Creating 3D Video

There are three major ways to create 3D video:

• Shoot video with a camera

• Render video using a software tool

• Capture video inside real-time software

Shoot

You can use a variety of 2D and 3D cameras to create 3D videos. We'll list them here from highest potential for quality to lowest.

Custom Stereo Rig

The best way to capture 3D video is to build a custom stereo rig using two or more high-quality cinema cameras. Doing this is difficult, but can yield the highest quality results. The distance between the sensors, the accuracy of the synchronization, the precision of the calibration, and of course the quality of the sensors and optics all play a part in the quality of the outcome.

You should expect to use a 3rd party software tool to stitch, synchronize, and align the images. You should edit the two videos into a single SBS file for viewing on Lume Pad or editing.

3D Cameras

Purpose-built stereo 3D cameras have a wide range of potential quality, even within units of the same model. While there are many different models, we recommend the Sony HDR-TD Series Camcorders for 3D video if you can find it. For subjects you're shooting from a closer distance, the RED Hydrogen One is also considered one of the best 3D video cameras available today.

LeiaCam

One of the best ways to create 3D video is with LeiaCam, which shoots LVF video on the Lume Pad.

To learn more about LeiaCam, check out the LeiaCam page.

Traditional Cameras

You can also use a variety of normal cameras to shoot 2D video to convert to 3D later. Your smartphone, a DSLR, a mirrorless camera, or even a cinema camera can all be used. You can even use a webcam!

You can convert from 2D to 3D in real-time in the LeiaPlayer app.

To learn more about instant 2D to 3D conversion, go to 2D to 3D Conversion.

To Learn more about professional quality 2D to 3D conversion, go to Editing 3D Video.

Render

There are a variety of software tools that let you render out a stereo 3D video.

Maya

You can use plugins to render out an SBS video in Maya.

Cinema 4D / 3DS Max / KeyShot

Some creators compose SBS videos in other apps using custom camera configurations.

Plugins for Unreal Engine / Unity / Other game engines

There are plugins and/or built-in features of some game engines that allow you to render your game scene in SBS, and you can use that to render a 3D video.

Capture

You can also capture 3D video from inside some of your favorite real-time apps or games on Windows PC.

Depth Buffer Injection

You can actually capture 3D videos from many popular PC games using a 3rd party tool that gains access to the graphics engine's depth buffer like SuperDepth3D. Try these tools yourself to experiment and see the best ways to capture 3D videos inside your favorite PC games. SuperDepth3D supports over 100 of the most popular AAA PC games of all time. Here is SuperDepth3D's game compatibility list.