

The idea behind stereo photography is to take two similar photographs, but from different positions displaced horizontally (like our eyes). Stereo photography is very old, dating back to 1838, but some of the old stereo cameras and stereo photograph viewers, such as the one shown in Figure 41-1a, can still be found at antique shops. Stereograms evolved from stereo photography, in which two photographs are taken from slightly different camera positions (representing the displacement between our eyes). It all started back in the 1960s, when Bela Julesz, who worked at (AT&T) Bell Labs researching human vision-particularly depth perception and pattern recognition-created the random-dot stereogram (RDS). 41.1 What Is a Stereogram?Ī stereogram is a 2D image that encodes stereo information so that, when viewed correctly, it reveals a hidden 3D scene. The CD content, including demos and content, is available on the web and for download. You can purchase a beautifully printed version of this book, and others in the series, at a 30% discount courtesy of InformIT and Addison-Wesley. GPU Gems GPU Gems is now available, right here, online.
