3D Without Glasses - Spatial View

Okay. Don't wait. Don't look up other references. Do not pass GO. Do not collect $300.00. Go directly to Spatial View.

I know, the site is sort of cheesy. Well, it's 3D!, fer Chrissake! It's supposed to be cheesy.

Today our Interactive Multi-Media class enjoyed a visit from James Hurley of Spatial View, makers of 3D hardware (and software) that DOES NOT NEED GLASSES(!)

Okay, I'm a 3D fanatic from waaaayyyyy back. If you look at my camera collection you'll find a 3d camera and viewer and if you dig around a little more you'll find pictures of the kids - in 3D - taking a bath (and other exciting subjects). You have not lived until you see dirty bath water and soap bubbles in 3D.

Going back even further, you might know of a theatre director named Jim Warren. Jim is now a distinguished director of live theatre but at one time he was a penniless actor with a brilliant comic turn. He played a clown called "Jerome" who more or less sat on the stage, tried to get peanut butter out of an empty peanut butter jar and, out of sheer frustration (which turns to joy), threw bread at the audience. You had to be there. He also used an (unused) toilet plunger. I saw his show several times and even helped tape it for cable tv.

Well, we started talking and the idea developed to film Jim's show in 3D and install it at the Science Centre as an example of how we perceive depth. (As a side to a side to a side note I cannot find any sort of link for Jim. He's around. We bumped into each other at a party last year and, if I find the money he would - just for this one time - reprise "Jerome" for the 3D camera.)

So how does this "3D without a camera work? Let's get technical.

Do you remember those 3D postcards? That's one technique called Paralax Barrier. The other is called Lenticular Overlay. This is the technique were the eyes in the postcard actually follow you, or one image morphs into another (think of tacky religious images). In both cases, the quality of the image relies on many views broken into tiny pieces and arranged in such a way that one eye will see images from the right and the other from an angle slightly to the left. The effect is not truly three dimensional, more like a series of flat images arranged one behind the other.

Spatial View manufactures a screen overlay and some software to go with it. Clip the glass over your laptop screen, the camera in the computer finds your eyes, adjusts the image (which then shifts to color) and you are looking at a bright and shiney 3D image on your own personal computer. You will soon be able to buy an adapteer for your iPhone and you can play video games with it as well.

You can download plug-ins for several software packages (including Flash which uses the layers to situate images in space. No word on how it might work with the newly introduced Z access in cs4.) The idea that the software can convert 2D programs into 3D sounds interesting but, of course, it depends on how it does so. Flash now allows us to work with depth with the same ease we are used to in placing objects to the right, left or up and down. Now if you make the depth into DEPTH!

James Hurley mentioned a few things about the 3D plug-ins and the most interesting was the plug-in for games. This plug-in does not modify the code, instead it takes the rendering information for the video card and renders several versions of each image so that each eye will view the scene from it's own perspective. This happens in real time and is nothing short of brilliant. Well, we did not see it but it's brilliant anyway.

Look for an iPhone viewer in a few months. You can buy a 19" 3D viewer right now and a smaller (but very bright) screen for your laptop in the spring.

There are a few cool links you might want to explore:
If you've always wanted to go to Mars but just haven't had the time you can visit NASA and the JPL for stereo pics sent to us from the Mars Rover. (glasses required).


Long live 3D! May Blood spurt onto the audience forever!

You can find some nice 3D images on Flickr but you will need to hold a piece of paper sideways to the screen and sort of go cross eyed in order to get the effect.

But, really, the best experience is the Original! Creature From the Black Lagoon in 3D!!!!! I don't think it's coming to a multiplex near you but for only $18.00 (less than two tickets and much less than two tickets plus popcorn) you can see what you missed.

At 3D-Geek you can find Andy Warhol's Frankenstein in 3D. You must be over 18 and twisted for this one.

I can vouch for it. You won't be sorry. (and you can sell the dvd on Craigslist when you are finished watching).