[ASTRO] Re: Improved Thrills in 3D

[Michael Kepler <kepler@metro1.com>]

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On Thu, 13 Nov 1997, Grant Porter wrote:

<SNIP!>
> 
> You've truly outdone yourself! I got out my glasses and went to the site 
> as soon as I got home. COOL! Later, some company came over and they got 
> to look at them too. Everyone was very amused. I even got them to listen 
> to some MoAM after that.

Thank you very much!  I'm glad you like the site, and extra glad it
assisted in ASTRO-assimilation of new specimens.

> 
> One question: What brand/model of 3D camera are you using for these? Does 
> it require special processing? You may have mentioned this info once 
> before and I wasn't listening, but we've just gotta know.
> 
> -Grant

The one I'm using is the "KALIMAR 3D", which I got through the JC Penny's
catalog for about $20.00.  Unfortunately, they don't carry it anymore
so I'm not sure where to get one now.  Mine is semi-broken, but works
fine as long as I block light leaks with electrical tape.  

You can also get single-use 3D cameras.  I'll try to dig up more info
on these and post it later.

Here's how it works: the camera actually takes three half-frame pictures
simultaneously through a horizontal row of three lenses.  What you're
supposed to do is send the film to a special place called 3D Image Processing
in Norcross GA.  What they send back are lenticular stereo prints.  A
lenticular stereo photo is like those 3D postcards that were popular
around 20-30 years ago, with the plastic layer on top with the vertical
ridges.  They do not require any special glasses or lighting to view.
They are _not_ holograms.

The astro-photos on my page were not sent to 3D Image Processing, however.
With some difficulty and trial-and-error, I managed to get a local
"one hour" photo shop to make conventional prints of all of the half-frames
shot by the 3D camera.  I scanned two of each set of three, usually the
first and last, and monkeyed around with them in Adobe Photodeluxe to
produce the anaglphs you see on my website.  

Anaglyphs are those kind of 3D images you need the special glasses
to see, in my case you need the relatively common red/blue glasses.

Heck, this is getting way too long for the list.  I'll try to flesh this
out sometime soon, including more details on how this stuff works and
how, exactly, I did everything.  I'll put it up on my website and then
notify the list. 

Mookie

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.. end astro-transmission