#DEPTHOGRAPHY???
18 messages in this thread
Anyone have read about a 3d printing technique called depthography?
I have read about it in CGW and it looks like an StarWars movie. Anyone have
any info/experience?
ana /krazy images
Ana:
At Christmas the shopping malls filled with posters and calendars
of stuff printed with a technique that I hadn't seen before. I don't
know
if this is the "depthography" you speak of or not but it looked way
cool to an holography fan such as myself. A pair of college kids
from the Dallas, Texas area came up with a 3d illusionistic technique
that gives a cacaphony of swirling colors a sharp holographic look.
All you have to do is stare at the image and defocus your eyes (no
glasses
needed). The 3d image starts to sharpen up out of the mush and gels
right
before your eyes. Whether this is what you speak of or not I'd be
interested
in this technique's process if anyone knows.
Bob
Robert,
No, that's not depthography 🙁 The technique that you are talking about is
called Holusions (spelling?). The photographic technique I'm talking about
provides with a very sharp and clean 3D image that can be viewed without
glasses or any other kind of device, artificial or natural. In fact, it seems
that the technic is impressive and it outperforms any kind of expensive
hologram. And, this is really awesome, could be animated.
Here's how it works. You send to them a series of frames. Say that you send
number images depicting a 1/4 or 1/2 move of a 3d object using 3ds. They will
process the images and will make a full color sharp 2D picture which will jump
out of the page. You want this object to move. Just move it in 3ds and when
they process the images and you move the 2D sheet, the object will start to
move smoothly. I first think that it was a kind of joke, but I read the article
in CGW twice! The writer says that he couldn't believe it too. The developers
have spent arround 15 years to achieve this awesome process.
One of the texts describes a highly detailed human torso that is literary
floating in the air. The illusion is so well achieved that you can put your
finger in the line of vision, move it towards the image and it will get
immersed in the torso! Could this be real or it is sci-fi? They also describe a
piece that depicts the famous (they said) Mohamed Ali's punch to
I-can't-remember-who (boxing is not for me 🙂 in full awesome motion.
The CGW says that there is a gallery exposing this depthographies in a NYC
gallery. I will take the whole info tomorrow and post it here. Meanwhile,
probably somebody have seen them and could describe them and talk more about
them.
ana /krazy images
Ana,
Hey, it sounds like you were the depthography expert all along. <g>
If there is a display in a NYC gallery I'd be very interested in
which one. I wonder if it isn't at the Museum of Holography down
on Mercer Street. If you or someone could let me know which gallery
I'm tempted to head into the city this weekend. Of course that's if
I get my animation rendering away by late friday. If I go I'll give
you a full report.
Bob
Check Eli's reply. Wow! That's more close to an expert than me 🙂
I read about this, too. I wish I was going to NYC so I could check it out.
John Tissavary (La Luna cie)
Ana,
See my reply to Robert. I'm not sure if this was what you were talking
about though.
David
Will check it. See my reply to him for a better description of this interesting
print technique.
ana /krazy images
At SIGGRAPH '92 in Chicago there was a post-SIG party a a bar named KABOOM. On
the walls were holograph-like images that conveyed motion as you moved back and
forth in front of them. Eyes winking, flowers swaying.. that sort of thing. I
talked w/ a guy who said he created the process and it could be applied to any
set of sequential images; up to about 25 I believe. I'll search through some of
my old literature and see if I can find the guy's business card; it's a long
shot (almost 2 yrs ago) but I'll look.
Wade,
Thanks! Read Eli's reply. It is right on target. Sounds great to me,
but at $1,400… 🙂 ana /krazy images
Depthography is located at: 122 E. 27th St – 2nd floor, NY, NY 10016
{212] 679-8101. According to their price list, they charge $1,400 to
produce an 8×10 depth image. The process uses lenticulars which are
a type of fresnel lens – tho instead of arranged in concentric
circles, the lenticules are parallel.
Lenticulars are a type of barrier grid which were first described in
1892 by Berthier/France. Instead of lenticules, he simply used lines
– which block your right eye from seeing the 'left' image and vice
versa – i.e. each eye sees its own image of a stereo pair.
The use of lenses came later with a series of patents from 1903-1948
by several individuals: Ives, Lippman, Hess…Winnek. Both parallax
barrier grids and the use of lenticulars rely on slicing the stereo
pair into thin vertical strips which are roughly 1/2 the width of a
vertical lenticule. Then, the strips are assembled in pairs … like
1st from left/1st from right, 2L/2R… nL/nR so that a pair of
strips sits under each lenticule. The lenticule directs vision from
your right eye to the strips associated with the right image, and
likewise for the left. Lenticular material is generally an acrylic
sheet – the front surface feels grooved since that's where the curved
surface of the lenticules are located. The rear surface, also the
focal plane, is flat to accomodate laminating the interleaved image.
Currently, there are few methods of assembling the interleaved image –
Ives and crew used optics. I believe the Depthography folks use an
optical approach. Stephan Myers (Art)^n Laboratories, inventors of
the PHSCologram (R) uses a _patented_ digital process. There are
others, including Kodak.
Another use of a type of lenticular is the so-called winking eye
Cracker Jack prize – I'm sure you've seen them – you tilt it one way
and the eye is open – tilt the other and the eye blinks closed.
Depthography has several excellent displays like boxers throwing
punches, Roy Rogers' horse rearing up, etc. However, they've figured
out a way to do this with a large number of frames. They can also
produce animated depth images.
Probably told you a lot you didn't want to know… Let me know if
you'd like to know more!! 😉
Eli,
brilliant info! I found that totally fascinating.
Excellent info, Eli. Much more informative than the article in CGW.
John Tissavary (La Luna cie)
That was great, Eli! You can continue to illustrate us as much as you
want!!! 🙂 $1,400? Well, that is not to much… <g> Is that retail
or dicount price? 😉
Ana,
It was a pleasure responding to your question. I say this because
when I asked a similar question a while back, I go no response – so
over the last couple months I decided to dig up my own answers. And,
your question gave me a chance to contribute something amongst all
these graphics experts! Thanks.
As I mentioned, the use of barrier grids and lenticulars is actually
nothing new. However, this 'technology' is closely guarded by the
few commercial companies I was able to find. The person who has been
most helpful is Stephan Meyers – who says that he's trying to bring
the price way down. I think this is great news.
My original intent was to do 2 things: (1) Find an inexpensive way
to direct-view 3D Studio images [without R/G glasses, polarized
glasses, etc.] and (2) Find an inexpensive way to image short
animation sequences [i.e. winking eye] like a fractal zoom.
There are a couple key references which I can pass along to you if
you'd like.
And it was a pleasure to read it! You are really IN 3D <g> I hope
that Mr.Meyers finally find the way to low their prices. It could be
a pleasure to create something for that media 🙂
Terrific message. I certainly wouldn't mind any more insights in
this technique. At Depthography's NYC address do they have the
display that Ana was alluding to or is the display at a gallery
located elsewhere?
The Depthography gallery is located at the address in my message. I
visited them a few months back – they've got some very good stuff,
including computer-generated images. My impression though, was that
instead of merely good, their c-g examples could be outstanding if
they only had some of the 3D Studio stuff I've seen forum members
post here, on CDs, etc. Hint, hint! 😉
I would be happy to post the few references that I found helpful in
getting a handle on this 'technology'. One of the most informative
things I did was to buy a few of those cheap plastic 'winking-eye'
rulers at the Nature Company, and delaminated the image, to see how
it was made. I measured the distance between the strips, then used
PICLAB to create my own – printed on a laser. I had a 2-step
animation which toggled from a square to a circle – it was crude, but
it worked. Anyway, thanks for your support.