MInvertedM
Junior Member
Hi FliteTest.
I would like to suggest you guys take a look at the stereoscopic 3D FPV arena, and, if you can figure your way around it, even do a show (or at least an article) on it. It seems still to be a niche thing, but hey - you're into all things flight-related, right Maybe, to start with, just find someone who's already into it who can give you a demo.
Also, with a negligible budget at the moment, I'm not able to get into even normal FPV, so this is by way of asking for a surrogate exploration of the field
Personal fascination:
For some years now, I've been into stereoscopic 3D (i.e. individual images for each of the viewer's eyes, as you get at the movies), and, not to sound clichéed, it's changed how I perceive scenes around me. You'll hear people talk about looking at something "as an artist" or "as a photographer", and it's much the same when you start to realise what something would look like as a 3D image or video (I'll drop the "stereoscopic" from here on in - just don't get confused with "3D flying").
When compared to any 2D image (like an FPV feed, for example), it's so much more than being given extra resolution or framerate; the extra dimension is just that - an extra dimension - and something you really need to experience to understand the value of. And there's a distinction to be drawn between 3D entertainment (movies, games, magazines) and 3D imagery of the real world around you - the immersion you get from capturing the real world is brilliant, and all the more so because it so well represents the stories your own eyes (the best camera system you'll ever experience) relate to you.
A couple of years ago, as a university project, I built a ground-based rescue reconnaissance robot, into which I tried to incorporate 3D FPV. Since that was not my main goal and I was on a very tight budget ($1000 for the entire project - compared to $5000-$25000 for commercial options), I had to design the circuitry myself, and never got that system running completely, but the moments when I did get it running were amazing: a pair of very low quality, 320x240 analogue camera feeds gave me enough information to instantly note every detail of my cluttered workbench. I'd almost go so far as to say you can see detail beyond the resolution of the camera.
Less-Personal Reasons:
As for less personal reasons, I see the following benefits in 3D FPV:
What's already out there:
3D FPV is as old as FPV itself, just like 3D itself is almost as old as cameras (it was already well established, and was used extensively, in the world wars - especially WWII). So it's nothing new, and has been well explored.
Do a little Googling and you'll see quads and planes with home-made and off-the-shelf set-ups, tutorials, stores, crazy research projects (some people have hooked up goggle head-tracking with stereo cameras), people who mount cameras with conventional spacing and people who mount cameras on their wing-tips for super-exaggerated depth, and people who swear by 3D FPV and would struggle to revert to 2D.
But somehow, despite all this and the now common-place nature of 3D in homes, 3D FPV remains a barely-noted niche of the RC world. That's where I hope you guys at FliteTest could come in... Awareness and all that
Getting Started:
(Practicalities)
There are a number of options out there, at all costs and skill levels. In general the options are:
Video type:
Specific options:
(at least the ones I've noted)
If want super-simple, there's the Skyzone dual-antenna goggle kit, that you can even get with a plug-and-play 3D camera and transmitter. That's actually 2 complete FPV systems in one set of packaging, but will set you back $500-$600, and the cameras are at a small fixed spacing, which may be okay for indoor flying, I suppose. The goggles alone, however, can be used with any pair of FPV set-ups if you want to rig your craft with your own electronics, or to keep the transmitters well separated or something.
A potentially lower-cost option is a field-sequential option like the Blackbird 1 or Blackbird 2. Those can just be plugged into an existing Tx-Rx kit. My personal favourite there is the Blackbird 1, since the cameras are separable. The Blackbird site (fpv3dcam.com), by the way, has pretty good explanations of how to set up a 3D FPV rig with compatible kit.
As far as you guys at FlightTest are concerned, since you seem to have FPV rigs lying around just about everywhere, you might be best off just getting goggles that can take 2 independent streams. Or even using a 3D TV if you can get digital signals (you may need a PC and software like Stereoscopic Multiplexer for that, though).
Lastly, since, as hinted at above, there are many 3D video formats, please, if you do go ahead and shoot some 3D video at some point and upload to YouTube, please-please-please use the actual 3D video upload options that YouTube provides. Otherwise you only provide one way to view the video, which is about as much of a faux pas as you can get in 3D.
Thanks for your wonderful work, though, guys, and I hope at some point you'll get to experience (at least) the wonderful world of 3D FPV.
Matt
I would like to suggest you guys take a look at the stereoscopic 3D FPV arena, and, if you can figure your way around it, even do a show (or at least an article) on it. It seems still to be a niche thing, but hey - you're into all things flight-related, right Maybe, to start with, just find someone who's already into it who can give you a demo.
Also, with a negligible budget at the moment, I'm not able to get into even normal FPV, so this is by way of asking for a surrogate exploration of the field
Personal fascination:
For some years now, I've been into stereoscopic 3D (i.e. individual images for each of the viewer's eyes, as you get at the movies), and, not to sound clichéed, it's changed how I perceive scenes around me. You'll hear people talk about looking at something "as an artist" or "as a photographer", and it's much the same when you start to realise what something would look like as a 3D image or video (I'll drop the "stereoscopic" from here on in - just don't get confused with "3D flying").
When compared to any 2D image (like an FPV feed, for example), it's so much more than being given extra resolution or framerate; the extra dimension is just that - an extra dimension - and something you really need to experience to understand the value of. And there's a distinction to be drawn between 3D entertainment (movies, games, magazines) and 3D imagery of the real world around you - the immersion you get from capturing the real world is brilliant, and all the more so because it so well represents the stories your own eyes (the best camera system you'll ever experience) relate to you.
A couple of years ago, as a university project, I built a ground-based rescue reconnaissance robot, into which I tried to incorporate 3D FPV. Since that was not my main goal and I was on a very tight budget ($1000 for the entire project - compared to $5000-$25000 for commercial options), I had to design the circuitry myself, and never got that system running completely, but the moments when I did get it running were amazing: a pair of very low quality, 320x240 analogue camera feeds gave me enough information to instantly note every detail of my cluttered workbench. I'd almost go so far as to say you can see detail beyond the resolution of the camera.
Less-Personal Reasons:
As for less personal reasons, I see the following benefits in 3D FPV:
- While not directly comparable, if you're just going for the experience rather than movie-making, I reckon an entry-level 3D FPV system would outdo an expensive HD one on an immersion-for-buck scale.
- You can see those dastardly, thin, low-hanging branches before you hit them.
- You really get the feeling of the space in which you're flying, which is a large part of the appeal of flying in the first place.
- General "Wow" factor...
What's already out there:
3D FPV is as old as FPV itself, just like 3D itself is almost as old as cameras (it was already well established, and was used extensively, in the world wars - especially WWII). So it's nothing new, and has been well explored.
Do a little Googling and you'll see quads and planes with home-made and off-the-shelf set-ups, tutorials, stores, crazy research projects (some people have hooked up goggle head-tracking with stereo cameras), people who mount cameras with conventional spacing and people who mount cameras on their wing-tips for super-exaggerated depth, and people who swear by 3D FPV and would struggle to revert to 2D.
But somehow, despite all this and the now common-place nature of 3D in homes, 3D FPV remains a barely-noted niche of the RC world. That's where I hope you guys at FliteTest could come in... Awareness and all that
Getting Started:
(Practicalities)
There are a number of options out there, at all costs and skill levels. In general the options are:
Video type:
- The most expensive option: two independent sets of Camera-Tx-Rx-screen (even if those come in one package - see below), or
- The generally cheaper option: combined transmissions - either field-sequential or side-by-side stereo, which merge the 2 camera feeds into 1 transmission feed so you only need 1 Tx-Rx kit. This then requires goggles or screen capable of viewing either field-sequential or side-by-side 3D, respectively, so you always need to check compatibility!
- Fixed separation (i.e. fixed 3D effect strength)
- Variable separation (i.e. customisable 3D effect strength)
Specific options:
(at least the ones I've noted)
If want super-simple, there's the Skyzone dual-antenna goggle kit, that you can even get with a plug-and-play 3D camera and transmitter. That's actually 2 complete FPV systems in one set of packaging, but will set you back $500-$600, and the cameras are at a small fixed spacing, which may be okay for indoor flying, I suppose. The goggles alone, however, can be used with any pair of FPV set-ups if you want to rig your craft with your own electronics, or to keep the transmitters well separated or something.
A potentially lower-cost option is a field-sequential option like the Blackbird 1 or Blackbird 2. Those can just be plugged into an existing Tx-Rx kit. My personal favourite there is the Blackbird 1, since the cameras are separable. The Blackbird site (fpv3dcam.com), by the way, has pretty good explanations of how to set up a 3D FPV rig with compatible kit.
As far as you guys at FlightTest are concerned, since you seem to have FPV rigs lying around just about everywhere, you might be best off just getting goggles that can take 2 independent streams. Or even using a 3D TV if you can get digital signals (you may need a PC and software like Stereoscopic Multiplexer for that, though).
Lastly, since, as hinted at above, there are many 3D video formats, please, if you do go ahead and shoot some 3D video at some point and upload to YouTube, please-please-please use the actual 3D video upload options that YouTube provides. Otherwise you only provide one way to view the video, which is about as much of a faux pas as you can get in 3D.
Thanks for your wonderful work, though, guys, and I hope at some point you'll get to experience (at least) the wonderful world of 3D FPV.
Matt