The Synopter is a device that allows 2D images to appear as 3D – and it was invented in 1907 by a Polish scientist. Now Rob Black from the University of Liverpool, UK has invented a new version which he calls “The I”. This is a smaller version of the Synopter – but it still not an electronic device.

The way this device works is opposite to stereoscopic 3D systems: in ‘The I’ both eyes see the image on the screen from the same perspective. The brain then assumes that it is looking at a distant 3D object (as though you’re looking at it through a window). This works on any image that is nearby, and does not cause any headaches according to Black.

“The I” is currently in the prototype stage, but hopefully this can be commercialized one day…

Read full story here: http://www.3d-display-info.com/new-synoptic-viewer-offer-3d-any-2d-image

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2nd story on Synoptic 3D

Usually, making 2D things into 3D things involves tricking the eye using special glasses, which make you perceive something has depth when it really doesn’t. Surprisingly, the next advance in 3D could come by way of a gadget first invented in 1907, one that goes straight for your brain instead.

Synoptic 3D was invented a hundred years ago buy a Polish guy named Moritz von Rohr. His synoptic viewer was a device that you could hold up to your eyes and look through like binoculars, and, by bouncing light around to make sure that both of your eyes were seeing an image from the same perspective, it could cause your brain to see 2D pictures in 3D.

This is basically the exact opposite of stereoscopic 3D. A synoptic 3D system fools your brain into thinking that it’s looking at a distant 3D landscape instead of a close-up 2D screen, sort of like what happens when you look through a window. So, instead of relying on fake depth information, your brain uses natural visual cues, and simply imagines a 3D scene based on what it can see.

Since your brain does all of the 3D work on its own, you could use a synoptic 3D system with anything at all; pictures, movies, whatever. Just look at something 2D through a synoptic viewer, and bam, your brain makes it 3D.

It’s also a much more natural experience: if you’ve ever tried to look at something in the background of a 3D movie instead of whatever is currently blasting out of the screen at you, you know things can get a little wonky. Synoptic 3D isn’t going to solve the problem of having to wear those horrible glasses, but at least you won’t walk out of the movie theater with blurred vision and a headache.

Full story here: http://dvice.com/archives/2010/12/hundred-year-ol.php

TORONTO, February 22, 2010 — Filmmakers, vision scientists, and psychologists at York University have secured over $1.4 million to fund the 3D Film Innovation Consortium (3D FLIC), a two-year academic-industry partnership that will expand capacity for 3D film production in the GTA and Ontario.

“The recent success of films like Avatar has changed the perception of 3D film with the public and the major studios,” says Nell Tenhaaf, professor and associate dean, research, in the Faculty of Fine Arts and the project lead. “As more live-action films, dramas, and documentaries get developed in 3D over the next few years, the GTA must aggressively build its capacity for 3D film production. 3D FLIC envisions the GTA as a hub for the best quality and most original stereoscopic film production.”

3D FLIC brings together a uniquely interdisciplinary team to tackle the challenges involved in improving 3D entertainment technology. Teams of filmmakers at York, led by Professor Ali Kazimi in the Department of Film, Faculty of Fine Arts, will work with an array of film industry partners and the Canadian Film Centre to develop 3D scenes and films. Vision researchers and psychologists in York’s internationally-recognized Centre for Vision Research, led by Professors Rob Allison in the Faculty of Science and Engineering’s Department of Computer Science and Laurie Wilcox in the Faculty of Health’s Department of Psychology, will then use this material to conduct tests exploring how humans perceive and process the images, which the filmmaking teams will use to refine their films.

This interdisciplinary cycle of research promises to develop practical solutions that will create better post-production technologies and processes for 3D film production, which will benefit the film industry as a whole.

Researchers plan to address the question of how best to control viewers’ attention when viewing 3D imagery and the role this technique could play in the 3D film narrative.

“Vergence is a basic mechanism of binocular vision,” says Wilcox. “Normally, simultaneously moving both eyes maintains single vision: we cross our eyes to look at near objects (convergence) and move them apart to look at far objects (divergence). This process doesn’t happen when viewing conventional 2D film because both eyes see exactly the same image. But in 3D film, the illusion of depth allows a viewer to look into the scene and converge their eyes on objects at different depths. We want to know if we can control a viewer’s attention by changing how the 3D images are aligned. Are there techniques that will reduce the discomfort that viewing 3D images prompts in some individuals? How should 3D images be constructed to scale differently for display on screens ranging from an IMAX to a television set to a handheld device? These are some of the questions 3D FLIC will explore.”

Collaboration between industry and academia is crucial to the project’s success. “Ontario has film crews, technicians, and camera operators with decades of experience, and we need to support and hasten their transition to 3D film to remain competitive,” says Jim Mirkopoulos, vice-president of operations at Cinespace Studios. Cinespace is a longstanding supporter of the Faculty of Fine Arts and one of 3D FLIC’s partner organizations; their standing White House sets in Kleinburg, Ont., will be used as a 3D research studio.

The 3D FLIC team includes:

• The Canadian Film Centre (CFC)
• Ontario Centres of Excellence (OCE)
• Computer Animation Studios of Ontario (CASO)
• Cinespace Film Studios
• 3D Camera Company (3DCC)
• Creative Post Inc.
• Starz Animation Toronto
• PS Production Services
• Side Effects Software
• Saw VII Production Canada, Inc.

“This initiative brings York’s outstanding researchers in digital media, 3D film, and vision science together in a most innovative way,” says Stan Shapson, vice-president research & innovation. “Building on this unique internal capacity, CONCERT, the York-led Consortium on New Media, Creative and Entertainment Research & Development, has helped to establish our reputation among the GTA’s digital media industry and allowed for successful and sustainable research partnerships between our researchers and local companies. 3D FLIC is one of several exciting media projects we’re launching this year. Of course, research informs our teaching programs; our 3D FLIC members are already discussing new innovations in our curriculum to benefit our students — stay tuned for more to come.”

3D FLIC has a unique funding arrangement with Ontario Media Development Corporation (OMDC) and Ontario Centres of Excellence. OMDC has contributed over $436,000 to help recognize 3D film as a new production paradigm through the project’s innovative partnerships; OCE has allocated over $287,000 to support the project’s scientific and technology development aspects of stereoscopy research. Seven industry partners will provide over $450,000 through in-kind support, with additional institutional support from York University.

OMDC’s portion of this funding is part of a $2.9 million investment made on Feb. 10, 2010 through its Entertainment and Creative Cluster Partnerships Fund to leverage an additional $7.1 million from 94 partners to support a total of 17 projects.

Designed to help Ontario’s entertainment and creative industries invest in smart ways to grow their competitive advantage in the global marketplace, the partnership fund supports projects involving book and magazine publishing, music, film, television, interactive digital media, and commercial theatre. This industrial cluster experienced growth in 2009 and produces $15 billion in revenue and over 200,000 jobs, contributing $12.7 billion to the province’s GDP. In the last four years, the partnerships fund has provided $9.7 million to support 60 projects involving 379 partners and leveraging a total of $23 million in industry matching funds.

“The entertainment and creative cluster is one of the fastest-growing sectors in Ontario’s economy,” said Michael Chan, minister of tourism and culture. “Our government is proud of the investments we have made in the culture sector, which are driving economic growth and contributing to a great quality of life for Ontarians.”

source: http://www.yorku.ca/mediar/archive/Release.php?Release=1825