frame Rate” affects the relationship between the Vegas timeline cursor position and the camera frame boundaries. If the frame rates of the Project Properties and camera files are different, then the timeline cursor position may not align with the actual frame boundaries. This can cause unexpected results when using Make3D_Split or the “Sync Left” and “Sync Right” tools.
Regardless of the Vegas Project Properties, the “Render 3D Timeline” tool can be used to create many output formats, including NTSC, PAL and IVTC Film.
WARNING:
You should set the Vegas Project Properties to match the camera file
Frame Rate!
1) Open Vegas.
2) Use [File / Properties] to open the “Project Properties” dialog.
3) In the “Template:” list box, select “HD 1080-60i (1920x1080, 29.970 fps)”.
4) Add check to the “Start all new projects with these settings” check box.
6) Click “Apply” button.
1) Open Vegas.
2) Use [File / Properties] to open the “Project Properties” dialog.
3) In the “Template:” list box, select “HD 1080-50i (1920x1080, 25.000 fps)”.
4) Add check to the “Start all new projects with these settings” check box.
6) Click “Apply” button.
1) Open Vegas.
2) Use [File / Properties] to open the “Project Properties” dialog.
3) In the “Template:” list box, select “HD 1080-24p (1920x1080, 23.976 fps)”.
4) Add check to the “Start all new projects with these settings” check box.
6) Click “Apply” button.
You should create a directory for 3D video folders before
running the Make3D Toolkit, a recommended path is: C:\3D\Video
Follow the instructions in the Adding Make3D Toolkit Icons to Vegas Toolbar and Adding Make3D Keyboard Shortcuts to Vegas sections in this manual to make working with Make3D quicker and easier.
The Make3D workflow is divided into the following logical steps:
Each of the Make3D tools is enabled depending on the contents of the working directory. When you exit a tool, the working directory is rescanned, the status bars are updated, and a different set of tool buttons may be enabled.
Normally, you will use the Make3D tools in the following order:
Tools marked with * are optional.
* Bypass Camera Sync and Align Procedures tool - Special circumstances only!
The following Make3D tools have built-in Help dialogs that pop-up if you use the [?] key located near the upper right corner of the tool. Most of the built-in Help information is copied directly from this manual.
In addition, many of the tools have a Hint bar at the bottom. When the mouse is over a control, a short description of the control and its use appears in the Hint bar.
The following warnings exist in various sections of the Make3D manual and are duplicated here for quick reference.
WARNING: Do not mix video files with different
extensions in a single directory! Instead, use separate directories for
different video file types.
WARNING: Never rename or
delete the 3D Timeline tracks! Furthermore, do not hand edit the Pan/Crop
values of the 3D Timeline track or change the “Composite Mode” track settings.
WARNING: You should set the Vegas Project
Properties to match the camera file Frame Rate!
WARNING: The Vegas 3D Timeline Utilities do not
handle multiple event “Takes”.
WARNING: The Render Timeline tool
will not overwrite existing files!
This is an intentionally designed safety feature to help prevent the accidental destruction of output files that may have taken many hours to render.
WARNING: There is no support for 90 or 270
degree input Video file rotation.
WARNING: There is no support for rotated
or mirrored Photo files.
It is easy to add the Make3D Toolkit Icons to the Vegas Toolbar.
1) Open Vegas.
2) Use [Vegas / Options / Customize Toolbar] to open the “Customize Toolbar” dialog.
3) Find and select Make3D in the “Available Toolbar Buttons” box.
4) Use “Add ->” button to add Make3D to the Vegas toolbar.
5) Find and select Make3D_Delete in the “Available Toolbar Buttons” box.
6) Use “Add ->” button to add Make3D_Delete to the Vegas toolbar.
7) Find and select Make3D_Split in the “Available Toolbar Buttons” box.
8) Use “Add ->” button to add Make3D_Split to the Vegas toolbar.
9) Close the open “Customize Toolbar” dialog.
The Make3D tool icons should now be visible in the Vegas toolbar.
Although it is easy to add keyboard shortcuts to Vegas, it is difficult to find unused keys. The default Vegas shortcuts use almost all the available keys and you probably want to add a single key shortcut for Make3D Split and Delete. You should avoid using combination keystrokes that use “Ctrl”, “Alt” or “Shift”, because you could accidentally execute a default Vegas shortcut and ruin the 3D timeline.
Sometimes the [F4] and [F10] keys are unused, and you can use the following procedure to assign them to the “Split” and “Delete” tools.
1) Open Vegas.
2) Use [Vegas / Options / Customize Keyboard] to open the “Customize Keyboard” dialog.
3) Enter “Make3D” in the “Show commands containing:” box. The Make3D extensions should appear in the command list box.
4) Select “Make3D Split” in the command list box.
5) Left click in the “Shortcut keys:” box; then press the [F4] key.
6) If no conflicts appear in the “Shortcut currently assigned to:” box, then use the [Add] button to add the new shortcut.
7) Select “Make3D Delete” in the command list box.
8) Left click in the “Shortcut keys:” box; then press the [F10] key.
9) If no conflicts appear in the “Shortcut currently assigned to:” box; then use the [Add] button to add the new shortcut.
10) Use the [OK] button to accept the new shortcuts.
If conflicts appear in the “Shortcut currently assigned to:” box, then you must try to find an unassigned key to use.
[Tools / Extensions / Make_3D]
You
should create a directory for 3D video folders before running Make3D for
the first time. A suggested path is: C:\3D\Video
When you start Make3D for the first time it automatically runs the Change Directory tool that displays the Browse For Folder Dialog. You must select the working directory, and the 3D tools will process the contents of the working directory. During initial processing of video files you will sequentially run the 3D tools that will create additional file types in the working directory. Later, when composing a 3D video production, you can use Create New 3D Timeline to add clips from multiple directories to the timeline.
Starting with Make3D Version 1.0.16, the required 3D Mask bitmap files will be kept in the “Common Files Folder” directory instead of the Vegas Script directory.
If you open a Vegas project file created with an older Make3D version, Vegas will complain about the required Mask files:
“The following file could not be found in the specified location…”
Select the “Specify a new location or replacement file” option.
The required Mask files should be located at:
C:\Program Files\Common
Files\Medtron
or
C:\Program Files (x86)\Common
Files\Medtron
Future Make3D releases will use the same “Common Files Folder” directory for the Mask and Icon files, which should eliminate the need to repeat this process after Make3D or Vegas Pro upgrades.
The Make3D Diagnostics collects and writes data to a Make3D_Diagnostics.txt file that contains information about the operating system, Sony Vegas, and Make3D installations.
Video Extension Box – Display current working video file extension.
Make3D Status Box – Display processing state and error messages.
Directory & Status Boxes – Display current working directory and any errors found.
Change Directory – Display the Browse For Folder Dialog to change the current working directory.
Change Video Ext – Change working video file type.
Create Directories –
Create new video directory with empty LEFT and RIGHT subdirectories.
Import Left Videos – Import left video files into LEFT subdirectory directly from a video camera.
Import Right Videos – Import right video files into RIGHT subdirectory directly from a video camera.
Create L R Jpgs –
Create first frame JPG files in LEFT and RIGHT subdirectories for
video pair verification.
Directory & Status Boxes – Display number and types of files in LEFT and RIGHT subdirectories.
Verify Video Pairs – Find and disable orphan video clips.
Directory & Status Boxes – Display number and type of files and any errors found.
Renumber Images –
Rename and move video files from the LEFT and RIGHT subdirectories to the
working directory.
Create Wave Files – Obsolete - Create WAV files from video files to be used for camera timing synchronization.
Find Clicks – Use WAV files to synchronize camera timing and create Click (_C.txt) files.
Create Jpg Files – Create start frame JPG files from video files to be use to correct camera misalignment.
Find Alignment – Use JPG files to correct camera misalignment and create Align (_A.txt) files.
Vegas Timeline Status Box –
Display the Timeline Status and Errors.
Sync Align Bypass - Creates default Align (*_A.txt) files and left and right JPG files for all 3D video pairs in the working directory
Create New 3D Timeline – Create aligned subclips from video files, and add the aligned subclips to a new Vegas timeline.
Append 3D Pairs to
Timeline – Create aligned subclips from video files, and add the
aligned subclips to an existing Vegas timeline.
Append 3D Photos to
Timeline – Create aligned subclips from still image files, and add
the aligned subclips to an existing Vegas timeline.
Adjust 3D Pan Crop – Adjust the Pan / Crop and Camera alignment values for selected “L Video” event.
Sync Left – Split the event at the cursor position and delete a frame from the new left video event.
Sync Right – Split the event at the cursor position and delete a frame from the new right video event.
Convert Timeline 3D Format – Convert the entire 3D Timeline Format to Anaglyph, Dual Stream or Side-By-Side.
Render Timeline – Render the 3D timeline in many useful formats.
Cleanup Directory – Delete skf0 and skf1 files from the working directory.
Diagnostics – Gather and write diagnostic information to a Make3D_Diagnostics.txt log file.
About Make3D – Display dialog box with copyright and version information.
Make3D Activation – Display dialog to obtain Activation Code and enter Make3D License Key.
Exit – Close the Make3D Toolkit.