ABSTRACT
The origin of the cinematic use of 3D imaging technology lies in the optical and neural disposition of human stereoscopic vision. Stereoscopic vision, or stereopsis, is possible due to the horizontal spatial separation of the human eyes. When seeing a solid object, this binocular vision causes a difference called binocular disparity, which is converted into depth perception in the brain. Uniting the images of two horizontally separated camera lenses, 3D imaging technologies mimic human stereopsis and “trick” the brain to perceive three-dimensional depth on a two-dimensional screening surface. The stereoscopic image needs to be decoded by special eyewear (anaglyph or polarized glasses), or projected onto a specially constructed screen (autostereoscopy). The first stereoscopic viewing device, Charles Wheatcroft’s “stereoscope,” dates back to 1838, and the first stereoscopic film screenings were already held at the end of the 19th century.
