3DEqualizer4 [featurette] - R6b4: Rotomation Editor & more

Technological concepts & feature walkthroughs (3DEqualizer 4 – Release 6)

1) Separate near/far clipping planes for different control modes

• Adds separate clipping plane settings for:
  • Overview + Lineup controls
  • 3D Orientation controls
• The tutorial explains how splitting near/far clipping planes prevents “blank window” / visibility issues:
  • If the near and far clipping planes are set to the same value under 3D Orientation controls, the view can become empty.
  • Adjusting the far clipping plane distance helps keep tracked objects (e.g., a box) visible while reducing occlusion from dense meshes (e.g., a wall mesh).
• Workflow note for preview refresh:
  • Clear render cage only, then playback to refresh the preview and hide meshes as needed.

2) Custom scripting UI panels/tabs in the Attribute Editor (automation via Python)

• Requested feature: adding custom panels to the 3DEqualizer 4 Attribute Editor.
• Approach uses an extension/script built for the Attribute Editor:
  • Extensions can be moved to different tabs.
  • A new custom tab can be created by:
    • Setting a label not already in use, then
    • Rescanning Python directories (shortcut mentioned: Shift + S).
• UI consistency benefit:
  • Scripted UI elements behave like built-in elements:
    • Not closable by users (unlike regular panels).
    • Help ensure consistent layouts across multiple workstations.
• Updating script identity:
  • Edit the extension’s name and rescan so the new label is reflected.

3) Integrated distortion tool: Image Warp (replacing/modernizing Warp4 workflow)

• Background/intent:
  • The older Warp4 tool (lens distortion removal/application) became difficult to maintain and had weaknesses.
  • After ~10 years, the new tool is Image Warp.
• Access and location:
  • Tool is found via Edit → Image Warp (listed as a new entry under the 3D for Spain structure / 3D environment).
• Example scenario:
  • Demonstrates with anamorphic lens footage, a green screen, and a marker head.
• Key capabilities:
  • Remove or apply distortion using a distortion grid
  • Rolling shutter option
  • Downscale and interpolation options
  • Output modes:
    • Produce warped footage, or
    • Render an ST map (new vs Warp4)
  • Overscan/crop controls
  • Input/output configuration:
    • Input/output directories
    • Filename patterns
    • Output formats (EXR locked for ST-map mode)
• Background processing and controls:
  • Runs in the background while users continue working in 3D
  • Demonstrates multiple Image Warp entries in one process
  • Status buttons:
    • Run: starts process
    • Cancel: stops after completing current warps
    • Kill: immediate stop (may not be clean)
• Efficiency note:
  • Helps streamline workflows for multiple reference frames at once (select multiple cameras/entries and downscale them together).

4) Automation Editor: “Rotomation Editor” for mocap/skeleton building from single-view reconstruction

• Motivation:
  • Rotomation (reconstruction of actor motion without synchronized multi-camera mesh generation) is hard when only one camera is available.
  • The automation editor reduces tedious manual steps.
• Main location and setup:
  • Found in Config menu → Automation editor
  • Build a skeleton using:
    • A chosen root point (example: marker between shoulders)
    • Adding child points connected with bones
    • Bone-length constraints to drive mocap
  • Bones act as constraints (distance constraints) for mocap estimation
• Skeleton correction (curves, trajectories, visualization):
  • Uses animation curve editing to correct the skeleton path relative to the camera/scene.
  • Adds/uses trajectory lines for points via view settings.
  • Curve modes include:
    • Default curve linked to camera distance
    • Additional controls for specific X/Y/Z components of point position
• “Quality safety” behavior:
  • Mentions a deviation browser showing that deviation stays at zero, and tracking can’t be “destroyed” while iterating—reducing the risk of breaking tracking.
• Handling ambiguity via “alternative solves” (single-camera solution branching):
  • When constraints allow two plausible positions, points can have alternative solutions.
  • UI includes:
    • A toggle for alternative solves
    • A visual cue (slider color changes), e.g., gray vs yellow frames, indicating the active solve
  • Used to fix limb direction/pose (legs and arms) by selecting the solution that best matches footage.
• Trajectory transfer to replace flat/hand-keyed curves:
  • Creates a more detailed animation curve by:
    • Using an object point group (tracked markers loosely on actor shoulders)
    • Then transferring trajectory to the route point
  • Improves alignment and reduces drift.
• Gap/interpolation handling:
  • If 2D tracking points are missing/covered:
    • The tool can interpolate in 3D
    • But not for start/end without context
  • Strategy for beginning/end gaps:
    • Set points valid parameter to always valid
    • Switch to manual tracking
    • Use an overlay/snap grid to estimate positions
    • Add multiple keyframes across the gap for better smoothing
• Mirrored/conditional frame ranges for different rotations:
  • Builds a second arm/second leg by restricting frame range (calc frame range enabled).
  • Uses different tracking/root points for different time segments (e.g., actor turns around ~frame 160).
  • Re-tunes bone lengths when root/child points change.
• Critical constraint (one-way editing):
  • Switching to child point mode is treated as final/one-way for animation editing:
    • Route-point-related edits cannot be recovered by switching back (changes get deleted).
• Animation refinement in child point mode:
  • Fixes small foot sliding/jitter by editing animation curves per child point:
    • Delete frames to create a flat line (heel glued to ground), or
    • Apply filter series to smooth sharp jumps
  • Examples include:
    • Heel jitter (frame-to-frame jumps)
    • Foot sliding corrected via curve filtering or flatlining.

5) Automation editor add-ons (extra utilities mentioned)

• Adds an export script feature for Fusion:
  • Exports 3D tracking camera + object point groups
  • Generates a .comp-like project file that can be opened in Fusion
• Curve editor import:
  • Curve editor can import CSV files
  • Enables importing curves exported from third-party extraction tools (e.g., zoom/focus curves)
• Performance improvement:
  • Opening/saving large projects reduced dramatically (claim: up to 20x faster for big projects)

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Main speakers/sources

• Narrator/Presenter: “we” style development/product team speaker (no individual name given in subtitles).
• Product/feature source: 3DEqualizer 4 / Release 6 official documentation-style presentation; examples reference 3D Equalizer 4 tutorials (e.g., Python scripting, lineup/orientation controls, multi-point groups).