Techniques for automating stereo settings for stereoscopic computer animation

A computer system for determining bounded-parallax constraints for placement of a pair of stereoscopic cameras within a computer-generated scene, the pair of stereoscopic cameras viewing a computer-generated object within the computer-generated scene and the pair of stereoscopic cameras having a focal length, the system comprising:

• a memory;
• a processor for executing computer-readable instructions, the instructions for:
• determining an initial near-parallax value based on the focal length and a minimum scene depth, wherein the minimum scene depth is the distance from the pair of cameras to a nearest point of interest in the computer-generated scene;
• determining an initial far-parallax value based on the focal length;
• obtaining a range of focal lengths;
• calculating a scaled near-parallax value based on the initial near-parallax value and the range of focal lengths;
• calculating a scaled far-parallax value based on the initial far-parallax value and the range of focal lengths;
• obtaining a stereo-volume value, wherein the stereo-volume value represents a percentage of parallax;
• obtaining a stereo-shift value, wherein the stereo-shift value represents a distance across one of:
• an area associated with a sensor of the pair of stereoscopic cameras, and
• a screen adapted to depict a stereoscopic image of the computer-generated scene;
• calculating a creative near-parallax value based on the stereo-shift value and the product of the stereo-volume and the scaled near-parallax value;
• calculating a creative far-parallax value based on the stereo-shift value and the product of the stereo-volume and the scaled far-parallax value;
• storing, in the memory, the creative near-parallax value and the creative far-parallax value as the bounded-parallax constraints for the placement of the pair of stereoscopic cameras.

A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium including computer-readable instructions that when executed on a computer processor cause the computer processor to determine bounded-parallax constraints for placement of a pair of stereoscopic cameras within a computer-generated scene, the pair of stereoscopic cameras viewing a computer-generated object within the computer-generated scene and the pair of stereoscopic cameras having a focal length, the instructions comprising:

• determining an initial near-parallax value based on the focal length and a minimum scene depth, wherein the minimum scene depth is the distance from the pair of cameras to a nearest point of interest in the computer-generated scene;
• determining an initial far-parallax value based on the focal length;
• obtaining a range of focal lengths;
• calculating a scaled near-parallax value based on the initial near-parallax value and the range of focal lengths;
• calculating a scaled far-parallax value based on the initial far-parallax value and the range of focal lengths;
• obtaining a stereo-volume value, wherein the stereo-volume value represents a percentage of parallax;
• obtaining a stereo-shift value, wherein the stereo-shift value represents a distance across one of:
• an area associated with a sensor of the pair of stereoscopic cameras, and
• a screen adapted to depict a stereoscopic image of the computer-generated scene;
• calculating a creative near-parallax value based on the stereo-shift value and the product of the stereo-volume and the scaled near-parallax value;
• calculating a creative far-parallax value based on the stereo-shift value and the product of the stereo-volume and the scaled far-parallax value;
• and
• storing, in a computer memory, the creative near-parallax value and the creative farparallax value as the bounded-parallax constraints for the placement of the pair of stereoscopic cameras.