Beta release Win32/OSX of the openKMQ 3-D video converter (aka trueColor3D.exe)

For all Windows 32-bit and OSX (64/32bit) users willing to give the new application a try, feel free to download the zip archive from my DropBox account and install it together with ffmpeg and AviSynth (not on OSX).
It converts your own or downloaded side-by-side and over/under videos to be viewed with openKMQ or GRilli3D.

Download version 0.99 (OSX) or 0.94 (Win) from my DropBox :
OSX 32-bit binary (v0.99),
Windows 32-bit binary (v0.94)

The source code is available at github

I have downloaded some trailers from YouTube using firefox/greasemonkey and the userscript "YouTube HD Suite" and now I can watch them full color on my iPad1.

For me the EXE works fine and the later conversion produces both files to upload to vimeo, view 3-D on any 2D display - and iPad as mentioned before.
It also has an option to stream your 3-D content from PC/Mac/Linux using the AirVideo App (the free version handles up to 3 movies in your folder - should be enough for a day and then you replace them with others). For all who already have received a GRilli3D lenticular film for iPad, this is also supported, but I couldn't test if I ordered L/R the right way ;-) Please test drive and swamp me with errors (hope not) and suggestions (hope yes!).

Merry Christmas and a Happy new year.

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Update:
From version 0.92 on the program is called trueColor3D.exe
From version 0.93 on also GRilli3D for iPod and ACER 3D laptops are supported.
From version 0.94 on also my3D and Lorgnette on iPhone4 or iPodTouch4 are supported. (see sister blog openMy3D.

From version 0.95 on, also OSX is supported.
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Here are sample out files to play in true color 3-D on iPad
For over/under and for GRilli3D glasses free .

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And here is the link to the first new vimeo channel for "3-D true color openKMQ videos" and the experimental vimeo channel for "3-D true color autostereoscopic videos for GRilli3D (iPad1)".

Developing a conversion tool to create openKMQ compatible videos

Right now I'm figuring out ways to convert side-by-side videos (either frame compatible or not) to the openKMQ format that directly plays on vimeo and also on iPads.
My goal was to create a true cross platform application starting with Windows, Linux and OSX and so I decided on using the GPL ffmpeg for processing and Qt for the user interface.
Unfortunately some video filter functionality vital to my approach are not released yet.
So I will first implement a variant using AviSynth and a ffmpeg config enabled to work with avs files.

Features to be implemented first:
Play 3D videos directly either with a DirectShow compatible player or ffplay using tiny avs script files.
Convert those downloaded 3D videos so that the new files can be imported to your iPad3D for offline viewing.
Convert 3D video edited with the new breed of 3-D capable editing tools VegasPro, MAGIX, etc to be played full color on vimeo

Later
Also support conversion to My3D compatible videos.
as well as the new 3df33d video portal
Port to OSX and Ubuntu when the needed features in ffmpeg become mature.

Please comment if your see need for more to be added

Animated short "Elephants Dream" rerendered in 3-D

Watch it on vimeo in full color over/under 3-D.
Unfortunately the video is not prepared for iPad3D as it's full res and stacked with a tiny gap.
But it works for manual over/under viewing.

Elephants Dream 3D - stacked version from datenwolf on Vimeo.

Update: The short film was awarded the first price at the European 3-D Film Festival. My congratulations to Wolfgang Draxinger and the original Blender Foundation team.

Apple goes 3-D with Haspro on mobile devices

Haspro announced that early next year it will sell My3D, a plastic "viewmaster"-like viewer to plug on an iPhone or iPod touch to watch side-by-side video and play 3-D games. Content providers like Dreamworks will follow as well.

I very much hope for iPad they will go the over/under route :-)

YT 3-D video introducing to over/under photo books (german)

Richard Hebstreit's 3-D interview with me on YouTube

openKMQ videos can be hosted on vimeo

Vimeo is less restricted in terms of aspect ratio and resolutions than YouTube.
So many vimeo contributors have uploaded not only Anaglyph 3-D videos but also side-by-side up to 4K (3840x1080). Since yesterday, you can also see my first over/under video (768x1024 XGA portrait) optimized to play on iPad in full color 3-D and on any LCD in fullscreen mode (switch scale to ON) either landscape or rotated to portait. Silent 3-D Test video (Berlin fleemarket)

New accounts for twitter and facebook

I've decided to migrate to the new Facebook Group feature.
The new group is called openKMQ3D.
And accordingly I also added a similar twitter account.

The new 3Dvideo service 3dfeed now also supports openKMQ

Find details here.
The openKMQ mode can be set under Preferences -> other modes -> "Prism Glasses"

What is the optimum viewing distance for the KMQ prism viewer?

The mirror based over/under 3-D viewers can be manually adjusted to fit most viewing distances.
With the prism viewer KMQ SSG1b, its fixed optical spreading of left/right eyesights (19deg) means that you have to measure the vertical distance of the stereo pair and then multiply by 4.5 to get the optimum viewing distance (paper or screen to viewer).

bino - A new stereoscopic player for LINUX

Visit the bino start page

New low cost 3-D mirror based viewer (over/under *and* side-by-side)

(Image by Berezin.com)
I have not tried it yet, but it looks like a low cost alternative to the already reviewed jpsOneEye, I strongly recommend.

How to create 3-D videos in the openKMQ, open over/under layout

If you want to also convert your private videos to openKMQ layout or want to upload them to vimeo, please use this layout.

Such a video plays on any LCD in fullscreen mode (VCL can play on portrait mode displays), even iMacs, iBooks, iPad, iPod Touch 4, iPhone 4. For the 960x640 displays of the 4th gen iPhone/iPodtouch you need a special viewer not yet released.

UPDATE for vimeo content:

If you upload a video 768px wide, vimeo ignores the height and assumes it's an SD european clip that needs non square pixel treatment. Fair enough, but this cripples XGA portrait mode clips optimized for iPad use.
And to achieve HD quality bandwidth, a video needs 1280px width or wider. This sucks as well. Again, vimeo ignores the height.

So if you want your clip to be watched on vimeo including iPad users, please use a slighty smaller res of 764x1020 and encourage your viewers to download the original video for optimal local play or import to the iPad Photos App.

My new free conversion tool trueColor3D will automatically take care of that, from version 0.92 on.

Play your 3-D Bluray content on any device

Until recently you could play 3D Blurays only on very expensive 3DTV sets with a 3D enabled player and 3D shutter glasses.
That changed when the website biohemmet.se described a way and provided a tool to extract the content of your legaly owned discs to left/right movies to also play on StereoscopicPlayer or with the NVIDIA 3DVISION solution. But even this needed expensive hardware. From this version of 3DBDBuster on, the tool will also offer conversion to the new openKMQ video format as described recently. This opens 3D viewing to any LCD using the over/under viewing method with either the prism viewer KMQ SSG1b or the mirror viewer jpsOneEye.
Find a link to this solution on the right hand column.

New design for the iPad stand

The improved design comes with the following features :

• now also supports the jpsOneEye first surface mirror viewer


• use an elastic to secure both viewers


• an optional light shield and a black blanket to cut off reflections from the glossy iPad screen.

How to allow fullscreen mode for webpages on iPad

If you want to design your webpage to use the full screen of the iPad, please consider this blog entry.

Just added the iPad kit to instructables.com

Here is the PDF.

Here is the Instructable page :

Full color 3-D viewing stand for iPad - More DIY How To Projects

Intro video for the openKMQ kit for iPad (german)

There's a blog report with video about the openKMQ kit for iPad (sorry folks, german only).
(Source: Danniil Matzkuhn / tblt.de)
Straight to the YouTube 2D video.

New tutorial how to do S3D with Blender

Berlin based Sebastian Schneider did a very welcome online tutorial Stereoscopic Rendering in Blender. I hope to get him on the openKMQ bandwagon soon ;-)

Please create content like this ...

These renderings are done with VRay/3Dmax by a Berlin based artist.


click to enlarge


click to enlarge


click to enlarge



Inspirational S3D work by 3D viz pro Bertrand Benoit, one of the early adopters of openKMQ.
Read the recent interview with the artist.

New german blog

With the help of Christian Henkel, the openKMQ project now also has a german blog page.
We will try to keep both communities informed simulationsly.

New Logo and groups in twitter facebook and flickr

Thanks to PR pro Christian Henkel, openKMQ now has a logo and can be joined, liked and listened to via the above social networks.
Come and join in.

First KMQ book since 1983

A friend of mine allowed me to publish a nice 3-D documentation of a railway bridge beeing replaced. I wrote a program called "StereoBookMaker" to solve this task.
Using SBM you can create your own 3-D books/cards/iPad-Galleries using many different presentation methods. Obviously my favorite 3-D viewing method still is KMQ(over/under), but others are supported as well - excluding all color distorting methods (no Anglyphs!!!)

Here you can preview and order the books : epubli

Why does the new "any LCD" kit have 5 holes ?

An early adopter asked me about the 4 small extra holes in the laser cut acrylic frame of the new kit. Yeah - I forgot to mention that this design is also meant to be mounted on strings infront of over/under paintings and big 3-D prints inkjetted to canvas. Remember - the bigger the picture pair, the bigger the sweet spot distance to view from with the KMQ viewer.
As a local printing service in Berlin/Germany for fine art digital canvas printing I recommend Whitewall.
I'm still looking for digital artists and stereo photographers to exhibit their work in this all new form.

I recommend a bag for the new "iPad 3-D" stand

After traveling to amsterdam for the BLENDER Foundation sponsor/team screening of their new short DURIAN/Sintel I realized that I need a proper and good looking bag for my 3-D stand. And it should have space for my accessories and the iPad as well.

I went to a local shop for designers and sculptors and found this:





Manufacturer: RUMOLD
EAN-No 012108155700

I bought it for 17,90 EUR in Berlin at modulor

openKMQ Kit for any 2D LCD screens

Again: You can either download the laser cutting vector files or order a precut kit from my website.

openKMQ proudly presents : iPad 3-D

Okay, anyone with a KMQ prism viewer can use any LCD in portrait mode to view full color 3-D, but as the viewing distance (the sweet spot) is important, I decided to design a comfortable stand for my Apple iPad. Like all other kits it's laser cut, but it's the first kit made of HDF (high density wood fibre) . Visit my website for more pictures and to download the vector files.
You may also order a precut kit, if you don't know a laser cutting service nearby.
On the other hand, if you know one, feel free to become a kit provider yourself.
I've prepared some 3-D movies to watch on this baby. The trailers for Avatar/Shrek4/Tangled were downloaded from 3D Vision Blog and I used the compositing app eyeon FUSION to produce the over/under layout (right on top).