# 3-D Glasses



## tot13 (Jul 25, 2007)

I plan to do a vortex tunnel which exits into a big-top tent full of clowns. Both parts will use black lights and neon paint. I don't know how much effect it will have, but I thought 3-D glasses might be cool and make the experience a little more disorienting.

Went to see the new Potter movie this weekend and loved it. Noticed the theatre had a "recycle" box for 3-D glasses. Told the manager what I wanted and why, and walked out with 25 pairs of 3-D glasses.

So, if you think you have a need for 3-D glasses, you may try what I did - good luck.

If I posted this in the wrong section, my apologies.


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## Screaming Demons (Jul 12, 2009)

*A little 3-D/Blacklight advice*

When painting blacklight artwork, many start with a black background and paint their art over it. To get the full effect of fluorescent lighting, you should start with a white background. When you're done, paint the empty areas black. This is a little more work but really makes everything "pop" out at you. For your tunnel, paint blotches or stripes (or whatever pattern you are using) of white onto the black first. Then paint the fluorescent over the white.

For 3-D, you need to understand the way your eyes and brain see color. Blue should be farthest back, with red closest to you and yellow halfway in between. That is why you will see 3-D artwork with a red hand reaching out at you - the eye already sees the red as closest so the effect is multipled.

By the way, 3-D artwark can be fluorescent but it doesn't have to be. Regular paint works just as well. But you should try to use the purest colors you can get. Mixing colors might look fine for a regular mural, but for the proper 3-D effect they should be as original to the base color as possible.

Hope this helps.


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## tot13 (Jul 25, 2007)

Screaming Demons said:


> When painting blacklight artwork, many start with a black background and paint their art over it. To get the full effect of fluorescent lighting, you should start with a white background. When you're done, paint the empty areas black. This is a little more work but really makes everything "pop" out at you. For your tunnel, paint blotches or stripes (or whatever pattern you are using) of white onto the black first. Then paint the fluorescent over the white.
> 
> For 3-D, you need to understand the way your eyes and brain see color. Blue should be farthest back, with red closest to you and yellow halfway in between. That is why you will see 3-D artwork with a red hand reaching out at you - the eye already sees the red as closest so the effect is multipled.
> 
> ...


Thank you - some very simple suggestions that could make a huge difference in the effectiveness of a lot of hard work. I appreciate that you took the time to pass this on.


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## Dr Morbius (Sep 21, 2004)

Actually, 3D is a separation of images, fooling the eyes into thinking they are seeing the same image from slightly different angles. For a true 3D effect, you want to paint a red dot and a blue dot (if you are using red/blue glasses) next to each other. The farther apart the two dots, the farther away they will appear. Reversing the order of the dots, the farther apart they are, the closer they are. Not an easy process if you are want to turn more complex images 3D. Try this on your computer using Paint, or Photoshop and experiment with the glasses.


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## tot13 (Jul 25, 2007)

Thanks, Doc, but these aren't the red and blue glasses - they look like over-sized black frame cheap sunglasses. Any advice you have about using these things, or preparing to use them, would be appreciated -


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## Screaming Demons (Jul 12, 2009)

Dr Morbius said:


> Actually, 3D is a separation of images, fooling the eyes into thinking they are seeing the same image from slightly different angles. For a true 3D effect, you want to paint a red dot and a blue dot (if you are using red/blue glasses) next to each other. The farther apart the two dots, the farther away they will appear. Reversing the order of the dots, the farther apart they are, the closer they are. Not an easy process if you are want to turn more complex images 3D. Try this on your computer using Paint, or Photoshop and experiment with the glasses.


Right, it's not an easy process to explain, and even harder on a keyboard.

John Burton wrote a book called Scary 3-D Attractions and I never really "got" the whole 3-D thing until I read it. He does a great job simplifying the whole process and I would recommend it to anyone.


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## hedg12 (Jul 6, 2008)

If they're the "cheap sunglasses" type, chances are they're polarized. One lens will be polarized vertically, and the other horizontally. In a theater that uses them, one image is projected through a horizontally polarized filter, and another is superimposed over the first, but projected through a vertically polarized filter. The lenses of the glasses filter out the projected image that's been filtered oppositely, so each eye sees a different image. The differences in the projected images effectively simulate different focal lengths and trick the brain into thinking that there is more or less distance between you and what you're seeing. If that's the case they really won't have any effect unless there are similar polarizing filters on your images.


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## tot13 (Jul 25, 2007)

hedg12 said:


> If they're the "cheap sunglasses" type, chances are they're polarized. One lens will be polarized vertically, and the other horizontally. In a theater that uses them, one image is projected through a horizontally polarized filter, and another is superimposed over the first, but projected through a vertically polarized filter. The lenses of the glasses filter out the projected image that's been filtered oppositely, so each eye sees a different image. The differences in the projected images effectively simulate different focal lengths and trick the brain into thinking that there is more or less distance between you and what you're seeing. If that's the case they really won't have any effect unless there are similar polarizing filters on your images.


I was disappointed when I read this, thinking, "well, that's my luck, especially since it was so easy to get the glasses." And yes, I think your description of them is accurate. Even though I'm sure you're correct that they will have little or no effect, I think I'll use them anyway. I suspect that a large number of people will "believe" that they made a difference, lol.


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## hedg12 (Jul 6, 2008)

Sorry to give disappointing info, but I didn't want you to beat your head against a wall trying to figure out why they didn't do anything (at least that's what I'd do in a situation like that!)

I don't know if you plan to use any black light effects, but the tint of the glasses could make them more pronounced, and the placebo effect will almost undoubtedly make most people believe it's 3D. Good luck!


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## Fiend4Halloween (Aug 28, 2008)

Here's a lil something on the subject from John. Click on one of the 3 different headings and it will take you to each subject. Hope this helps. http://www.hauntedattraction.com/34/3d.html


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## halfcracked (Oct 13, 2006)

Quick check for the glasses, if you look at them in a mirror & one lens looks black when viewed through the other then yhey're polarized. 

Something to try though would be to shine a light thrugh one lense & look at something iluminated by the resulting light. I'd guess that it would "vibrate" when viewed using another pair of glasses. Or better yet, shine a light through one filter on one side & use the second light/filter on the other side so that the object is lit with opposite filters from either side. it'll drive your head crazy trying to combine the image.

One thing to note is the orientation of the lens in the glasses, they are actually the same lens rotated 90 degrees. if you take them out of the glasses you want to make sure one stays "vertically" oriented & the other "horizontal".


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## theedwin (May 25, 2009)

Tot13, you have polarized 3D glasses. If you would like more of these glasses, let me know!!! (I manage a movie theatre with 3D)

Here are some fun things you can do with the 25 pair that you have. 

Take out the lenses on a pair of glasses. Place one on top of the other and you can see fine. Turn one of them 90 degrees and you can't see at all!

Also, if and when you see a NEW 3D movie at the theatre, try turning your glasses upside down and wearing them that way. (it works) but the things that "should" pop out at you actually pop "into" the screen. The things that should be further back actually appear "closer". 

The way the projector works is there is a special "version" of the movie. The Digital projector actually projects 1 image on the screen at a time, but flashes between 1 image and a second image about 30 times per second. There is also a "screen" that the image passes through from the lens of the projector before it hits the big screen. This "screen" is synced with the projector so that every other image is polarized. (they are all polarized, it just switches polarization from left to right) (again, about 30 times a second). 

It is pretty interesting stuff TOT, and I would highly recommend asking the person who gave you the glasses at the theatre if he/she would let you see the projector. (they may or may not, but it never hurts to ask)


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## HallowEve (Apr 13, 2009)

*Possibility?*

just a question. Since the glasses are not red and blue would it be possible to use "transparent red" and "transparent blue" spray model car paint and paint one lens each color to make them work like regular red/blue 3d glasses? Since the paint is very transparent it would be a tint of color not solid. Just a thought as I was reading this thread.

HallowEve :jol:


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## theedwin (May 25, 2009)

HallowEve said:


> just a question. Since the glasses are not red and blue would it be possible to use "transparent red" and "transparent blue" spray model car paint and paint one lens each color to make them work like regular red/blue 3d glasses? Since the paint is very transparent it would be a tint of color not solid. Just a thought as I was reading this thread.
> 
> HallowEve :jol:


There is a "tint" to the glasses. It isn't too dark at all, but it does have a tint to it. Also, I don't know how the lenses would react to the paint. While I know that models are plastic and the paint doesn't "react" to the plastic, this is a different kind of plastic and I would be afraid that it would damage it. (I don't know as I have no experience with model paint). If you have the paint, you know where to get the glasses for free. Umm, it might work..


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## tot13 (Jul 25, 2007)

Thanks everyone for the very informative replies. I've been away for a few days and was very pleased with the posts. Some really interesting stuff has come out of this. I agree that the glasses I have are polarized, but still plan to use them for the "placebo" effect.


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## halfcracked (Oct 13, 2006)

When I went to see Avatar I noticed that all the plastic rear lit signs were polarized.
I'm thinking if you found some plastic that happened to be polarized you could set it in a spinning box & that could be a strange effect viewed through glasses.


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## dead hawk (Jun 5, 2012)

I usually just tanke them out of the bins the managers never care because they can get rid of them for free


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