Epic's UE3 Now Offers Colored-Glasses 3D
Epic has added Darkworks' TriOviz 3D SDK to Unreal Engine 3's Partners program so that gamers can experience stereoscopic 3D without the expensive hardware.
Wednesday Paris-based developer Darkworks announced that its TriOviz 3D technology was accepted into Epic Games' Integrated Partners Program for Unreal Engine 3.
For developers and gamers alike, this means that UE3-powered games may now have two options to achieve a 3D effect--the current method using Nvidia's 3D Vision (for PC), expensive shutter glasses, and 3D HDTVs and LCDs, or the cheaper method of using 3D glasses with colored lenses (similar to the old-school blue-red) for those who haven't purchased the required hardware.
According to Darkworks, the TriOviz for Games SDK uses existing three-dimensional graphics information in-game to "greatly" enhance depth-of-field (DOF), geometry volume and position as well as characters within a scene.
"This approach negates the need for rendering multiple images, so TriOviz for Games runs at full-frame rate on consoles, enabling developers to maintain the resolution, performance and game play integrity of their AAA console games while running in 3D stereoscopic mode," the company said.
The two studios previously collaborated on Batman: Arkham Asylum Game of the Year Edition for the PC, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 using Darkworks' technology. The game came packed with two pairs of 3D glasses using TriOviz proprietary filters, creating a more pronounced effect than the typical red-blue setup.
"TriOviz proprietary filters are not red and blue, neither exactly magenta and green, they are TriOviz filters, and are meant to complete our offer toward consumers who do not own 3DTVs yet," said Darkworks production manager Alexis Arragon in an email.
Arragon added that the technology has evolved since Batman: AA GOTY, and has been announced compatible with 3DTVs since E3 this year, with Epic showcasing Gears of War 2 using this particular feature. Still, despite the specs using two different colored filters, Arragon stated that the tech is not anaglyph--this would mean rendering multiple images to create a 3D effect and that's not how TriOviz works.
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"What I like about the latest version of TriOviz is that, with their offering, our engine can support not only the highest quality solution for customers with the latest 3D TVs, such as a PlayStation 3 with a Sony Bravia 3D TV, but also a colored-glasses 3D solution for customers who don't have a 3D-capable TV," said Epic's Mark Rein. "This means users of TriOviz-licensed games can experience stereoscopic 3D on consoles no matter what their budget, and the effort that developers put into making great 3D experiences with it isn't limited to a small audience of early 3D TV adopters."
The SDK will be available for developers in November. Darkworks said that it can be integrated into games rather quickly, taking at least a week to enhance titles with 3D.
UPDATE: this article was revised to reflect notes provided by Darkworks production manager Alexis Arragon.
Kevin Parrish has over a decade of experience as a writer, editor, and product tester. His work focused on computer hardware, networking equipment, smartphones, tablets, gaming consoles, and other internet-connected devices. His work has appeared in Tom's Hardware, Tom's Guide, Maximum PC, Digital Trends, Android Authority, How-To Geek, Lifewire, and others.
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Benihana Anaglyph! Like old school 3D!? Fantastic. Now I can enjoy Rad Racer on the NES followed by Unreal games now. :)Reply -
amnotanoobie Yay, for more options. 3D Screens are still a bit far from being mainstream affordable at this point in time.Reply -
g00fysmiley something must be wrong with my head or somethign cause i never see things in 3d with the red-blue glasses .. shutter glasses seem to work for me, but even in the theatre i don't really get the same 3d effect when watching a "3d" movie... am i the only one?Reply -
maydaynomore g00fysmileysomething must be wrong with my head or somethign cause i never see things in 3d with the red-blue glasses .. shutter glasses seem to work for me, but even in the theatre i don't really get the same 3d effect when watching a "3d" movie... am i the only one?No!Reply -
atikkur g00fysmileysomething must be wrong with my head or somethign cause i never see things in 3d with the red-blue glasses .. shutter glasses seem to work for me, but even in the theatre i don't really get the same 3d effect when watching a "3d" movie... am i the only one?Reply
yes!
i can see 3d with my eye crossed, with ease (which painfull). -
djab For PC users, you already have anaglyph available in 3D vision driversReply
and even optimised anaglyph in IZ3D drivers ...
The only interesting thing is "This approach negates the need for rendering multiple images". I'd like to see the performance gain compared to what is already available (see previous paragraph). -
Anaglyph...an epic, unreal headache if you ask me. I rather play in 2D with full color than in 3D with everything a reddish-bluish tint.Reply
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DaddyW123 g00fysmileysomething must be wrong with my head or somethign cause i never see things in 3d with the red-blue glasses .. shutter glasses seem to work for me, but even in the theatre i don't really get the same 3d effect when watching a "3d" movie... am i the only one?No, I have to try really hard to see the 3D effects when using colored glasses. I do have a little easier time at the theater with the polorized glasses, but shutter glasses work the best for me. I only hate that they make the image darker (closing lenses makes it so half the light is getting to each eye).Reply -
theoutbound I'm still not impressed with 3D, but having the option of paying for cheap glasses instead of the insanely priced 3D Vision or a 3D TV is an improvement.Reply