Techniques (520) for converting a two-dimensional motion picture (500) into a three-dimensional stereo motion picture (540) are disclosed. Wire frames of objects in the motion picture are constructed using the frames of the two-dimensional motion picture, substituted for the two-dimensional view of the object, photorealistically rendered and stereo views generated of the rendered wireframes to create stereo views of the scenes of the original motion picture. Key frame sequences can be generated in stereo automatically from stereo setup of the key frame.

Method and apparatus for converting a two-dimensional motion picture into a three-dimensional motion picture

An electronic stereoscopic video camera for capture and playback of still or moving images. The camera of the invention employs a signal processing means to process the video output of left and right image sensors in order to locate the positions of left and right images in the camera's left and right image fields, respectively. As a result of comparison of the left and right image locations, control signals are generated for adjusting the effective position of one or both of the sensors in relation to a set of fixedly mounted camera lenses. The invention permits rapid and accurate control of a variety of video camera parameters by employing a self-correcting closed loop servo means in which the unmodified output of the left and right image sensors of a camera serves as feedback for generating control signals. The control signals are employed to adjust the effective position of left and right camera sensors in relation to fixedly mounted camera lenses, to control the convergence or zero parallax setting of the camera, or camera recentration.

Stereoscopic video camera with image sensors having variable effective position

A mechanism and method for recording stereo video with standard camera system electronics and a uniquely adapted optical assembly is disclosed. The optical assembly comprises left and right optical channels disposed to capture and project separate left and right images onto a single image sensor such that the boundary between the projected images is sharply delineated with no substantial overlap or gap. The viewpoints of the left and right optical channels are separated by a distance, d, such that the captured images are differentiated to produce a stereo image pair. By proper disposition of the left and right optical channels, stereo image pairs exhibiting full stereo overlap without keystone distortion are obtained. One image of the stereo pair is produced for visualization by the left eye and the other image is produced for visualization by the right eye. Alternatively, the images can be interrogated by a computer system for generating three dimensional position data. The image sensor is scanned in a standard fashion such that the left and right images are sampled by the video sampling circuitry of the camera unit at substantially the same time. In one mode, a pair of anamorphic lenses compress the left and right images along the axis of the image sensor scan lines so that each video field represents a stereo pair of images at a substantially unity anamorphic ratio and at an aspect ratio substantially equal to that of the image sensor. In a another mode, a conventional (non-distorting) lens is utilized and each video frame represents a pair of images having an aspect ratio equal to one-half that of the image sensor. A stereo playback mechanism and method is also disclosed.

Optical system for single camera stereo video

A method is disclosed, for encoding a signal with a three dimensional image sequence using a series of left and right images. Each image in the left image series is a picture formed by non-interlaced or interlaced scanned left line images, and each image in the right image series is a picture formed by non-interlaced or interlaced scanned right line images. The left line images contained in the left picture are merged with the right line images contained in the right picture to produce an alternately arranged left and right line merged picture. The merged picture is encoded using an MPEG-2 compliant encoder.

Three-dimensional image coding by merger of left and right images

A stereo imaging and viewing system for a borescope or endoscope employs a miniature camera assembly in which are disposed a CCD imager or equivalent imager, a wide-angle focusing lens assembly with an effective aperture on the order of about f/2 or wider, and an aperture plate interposed in the optical path of the camera and adjacent the lens assembly. The aperture plate has left and right pupils therein situated on opposite sides of the optic axis of the lens assembly. The pupils are separated from one another by a predetermined pupil distance that is somewhat smaller than the lens diameter. The left image passes through the left pupil and is focused through a corresponding portion of the lens assembly onto the image plane of the imager and a right image passes through the right pupil and is focused by a corresponding portion of the lens assembly onto the image plane of the imager. A selective mechanism, such as alternate shutters or distinct color filters, separate the left and right views of the target sequentially. Left and right views are then presented to a display device for viewing the left and right views stereoscopically.

Endoscope or borescope stereo viewing system

A stereoscopic picture system which has a stereoscopic camera for picking-up a stereo-pair of images, a stereoscopic recorder, a stereoscopic encoder to selectively color each image of the stereo-pair and to superimpose them, a stereoscopic transmitter, a stereoscopic color display and a stereoscopic color viewing device. Each image of the stereo-pair in a color film system is selectively colored, or each is electronically colored in a color video system, to insure that the images are channeled separately through the color system to appear as two differently colored images at the display. Chromatic viewing devices, such as colored anaglyph glasses, are used by each viewer to channel one image to each respective eye. The viewer normally perceives a substantially black-and-white stereoscopic picture; however, a system for picking-up, recording, transmitting, reproducing, and viewing a full color picture is also described. The system relates to television, but has applications to graphic and visual displays and to film and motion pictures.

Stereoscopic television system

Stereoscopic image system

On December 19, 1980 a Los Angeles subscription TV system was the first to broadcast true stereoscopic (3D) programming. Using a unique electronic 3D Video* Process developed by the 3D Video Corporation, films originally shot in 3D are transferred to tape then chan-neled through a special electronic processor creating a 3D Master Tape. The resultant 3D tape can be broadcast conventionally or duplicated on video cassettes or video discs. The viewers at home wear anaglyph glasses to see true 3D on their color television sets. Sev-eral actual broadcasts have indicated considerable public interest and approval.

James F. Butterfield

Papers

Stereoscopic television system

Stereoscopic image system

Three -dimensional home television