CrystalEyes 3 Q&A

Q: What is CrystalEyes?
A: REAL D 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.

Q: What is Stereo3D?
A: Humans perceive depth stereoscopically - which is to say through the use of both eyes together to understand depth and perspective in a physical environment. REAL D’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.

Q: What software applications support CrystalEyes?
A: 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.

Q: What platforms does CrystalEyes work on?
A: 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.

Q: Does anyone else manufacture a workstation-level product like CrystalEyes?
A: 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.

Q: What are some customer applications I would recognize where CrystalEyes has been used?
A: 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 uses 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.

Q: How does it work?
A: Humans perceive depth and perspective stereoscopically - which is to say 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.

Q: What is dynamic range and why is it important?
A: 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 stereo 3D image without any ghosting or double image artifacts.

Q: Is the product compatible with NTSC, PAL or computer-generated video?
A: 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 stereo 3D image.

Q: How do I contact REAL D?
A: For additional information on CrystalEyes 3, contact REAL D Scientific at (800) 783-2660 in North America, or (415) 294-7790 outside North America. Or send an email to sales.