Timothy Masters

Modern Stereogram Algorithms for Art and Scientific Visualization Timothy Masters

Imagine looking at a picture on a printed page or computer screen, adjusting your eyes in a manner that most people can learn easily, and suddenly having objects pop out at you in vivid 3D. Many people have already experienced this with the Magic Eye and related posters that were massively popular in the 90's. But what is not so well known is that this single-image stereogram technology has come a long way since those early days. The big breakthrough came when algorithms were discovered that could map textures onto the surface of single-image stereograms. I believe this is the only available book that delves deeply into stereogram algorithms, including highly documented C++ source code. These algorithms can be used to great effect by artists to create works of art that are far beyond the crude stereograms of yesteryear. Perhaps even more importantly, the ability to display depth maps in clear stereo using only a single printed image can be invaluable for scientific presentations. This book is an essential resource for anyone writing programs for stereogram generation.