The 3D effect

3D television has now landed in Australia with Fox Sport, and tonight the Nine Network, broadcasting live games in full 3D.

The new technology allows any viewer with a 3D television, to don a pair of ‘shutter’ glasses and experience the 3D effect.

In an Australian first, zspace was called upon to provide the 3D graphics for Australia's first 3D event. zspace created all the on-screen VizRT live stereoscopic 3D HD graphics and the Fox Sports 3D logos for its 3D coverage of the Socceroos’ final friendly match before the World Cup in South Africa.

The technology and techniques involved threw up a whole new set of challenges for zspace, as the team had to be acutely aware of how the graphics were positioned in 3D space, with respect to the plane of zero-parallax also known as the convergence plane.

By adjusting the convergence plane they were able to dictate what objects came towards the viewer and what objects were pushed back into their television sets and by how much.

If you do not get this placement of the graphic objects just right, it becomes very uncomfortable to watch, especially if you are also trying to focus on the live game behind the graphics.

zspaces challenge was then to make the graphic experience as 3D as possible, but without over stepping those boundaries.

zspace were on location Monday night at the MCG with its 3D equipment and support people working side-by-side with the Fox Sports team to make sure the night ran smoothly.

"This was a huge team effort and zpace were an integral part of that team. What they delivered in the timeframe they had to work with was fantastic - their work added that ‘wow factor’ to our coverage,” said Soames Treffry, director, Fox Sports Channels.

In the world’s first, free-to-air, landmark broadcast, zspace were also commissioned to create the Nine Networks hero ident in stereoscopic 3D.

This ident will be the worlds first hero ident ever created for a network and will be televised during the State of Origin 3D telecast. With only five days to complete the hero ident in 3D HD, the team of 3D artists and compositors managed to pull off the project without a hitch.

"We were the first in the country to do this, the guys at zspace as always rose to the challenge with vigour, speed and expertise, all of which we needed," said Andrew Peace, Creative Director, Nine Network.

Catch the first free-to-air worldwide 3D State of Origin broadcast on digital channel 40 at 7.30pm on Wednesday May 26, 2010.