M.A.C.: an automatic stereoscopic calculator for animation pipelines

Current tools and techniques for setting stereo in animated feature films lack intuitive ways to art direct the stereo, and are not capable of ensuring quality and consistency of stereo across shots or artists. In this paper, we present a new set of tools for setting stereo currently being used at DreamWorks Animation that address both of these concerns. The McNally AutoStereoscopic Calculator, or M. A. C., is a new set of tools for setting stereo that allows for greater creative control, a higher degree of consistency in establishing baseline cross-sequence stereo, and improved artist efficiency.

M.A.C. provides a framework for the definition of customized, quality stereo, relating camera and scene contents to stereo parameters. This framework allows studios or artists to develop and own a unique stereo brand that can be consistently applied to stereo parameters across varying shots and artists as baseline stereo.

M.A.C. also introduces a new abstraction paradigm for modulating the baseline settings, controlling stereo in an intuitive way that is relevant outside the context of a shot and is scriptable. This scriptable nature allows for the practical use of a creative depth script which directly informs how stereo is set from a high creative level, and also allows for the automatic batch setting of stereo on the farm. This in turn leads to new creatively driven workflows, pushing the setting of stereo earlier in the production pipeline where it has a greater impact on the overall creative and compositional look of a film.

In its first iteration, M. A. C. is successfully setting creatively driven stereo automatically without significant per-shot artist work. Of the remaining shots not automatically approved, M. A. C. provides interactive workflows that facilitate the setting of stereo in informative ways for the artist using the tool. M. A. C. has increased the quality, speed, and influence of stereo work within DreamWorks Animation.