FAQ

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Right now there are a few LCD monitors and large (60" minimum) DLP displays, but there are no solutions that are as great as CRTs for desktop 3D applications. Keep checking back, since we may have some information very soon on new technologies for desktop applications.

The best display solution for 3D has a refresh rate of 120Hz minimum. LCD displays do not have a high enough refresh rate for quality 3D. Chances are your refresh rate is not high enough to provide good stereoscopic imaging. As an alternative, anaglyph uses color to create the 3D effect, which will work on any monitor - but be forewarned, anaglyph will cause eyestrain if used for more than a few minutes.

There are three needs for quality stereo: 1) suitable 3D content source; 2) powerful display with high refresh rate; 3) high-quality eyewear that does not flicker or cause eye strain. RealD eyewear are designed to avoid eyestrain and maintain high performance over time. Our eyewear have up to 5000:1 contrast ratio and extremely high-speed LCD lenses developed over decades of R&D. Our eyewear is also lightweight and comfortable and does not require warm-up time. RealD Professional eyewear are rechargeable and offer R/L frame independent view with a toggle button, something no other active eyewear offer, which is valuable when producing 3D content. Our eyewear are available in a IR and DLP® Link synchronization. We have a 1-year warranty on all our eyewear.

3D works by separating images into right- and left-eye versions. The right- and left-eye images then need to be shown in one eye at a time. Active eyewear uses a lens that blocks each eye very rapidly, alternating left and right in sync with the image being shown on the screen, which creates the 3D image in your brain. Passive technology uses polarized light (light that is “keyed" to a certain wavelength, like a radio signal for a radio station being programmed to match a number on a radio dial) that is “unlocked" by a special material in eyewear that blocks the left eye from seeing a right eye image and vice versa. The images are then flashed on the screen - either left eye first, then right eye, or vice versa. Your eyes interpret the proper image, and it all happens so fast that you can’t tell you’re not looking at something real.

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Unfortunately, DLP TVs are not supported by manufacturers outside the U.S., but give us a call and we’ll try to help you find a good solution for your needs.

First, you need a 3D display device to display content you capture with a camera or graphic content you create using animation.

Yes. We offer a special system for projection as well as DLP TV kits for dailies and on-set shot review. Please visit our Entertainment Page for more information.

3D content & content playing device (such as a PC or Blu-Ray player), B) Display device (DLP TV, projector or other 3D display device), C) Eyewear - active or passive eyewear of some type (very few systems offer “glasses-free" 3D also known as Autostereo).

RealD StereoGraphics' flagship product is a workstation-level, wireless set of liquid crystal shutter eyewear for Stereo3D image viewing. The product allows professionals dealing with large, multi-dimensional data sets to visualize images more naturally and make a faster and more accurate analysis.

Humans perceive depth stereoscopically, or through the use of both eyes together to understand depth and perspective in a physical environment. RealD's family of products enables high-definition stereoscopic viewing in an electronic environment. This concept is known as Stereo3D. Stereo3D delivers the most realistic visual representation possible of complex, digital solid models. This provides engineers and scientists with a significantly better understanding of three-dimensional information and yields levels of technical proficiency not available using a typical 2D view.

Nearly every major mechanical CAD, solid modeling/prototyping, molecular modeling, industrial VR and GIS software application supports CrystalEyes. The list of applications includes Unigraphics, SDRC Ideas, Dassault CATIA, Parametric Technology Corp. and many others. Please see our software support section for a more complete list of 3D-enabled software solutions.

CrystalEyes runs on all UNIX platforms including Sun, SGI, HP, DEC and IBM. In addition, the product is well-suited to Power Mac G5 and Windows NT workstations. All UNIX workstations ship stereo-ready from the manufacturer.

Though several companies have attempted to enter the workstation market with stereoscopic eyewear, CrystalEyes is currently the only commercial product to succeed and become a commonplace tool for 3D viewing.

Boeing used CrystalEyes extensively in its development of its 777 aircraft. Ford Motor Company, GM, Chrysler, Mercedes Benz and nearly every other major auto manufacturer use CrystalEyes in their virtual prototyping process to perform crash-test simulation, noise vibration and harshness testing, package design, aesthetics design and ergonomics design. NASA used CrystalEyes to pilot the Mars Sojourner rover and interpret terrain information as part of the Pathfinder project and every major movie studio uses them for 3D movie content development!

Humans perceive depth and perspective stereoscopically, or by the use of both eyes. CrystalEyes works with the user’s existing computer display and compatible software to continuously transmit separate left-eye/right-eye images to create the illusion that on-screen objects have depth and presence outside of the computer monitor. The eyewear’s liquid crystal shutter lenses alternately block the wrong image and transmit the correct one to create the realistic 3D effect. CrystalEyes receives its shuttering synchronization pulses from an infrared emitter attached to a UNIX or Windows NT workstation.

Dynamic range refers the image rejection/transmission ratio of left-eye and right-eye images in a stereoscopic environment. A high dynamic range is important to ensure that only the correct image is shown to each eye. Otherwise, ghosting and double images result. CrystalEyes’ patented shutter design has a large lens area with a dynamic range of over 1500:1, far greater than necessary for phosphor-based displays. This guarantees a crisp Stereo3D image without any ghosting or double-image artifacts.

Yes. In fact, CrystalEyes has been widely used in video presentation settings in conjunction with high-end projector products and StereoGraphics video processing hardware. CrystalEyes is an excellent means of displaying real 3D images - including 3D video - to an audience. With the product’s high dynamic range, even off-axis viewing produces an exceptional Stereo3D image.

For additional information on CrystalEyes 3, contact RealD Scientific at (800) 783-2660 in North America, or (415) 294-7790 outside North America. Or send an e-mail to sales.

It’s a stereoscopic visualization system comprising a stereoscopic viewing panel and polarized eyewear. The panel is affixed to a standard CRT computer monitor to deliver Stereo3D. In conjunction with stereo-ready software on a stereo-ready workstation, the Monitor ZScreen® 2000 Series circularly polarizes the left-eye and right-eye images in opposing directions. Viewers wearing the polarized eyewear see a Stereo3D image on the display.

Both models have a larger viewing area and improved anti-reflective coating while providing significantly faster start-up time. The Monitor ZScreen 2000i, the most advanced model, comes with a 3-year warranty. It offers a streamlined design by featuring a modulator controller that is integrated into the shroud for reduced cabling and a smaller desktop footprint.

Yes, Monitor ZScreen Series requires the use of software that produces stereoscopic images. Fortunately, there are a wide variety of workstation-based software applications that are Monitor ZScreen-compatible.

Engineers, scientists, cartographers and medical professionals who view complex computer graphics models. They are ideal for GIS/mapping, molecular modeling and medical applications, particularly for dual-monitor systems and small group visualization.

Monitor ZScreen Series is compatible with all UNIX (Compaq, Hewlett-Packard, IBM, SGI and Sun Microsystems) and Windows NT workstations as well as LINUX systems (requires stereo-ready graphics card and driver).

CrystalEyes are active stereoscopic-viewing eyewear which employ liquid crystal shutters with integrated electronics. CrystalEyes uses an infrared emitter to trigger the shutters. As an active system, CrystalEyes produces a higher dynamic range than Monitor ZScreen 2000 Series, but is more vulnerable to flicker from room light sources and multiple emitters in working environments with multiple workstations. Monitor ZScreen 2000 Series uses passive polarized eyewear. While delivering a slightly lower dynamic range than CrystalEyes, the Monitor ZScreen 2000 Series system is impervious to flicker from other light sources and can be used with multiple displays simultaneously running at various sync rates.

In brightly-lit rooms with many light sources, for applications running at low field-rates, or for environments in which several displays are used simultaneously, Monitor ZScreen 2000 Series is a more suitable solution. CrystalEyes is best suited to environments in which only a single display is used, where two or fewer individuals need to view images simultaneously and where the absolute highest-definition images are a premium.

Dynamic range refers to the image rejection/transmission ratio of left-eye and right-eye images in a stereoscopic environment. A high dynamic range is important to ensure that only the correct image is shown to each eye. Otherwise, ghosting and double images result. A major contributor to ghosting and a low dynamic range is monitor phosphor persistence. StereoGraphics Monitor ZScreen 2000 Series actively suppresses monitor phosphor persistence, guaranteeing a crisp Stereo3D image.

For pricing and information on Monitor ZScreen 2000 Series, CrystalEyes and other StereoGraphics Stereo3D visualization products, contact RealD Scientific at (800) 783-2660 or send an e-mail to sales.

The StereoGraphics E-2 is an infrared emitter used with StereoGraphics’ CrystalEyes® Stereo3D visualization system. The E-2 was developed to take advantage of the new-generation, stereo-capable graphics cards using the VESA standard 3-pin mini-DIN connector.

StereoGraphics’ E-2 is for mechanical design, molecular/chemical engineering and architectural CAD professionals working with complex 3D images. The product delivers Stereo3D viewing capability on Windows NT workstations in conjunction with stereo-enabled software and standard workstation displays.

The E-2 was designed specifically to work with the VESA standard 3-pin connector. It is also designed to work with the VESA-specified 5-volt and 12-volt output. The product therefore eliminates the need for any extra cabling and does not require an external power supply. It also has a wide/narrow I/R switch which allows the I/R signal to be more focused to the user. This is particularly useful where you have many stereo workstations in close proximity.

The wide/narrow switch allows the I/R beam to be focused according to user needs. When set to “wide," the spread is approximately 130 degrees; on “narrow," the spread is reduced to 60 degrees. This is particularly useful when you have many stereo workstations in close proximity.

The user simply plugs the E-2 3-pin mini-DIN connector into the back of a compatible graphics card.

StereoGraphics’ E-2 turns on automatically whenever the Stereo3D capability is activated in an application. The product automatically turns off when Stereo3D is not being used.

Any graphics card or UNIX graphics sub-system which has the VESA 3-pin mini-DIN stereo connector. View our graphics cards section for an up-to-date list.

Several software applications commonly used for mechanical CAD, pharmaceutical research, earth resource sciences and industrial VR can be used with E-2 and CrystalEyes. These include SolidWorks 98, SDRC I-DEAS Master Series 6, 3DView for AutoCAD, dVISE from Division, as well as products from Oxford Molecular, Erdas, Sense8, Hypercube and MSI.

E-2 brings UNIX workstation-level Stereo3D imaging capabilities to Windows NT computers running stereo-ready OpenGL applications. The CrystalEyes system improves the productivity of engineering and scientific professionals working with multi-dimensional data on Windows NT computers.

Your current emitter will not work on a modern PC on its own. The E-2 emitter will resolve this. You can purchase it online from us. Visit our emitter page for more information and pricing.

For additional information on E-2 and other RealD Scientific products, contact RealD Scientific at (800) 783-2660 or send an e-mail to sales.

Load the latest driver from the board manufacturer. It is still very common for the drivers originally supplied with the video board package to not contain correct Stereo3D support, so we strongly recommend going to the manufacturer’s web site to get the current driver. Follow the manufacturer’s installation instructions when prompted. Then, restart your system. It is usually necessary to select a stereo-enabling option in the graphics driver once it is installed. You must do so according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

There is a diagnostic utility you can download that will confirm proper system stereo support as well as help determine if E-2 is working properly. Please contact Professional Sales and Customer Support at pro-sales@reald.com.

Most likely, the stereo option has not been enabled in your card’s driver, or you are running at a resolution that is not supported in stereoscopic mode by your card. Make sure you have loaded the latest driver and turned on the stereo option and set the resolution and refresh rate according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Restart your computer and re-activate the stereo option in SolidWorks.

You have two issues that you need to address: the cabling and the voltage supply. The ESGI emitter was designed to operate on 12 VDC. The newer graphics cards usually put out only 5 VDC per the VESA (3pin mini din) standard specification. We offer the LADAP that will address both these problems. Refer to the LADAP drawing and the VESA TO ESGI PER E-2 REV B drawing. You can order the LADAP through our online store.

View reference drawing here. If you wish to build your own, please refer to this drawing.

You have two issues that you need to address: the cabling and the voltage supply. The EPRO emitter was designed to operate on 12 VDC. The newer graphics cards usually put out only 5 VDC per the VESA (3 pin mini din) standard specification. We offer the LADAP that will address both these problems. Refer to the LADAP drawing and the VESA TO EPRO PER E-2 REV B drawing. You can order the LADAP through our online store.

View reference drawing here.

We have a kit called the VESA extension cable kit. There you will find the cables to meet your requirements.

View reference drawing here.