Some weeks ago I told you that I have been working on a patch
for tracing stereoscopic images with POV-Ray. I asked, if there
were interest. There was, and several people contacted me via
email too. So I made an unofficial POV-Ray Version out of my patch.

You will find documentation, source code, a Windows executable
and some demo images at the following locations:

http://www.geocities.com/stereopov/
http://212.224.43.114/StereoPOV/

(the second is sort of a mirror, but it serves the
   high res *.jps-images as well.)

This is an *unofficial* compile, based on POV-Ray 3.1g.
I consider it beta software, "works for me" with some known bugs.
I am very interested at any feedback, suggestions, bug reports etc.
(And: as I am not a native speaker, my english is rather clumsy :-) )


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What is it about?
*Stereoscopy* is a method to create images delivering a real 3D
depth impression. It utilizes our natural ability to view with
two eyes and gain an immediate depth sensation. Common ("flat"
"mono") images on the contrary only simulate depth by means like
perspective, shading, focal blur, athmosphere.
It is very easy to create stereoscopic images. The down side is:
we allways need some viewing device like lens stereoscopes,
colored or polarizing spectacles etc. As a exception to this rule,
there exist two "free viewing techniques" ("cross-eye" and
"wall-eye"). They permit with some experience and training to have
a quick look at a stereo pair in 3D, but this causes some eye strain.

It is very easy to create stereoscopic images with POV-Ray as well.
But the key feature of the patch presented here is ability to render
the two halfimages in a single raytracing pass, whilst sharing the
results of lighting, texture and radiosity calculations.

Five built in camera types are "stereoscopically enabeled":
perspective, orthogonal, fisheye, cylindrical and spherical wideangle,
the latter beeing a new addition specifically designed to create full
range stereoscopic images of fisheye type.


Why I wrote it?
The primary reason is: I need it for my own projects. The main focus
for me is to create high quality images for 3D slide projection.
Stereoscopy is very quality demanding and -- moreover -- several of
the tricks of computer graphics don't work so good in real 3D. So
anyway it would be good to be able to go to the core rendering engine
and make things work exactly as needed.
This means, I am planing to do further developement. The first thing
to do will be porting to 3.5, of course.


Follow-up to p.unofficial.patches.

-- Hermann

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