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Stereoscopic Dinosaurs
Did Dinosaurs see in 3D?
T. rex Did!


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Celluloid Dinosaurs  > Page 1  |  Page 2 |  Page 3  | Resources  | Viewing the Pictures in 3D
 

|--------------------------------| (free view straight ahead) |--------------------------------| (free view with crossed-eyes)

It is possible to take photos, even movies, that the human eye can see in 3D. With stereo photography, two camera lenses are spaced apart at the same distance of the average persons eyes, around 3 inches. (This is called the "interocular" meaning the distance "between the eyes." As in I'll hit in you "interocular." Just kidding.- Vera)  Each camera takes a picture of the same subject, but at a slightly different angle from one another because of the 3 inch space.

When the two photographs are placed side by side and viewed through a special stereo viewer, the left eye sees one view and the right eye sees the second view. The magic of 3-D occurs when the brain combines these two images into one three dimensional picture. This works just like everyday vision!

Stereoscopic photographs, known as 'stereo views" or "stereographs" date almost back to the first days of photography which at the time was the wonder of the age. They appeared on the scene in the 1850's and were still being sold (in America at least) in the 1930's.These stereographs were in black and white and were viewed through a device called a "stereoscope", or "stereopticon."

Arthur C. Clarke, the famous science fiction writer (2,001 A Space Odyssey, Rendezvous with Rama) was given a set of stereopticon slides of dinosaurs -- Peeps into Prehistoric Times -- when he was a seven years old growing up in England. It was one of things which got him interested in science to begin with! This one shows Diplodocus Carnegii. 

Later came ViewMaster with slide reels, which were in color, but the image was much smaller. 

Other 3-D processes include, Polaroid glasses that separated the two views in movies, and "anaglyphs" which were viewed with red and blue glasses. A disadvantage to anaglyphs is that this process is best with black and white photography

3D-Viewmax recently made a simple, inexpensive viewer for traditional style stereopticon images.

There are some modern 3D cameras like 3D Wizard. They have many lenses and produce what are called "lenticular" 3D.  These pictures can be viewed without glasses.
 

There have been three movies with dinosaurs in 3D: Robot Monster (the images were really "flat" and taken from One-Million B.C. (1930)), King Dinosaur (a big lizard really photographed in 3D), and T.rex: Back to the Cretaceous (1998) an IMAX 3D movie.

Now, the important question is, can somebody make 3D glasses big enough for a T. rex?
 

 Article by Ron Keas,  stereo photographer for 3-D VIEWMAX company
Ron is also a fine painter. You can see his work at his website.
 

Viewing these pictures in 3D and Resources on next page

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