Our most recent projects include a 3-D video tape of KU Summer Theatre's production of Loves Labor's Lost, directed by Paul Meier and a 3-D recruiting video used at the annual USITT stage expo.
Lance viewing a 3-D video recording of a KU theatre production
Our work in 3-D video for the stage lies in two seperate applications. First, we are experimenting with the possibility of communicating live performances to remote audience members via telepresence, the branch of virtual reality in which users can view events as they are happening elsewhere through an immersive interface such as a head-mounted display. In the not-to-distant future, work such as ours it may be possible to watch live performing arts from the home with a HMD. The 3-dimensional, immersive illusion will make the experience more closely approximate actual audience participation.
A still from a 3-D video of Twelfth Night
University Theatre, KU, Summer 1995.
Yes, I know they look blurry, 3-D video combines right and left eye views that are seperated when viewing by special devices such as HMDs or shutter glasses.
A still of 3-D video of West Side Story. University Theatre, KU, Fall 1995.
Secondly, we have been incorporating 3-D video more fully into our theatre/VR productions. In our recent production of WINGS the entire audience was equipped with i-glasses! from Virtual i-O. These translucent "heads-up" head-mounted displays allowed us to present 3-D video images of offstage actors, virtual worlds, or miscellaneous graphics, superimposed over the audience's view of live actors on-stage.
The generation of 3-D virtual worlds in our work has been much simplified by the release of Virtus WalkThroughPro 2.5, which has stereo image support for a number of viewing methods. The Virtus Corporation has long been a generous sponser of our educational, artistic and scientific explorations. For more information about Virtus products including the new Virtus WalkThrough VRML look toVirtus Online.
Notes for construction, text file.
The drawing of the circuit, GIF file.
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