3D Stereo Projection

The VisLab investigated the educational uses of a "Geowall" 3D stereo rendering system. This Geowall system was originally developed to "broaden the use of scientific visualization tools for Earth Science research and education by the use of low cost virtual reality visualization devices." (http://www.geowall.org/). It is based on technology developed at the Electronic Visualization Lab of the University of Illinois at Chicago. The Geowall Consortium lead institution is the University of Minnesota – information about members and their activities is available at http://www.geowall.org.

We reviewed several of the helpful guides on installing a Geowall available in the HowTo section of the Consortium’s web site. Our experience with construction was similar to others – Projector Setup is a description of some of the differences we encountered.

Some newer projectors are available that do passive stereo with a single projector. Many projectors and screen for the active stereo glasses are available. Single passive stereo projectors tend to be more expensive ($10,000+) than dual projector systems ($2,000+). Some references for these projectors are:

Mirage WU7 WUXGA DLP 3D projector – available from Christie

Useful information on projectors: http://www.projectorreviews.com. This one is interesting: LG CF3D Projector

RealD “ZScreen” technology -- patented electro-optical "ZScreen" technology that’s inserted into the front of a flat panel. This system rapidly changes the light from clockwise circular polarization to counterclockwise, and then back again – see the tom’s Guide review

As 3D is demanded by consumers for home use, the prices should come down on both the passive and active stereo display products.