3D monitors on the rise
While 3D TVs never quite took off, the eye-catching technology in the latest glasses-free 3D monitors make them a great choice for designers, architects and even gamers
Turn to p of this month’s issue and you’ll see our verdict on the Lenovo ThinkVision D. This is the harbinger of what we expect to be a swathe of glasses-free D monitors, but these aren’t going to be aimed at gamers or movie fans. Instead, the target market is D designers, D modellers, schools, medical institutions and more.
Nor is Lenovo on its own. Both Acer and Sony have already released portable monitors based on the technology, and we know that
Acer has its own in desktop display – the Acer SpatialLabs
View Pro – on the way.
Lenticular technology
The basic concept behind these panels is nothing new. In fact, the idea of sending different signals to the eyes based on the viewer’s position dates back to “tabula scalata” paintings created in the th century, where the viewing angle of a painting
(split up into strips) determined which of two images people saw. Pick up a pound coin dated or later and you’ll see the “£” symbol changes to a “” in a similar way.
Now let’s jump forward to . This was when British scientist and inventor Charles Wheatstone unveiled his stereoscope, which wowed audiences by showing two subtly different images to the left and right eyes. No doubt you used a stereoscope of some form as a child. Anyone who had the misfortune of watching Jaws -D in cinemas in £ will again be familiar with the effectiveness of sending different images to the left and right eyes.
What’s clever about this new generation of stereoscopic D screens is that there’s no need to wear special glasses or to change your viewpoint. Instead, lenticular lenses (which themselves date back a century) overlay the screen. When the D technology is activated, half of the available pixels are beamed to your left eye, the other half to your right eye. All the new stereoscopic D displays feature eye-tracking technology so that they know exactly at which angle to adjust the lens.
Although this makes it sound simple, the reality is far more complex and relies on multiple tricks to work. For example, our brains deduce whether objects are closer by looking at relative sizes – we know that a car is smaller than a building – and this gives us an indication of depth. Software developers (and filmmakers) can also use subtle blur effects to send messages to our brains that objects are further away than those in focus.
Soft revolution
So the hardware is here. As ever in computing, however, it’s useless without the software to support it. Fortunately, D modelling is hardly a new concept. From architecture to car design, from biology lessons to Avatar, there is already both supply and demand with a rich ecosystem of products and materials.
If all you want to do is enjoy D viewing on these devices, then you first need to install the manufacturer’s viewing software. In Lenovo’s case, that means D Explorer. Acer provides SpatialLabs viewing software, too. These both provide plugins for popular D software, so you can export models and then view them in D. It’s a slick process that “just works”.
Breaking out of the niche
It should be obvious why those who work in D design and architecture would be interested in this new breed of monitors, but who else might buy one?
Certainly gamers should consider it. AR and VR headsets are helping to develop a market for D-enabled games, and it’s relatively simple to port a D game to D as the depth information is already baked into the engine. Once you get to in, you’re reaching the point where you can immerse yourself in the D world, too (the effect is less compelling on smaller screens). Acer is again in prime position here, having announced its Predator SpatialLabs View at CES for $,£££.
There are also sales environments. If you want to show a prospective car buyer exactly what an interior will look like, bringing it to life in D on a screen may be just be the killer weapon. Likewise kitchen planners hoping to capture that big sale.
However, as we discuss in the review of the Lenovo ThinkVision D, you’ll need recent, powerful hardware to keep the output looking smooth. And with limited supply, we think it’s likely that D monitors will stay in their niche for some time yet.
What’s clever about this new generation of stereoscopic 3D screens is that there’s no need to wear special glasses