Stereoscopic 3D (S-3D) is one of the most talked about technologies in the gaming market. Meant to be Seen, CGArena, and iZ3D have teamed up to launch a special S-3D CG art contest at SIGGRAPH with the help of exciting prizes from leading industry members. Stereoscopic 3D (S-3D) refers to the ability to display true volumetric 3D content through 2D media. Examples include explosions that pop out of the screen, and a sense of depth that makes players think they can reach inside the game. S-3D technology is quickly becoming the equipment of choice for avid gamers and has already shown as much as 3:1 revenue benefits over 2D theaters in the Hollywood cinema space.
Contestants are asked to submit stereoscopic 3D images of their CG artwork to a special page on www.CGArena.com. The left and right images must be in a minimum 1680x1050 resolution (16:10 aspect ratio) and in full color. To make this easier for artists, Meant to be Seen (mtbs3D.com) has written quick guides to help CG artists convert and/or capture their images in stereoscopic 3D.
Meant to be Seen is an authority group on consumer stereoscopic 3D technology. It has become a large S-3D community by working jointly with its members and partners to grow the stereoscopic 3D gaming industry through advocacy and business relationships.
Similarly, CGArena.com is a leading graphics and animation portal where CG professionals and enthusiasts can read news and tutorials, download magazines, submit artistic work, find jobs, and participate in contests like this. Members also exchange ideas about animation, film, editing, and more.
Prizes up for grabs include:
First Place: One iZ3D 22-inch monitor
Second Place: One ATI 4800 series GPU
Third Place: A 50 percent discount on an iZ3D monitor + Flatout 2 Game
Four Runners Up: Unreal Tournament 3 by Epic Games
Before artists submit their work, they are encouraged to participate with the mtbs3D.com and cgarena.com forums to discuss their images with fellow members to get the best results.
The theme of the contest is "wacky video game characters," and artwork can feature lone characters or characters on landscapes. While equally accepted, more scrutiny will be placed on creative S-3D effectiveness and object placement when artists use ready-made models in their submitted work. Ready-made models will require the original artist's permission or a similar license to submit. "Work in progress" art is encouraged. Please declare your graphics sources when submitting artwork (e.g. self created, ready-made, etc.).