Explore 3D in teaching – DDI offers 3D camera checkout

This academic year, the Duke Digital Initiative has been exploring how 3D might be used at Duke in teaching and learning.  Sparked by the interest in 3D films and development of standards for high definition television, new consumer displays and cameras have been appearing in the marketplace, making 3D video easier to use and within reach for the average consumer.  (Even YouTube has put options in place to allow for 3D video viewing in different formats.)

Some experimentation has been done for the past decade with the use of 3D video and displays in several fields.  In medicine and biology, 3D has been used to clarify procedures or processes; in art or the sciences, 3D can help to show relationships between objects in space or highlight textures and surfaces of objects that are being studied.

3d-sample1

Duke Today recently featured an article on the DDI 3D exploration.  As part of this effort, DDI is piloting checkout of a limited number of 3D cameras to faculty and students in Spring 2011.

3d-aiptek1The Aiptek 3D camera shoots video in “side by side” format, an emerging standard used on the web and on consumer high definition televisions.  Video shot with the camera can be edited in iMovie and then uploaded for viewing in 3D on YouTube.  In addition, video from the cameras can be edited in the MPS Labs and, using the 3D Stereo Toolbox Lite plugin for Final Cut Pro available on a dedicated workstation in MPS West, can be converted to a format that can be viewed using inexpensive red/blue glasses in 3D on any dvd player and display.  Red/blue 3D glasses are available in the MPS.

Several users have uploaded videos shot with the Aiptek 3D video camera to YouTube – this short piece is a tour of a park in Springfield, Missouri.  You can use the 3D menu at the bottom of the video to choose the format you wish to use to view it (side by side, red/blue glasses, etc.)

If you would like to reserve one of the Aiptek 3D cameras for a two-week checkout, you can fill out our online reservation form.  You can find out more about the camera and our 3D exploration at the DDI website or contact the DDI 3D exploration team for more information.