The Future of 3D Images *

Recently many people have fallen in love with the threedimensional images in theaters that feel as if you are actually in the movie. But do you know how the 3D image is produced and how we are able to see these images?

It begins with the way our brain interprets images. 3D imaging depends on optical illusions to create panoramic scenes proving depth for the objects. Humans have binocular vision, which means each eye sees a different picture and the brain combines the two pictures into a single image. The brain uses the slight difference in angle between the two images to aid in depth perception. Polarized lenses filter out only light waves that are aligned in the same direction. With a pair of 3D glasses, each lens is polarized differently and the screen is specially designed to maintain the correct polarization when the light is reflected from the projector. That is why the images are somewhat blurry when viewed without the 3D glasses.

To provide these effects, the recording of the images are more complicated because it requires two cameras for the same scene, one for the left eye and another for the right eye. Afterwards, complex techniques of image processing (called rendering) are applied, generating the final result. Now you know why 3D movies are more expensive to watch than the traditional ones – because they cost more to produce.

Like many other technologies that improve while becoming popular, 3D image technology today is experiencing what specialists call the third generation. The first generation of 3D appeared in 1950; the second in 1980; and recently, it gained media attention again in 2009. Now it has become popular under the acronym, 3D. The big difference in the current third generation is that now there is digital technology, which has much fewer limitations and more powerful resources.

The film industry’s current marketing strategy is not only for 3D cinema, but also in the entire set of products and applications that can take advantage of three-dimensional images. This chain of products includes video games, Blu-ray discs, home theaters, digital cameras, computers, mobile phones, iPods and tablets as well as 3D TV without glasses.

A contributing factor in the improvement and evolution of 3D is the fact that the film industry has now developed a 3D standard that can be adopted worldwide. So everything we are seeing today on 3D is just the beginning of a revolution. According to some university research, it is likely that the next generation of 3D technology will combine tactile sensations with a three-dimensional view, which would provide even greater realism to scenes from movies or video games.

* Article published on Curitiba in English.