Glass-Free 3D from Alioscopy

Technically, calling Alioscopy‘s technology 3D is inaccurate. It would be more precise to call it 8D. According to Pia Maffei, Alioscopy’s director of operation (on her business card, her whimsical title reads “Puppet Master”), the system “uses 8 interleaved images to produce the autostereoscopic 3D effect.”

Last week, Alioscopy installed one of its 3DHD display units in the Autodesk Gallery at One Market (San Francisco, California). Since the gallery was just a short train-ride away from my apartment, I accepted Alioscopy’s invitation to see its technology at work.

Alioscopy’s display unit is an LCD screen equipped with lenticular lenses, which reproduce the same image from various perspectives depending on the viewer’s shifting positions. As a result, the viewer perceives the 3D scenes and objects with simulated depth and distance, without the dual-color glasses he or she is normally required to wear to get the same effect.

Standing before the special monitor, I watched the demo sequences involving a helicopter flying through a jungle, a train barreling towards the screen, a gnome-like figure shoveling hot coals towards me, and a slot machine spitting out coins. If I moved, I had to find a new sweet spot (where the overlapping images realigned), but the 3D effect remained in tact throughout, provided I stayed within the recommended space (which varies depending on the size of the display).

Alioscopy’s technology is a hardware-software combo, priced below $4,000 during the current promotional period. After May, the company plans to sell it for about $5,500. The hardware is a 24-inch or 42-inch LCD display with lenticular lenses; the software is Alioscopy’s Mix8, which compiles and renders your scenes into stereoscopic sequences. In the workflow envisioned by Alioscopy, you’ll create your content in Autodesk solutions like 3ds Max, Maya, or Softimage, then process it in Mix8 for stereoscopic playback.

Maffei pointed out that, with Alioscopy’s solution, 3D content can also be interactive, programmed to respond to remote devices, like game controllers, cell phones, or even physical gestures. (Because the viewer is required to be at a distance from the display unit to get the 3D effect, direct interaction with the object on the monitor’s surface may not be suitable.)

The company is currently seeking Preferred Content Producers who can help populate its Design Center with a collection of customizable 3D templates. For CAD users with 3D asset in vertical markets (automotive, aerospace, consumer goods, for example), this could be an opportunity to re-purpose existing content for advertising, marketing, and digital signage.

Stereoscopic imagery has been gradually gaining ground among CAD users, driven in part by the proliferation of 3D data. In mainstream entertainment, movies from Pixer, DreamWorks, and other studios are ushering in a 3D renaissance (the latest examples include DreamWorks’ Monsters vs. Aliens and Pixer’s Up). Hardware makers Philips and NEC have introduced glass-free stereoscopic monitors to the professional and consumer markets. At present, stereoscopic viewing remains a novelty, usually deployed to dazzle the audience. If its adoption increases, CAD vendors may have to integrate stereoscopic content development and display tools in their packages.

For other stereoscopic technologies, check out Fakespace, Philips’ 3D displays, and NVIDIA’s GeForce 3D Vision.

To examine Alioscopy’s technology, visit the company’s booth at SIGGRAPH (August 4-6, New Orleans, Louisiana).

For more on Alioscopy’s technology, watch the video below.