Sony Electronics Enhances Glasses-Free 3D Spatial Reality Displays Through Complimentary Updates and Additional Compatibility

Sony Electronics’ ELF-SR2 and ELF-SR1 Spatial Reality Displays, which provide highly realistic, three-dimensional content without special glasses or VR headsets, are adding enhancements to support various industries.[1]

Spatial Reality Display Plugin for Preview: Expanding Compatibility with Software

The latest release of the Spatial Reality Display Plugin for Preview, designed to improve the compatibility with digital content creation (DCC) tools for showcasing 3D data on spatially immersive displays, enables stereoscopic display of 3D data. It allows for a more accurate assessment of intricate curves, complex structures, and the creation of smooth and natural animations that can be challenging to confirm on 2D monitors.

Expanded Autodesk® Maya® Compatible Plugin Features

The updated version of the plugin is specifically tailored towards Autodesk Maya, a 3D animation and visual effects software. With Autodesk Maya’s various features, users can experience an even higher level of precision in 3D animation production.[2]

• Real-time Design Review: Experience a direct rendering of the design screen on the Spatial Reality Display in real-time, allowing for immediate design reviews in 3D for quick progress checks and enhance overall production quality.
• Enhanced Control Methods: Intuitive manipulation of the displayed model’s position and orientation can be achieved through various devices such as keyboards, gamepads, Playstation’s DUALSHOCK®4 and DualSense™, plus more. This improvement facilitates easier model verification.
• Direct Display of Maya Scenes: The updated plugin has revamped the 3D drawing process on Spatial Reality Displays, enabling a direct rendering of Maya’s design screen. Maya’s unique object data, which was previously challenging to reflect on Spatial Reality Displays, can now be displayed with precision. This advancement ensures accurate confirmation of complex curves and 3D structures during modeling.

Robust Software Compatibility

In addition to Autodesk Maya, the plugin supports other software such as Autodesk 3dsMax®, ZBrush, and Blender, providing a broader range of applications for 3D content creation.[2]. The combination of Sony’s Spatial Reality Displays and the enhanced plugins contribute to higher efficiency and quality improvement in 3DCG production. Users can experience a more intuitive and effective creative process and explore new perspectives during 3D content creation. Different plugins are recommended for the Spatial Reality Displays depending on the software being used:

1. Spatial Reality Display Plugin for Preview (ZB) ver1.00 – ZBrush compatible
2. Spatial Reality Display Plugin for Preview (3ds) ver1.00 – Autodesk 3dsMax compatible
3. Spatial Reality Display Plugin for Preview (BL) ver.1.00 – Blender compatible
4. Spatial Reality Display Plugin for Preview for Autodesk Maya ver. 2.00 – Autodesk Maya compatible

Download the plugins here: https://www.sony.net/Products/appselect-spatial-reality-display/en/category/dcctool/?locale=en_US

Spatial Reality Display Player Functionality Update

The Spatial Reality Display Player, an application that provides an effortless display of 3DCG models on Spatial Reality Displays, has received significant updates tailored for exhibitions and presentations with the addition of version 1.1.[3] This update introduces features optimized for events, product showcases, and various other scenarios.

• Model Background Setting: Users can now change the background of their models to their liking, thus enhancing immersive spatial visuals, and showcasing the world of the model.
• Demo Function: Multiple 3DCG models can be selected for continuous playback. Users can register multiple patterns, including model backgrounds, lighting, play duration, background music and narration, etc. This enables more effective presentations and exhibitions.
• Background Music (BGM) Functionality: BGM and narration can be added during 3D model playback which facilitates 3D model explanation-even in the absence of a presenter.

In the upcoming version 1.2, scheduled for release in April, the usability of the mouse will be enhanced, allowing for a wider range of actions to be performed.

Download Spatial Reality Display Player here:

https://www.sony.net/Products/appselect-spatial-reality-display/en/appDetail/3dcg-viewer/d864978d7f2d46c6/?locale=en_US

 SDK Compatibility with OpenXR™

With the recent version 2.3.0 update to the Software Development Kit (SDK), Sony’s SDK added compatibility with OpenXR (OpenGL and DirectX12), expanding DirectX11 support. This increased compatibility with existing OpenXR – supported applications widens the range of use cases for Spatial Reality Displays, and developers can enjoy a seamless and efficient application development experience.

For more details, visit the developer site: https://www.sony.net/dev-srd.

New Installation Capability Support for ELF-SR2

• Improved Installation Flexibility: Users can now install Spatial Reality Display vertically using VESA-compatible monitor stands. The display can also be mounted on walls or embedded vertically into fixtures for exhibition purposes providing enhanced versatility.

• Expanded Utilization Opportunities: While the conventional angled positioning facilitates panoramic viewing, ideal for understanding overall images and three-dimensional structures, the new vertical orientation is well-suited for content that emphasizes depth or stereoscopic videos (such as side-by-side format).

With the release of SDK2.3.0 (released in March 2024), users can create content tailored to this new setting, allowing for enhanced Spatial Reality Display experiences.

Open-Source Release of Spatial Reality Display Plugin for Preview (BL) on GitHub®

Sony has released the source code for the Spatial Reality Display Plugin for Preview (BL) on GitHub. This enables users to leverage the source code for feature additions and improvements in usability.

Access the GitHub repository here: https://github.com/sony/SR-Display-Plugin-Preview-BL

Addition of Partner Applications

New partner applications[4] have been added to the Spatial Reality Display ecosystem, offering users a wider variety.

• 3D Viewer for Sketchfab: A viewer application that allows displaying data uploaded to Sketchfab™, a platform for sharing 3D content, on Spatial Reality Displays.

[1] Computer required with a recommended CPU of Intel i5-6 core or faster; and a graphics card with a PassMark – G3D Mark score of 18,000 or higher. (GeForce RTX2070 SUPER equivalent). PC memory size of 16 GB or larger and SSD storage is required. Windows 10 (64-bit) and Windows 11(64-bit) are supported.

[2] Network services, content, and operating system and software are subject to terms and conditions and may be changed, interrupted or discontinued at any time and may require fees, registration and credit card information.

[3] “Spatial Reality Display Player” application can be found on Sony’s App Select https://www.sony.net/app-srd Compatible formats are FBX, OBJ, GLTF, and STL.

[4] Application availability may vary by country; please check the Spatial Reality Display App Select page for compatibility.

Trademark Acknowledgments:

– OpenXR™ and the OpenXR logo are trademarks owned by Khronos Group Inc., registered trademarks in China, the European Union, Japan, United States, Canada and the United Kingdom.

– Autodesk, the Autodesk logo, 3ds Max, and Maya are registered trademarks or trademarks of Autodesk, Inc., and its subsidiaries or affiliates in the United States and other countries.

– ZBrush and the ZBrush logo are registered trademarks of Maxon Computer GmbH.

– Blender is a trademark or registered trademark of the Blender Foundation.

– GitHub is a trademark or registered trademark of GitHub, Inc. in the United States and other countries.

– © 2024, Sketchfab, Inc. Sketchfab and the Sketchfab logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Sketchfab, Inc. in the United States of America and elsewhere. All rights reserved.