About 3D
3D: a short history of an elusive illusion.
It all starts with binocular vision. In the act of seeing, each eye in our head retains an image on its retina, which the brain combines to form one single image- and so we can see in 3D. The images from each eye are slightly different as a proboscis (that’s your nose) separates them- the distance between is known as disparity. It’s this disparity that creates depth perception.
According to 3D lore, the concept of creating an image that displayed depth was first bandied about by Sir Charles Wheatstone in the late 1830’s. He surmised that if one were to have two sets of an image with a disparity that is similar to what the brain encounters when seeing, a 3 dimensional image could be seen from two, 2 dimensional images. (This is the first time that 2+2 = 3D.) And Stereoscopy was born.
The first 3D displays were a direct result, and interestingly, required no visual aids like glasses. With a technique known as side by side viewing- the pair of disparate images are combined into a third 3D one, by a trick of the eyes. By staring through the two images and focusing your eyes beyond them, you will see a third image created, and yes, - it has the illusion of depth.
But stare like that too long and you might get a headache. So the Stereopticon was created. This fabulous device allowed for a card or postcard of two images photographed with that famous distance disparity to be viewed by looking through lenses that focused the eyes on the proper eye image to give the 3D illusion. The curvature of the lenses enabled the eyes to focus on the image at a depth that simulated infinity- the way we see naturally. Now anyone could see 3D without eyestrain and a bottle of aspirin; not only that, but they could now see places they had never been, in 3D, as if they were there.
By the turn of the century, Stereoscopes as they became known were all the rage. The end of the 19th century saw the advent of the kinescope and other devices which showed a short movie either by rotating drum, wheel or otherwise. The earliest devices required hand cranking and were soon replaced by automatic coin operated machines. It wasn’t long before 3D movies found their way into the penny arcades. The stereoscope worked on the same principles except that instead of a series of single images in sequence to give the illusion of motion, it used a series of image pairs to show motion in 3D.
Rotate your stereo time wheel another couple of decades and say the magic word G-A-F. If you can use the Henry Fonda drawl it sounds even better. The View-Master as it became known was created in the mid 1930’s by the Sawyer’s Photographic Services Company. The device featured pairs of positive film strip images mounted into a cardboard wheel. The stereo views were backlit by pointing the View-Master at a bright object- and the images were viewed by looking into a set of lenses similar to what was on the stereoscope. The result was a 3D image that was bright and colorful as mostly color films were used. The image wheel was rotated by a knob and a variety of different images could be seen on any one card wheel. The device was an instant hit- and everything from military reconnaissance to cartoon images was made for use with it. General Aniline and Film Corporation bought Sawyers Photographic Services and the View-Master in the mid 1960’s at the height of its popularity. And everyone could say G-A-F.
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