Photonics Dictionary

The ability to perceive binocularly the apparent depth and relative distance of objects.

A camera with two taking lenses and synchronized shutters. Two images are recorded simultaneously on separate frames, producing a three-dimensional image when viewed through the proper apparatus.

Extraction of three-dimensional measurements from a stereo pair of photographs.

A projector designed to give each of the observer's eyes its own disparate image.

1. A stereoscope that has adjustable scales to allow the determination of distances and dimensions from stereoscopic photographs. 2. A device used to view pictures of the same section of the night...

A method of creating real three-dimensional models by using lasers driven by CAD software. In contrast to the normal practice of removing material, this process polymerizes a liquid to quickly...

Technique that provides two stereographic views of an object that are larger than the object itself, by means of mutually inclined lens axes or nominal separation of axes of parallel lenses.

Wide-field, low-magnification device that consists of two compound microscopes focused on a single object, producing an erect three-dimensional image.

The use of a specialized optical microscope designed to provide a more three-dimensional view of a sample. Stereomicroscopy usually uses reflected light and provides enhanced depth perception via the...

The imaging of two photographs of a stereo pair, in complementary colors, for the preparation of contour maps.

The perception of depth due to binocular vision.

A small instrument containing a picture support and a pair of magnifying lenses so arranged that the left eye sees only the picture taken with the left lens of the stereo camera, and the right eye...

An exaggerated depth appearance in stereo photographs caused by the lenses in the camera being farther apart than the eyes of the viewer.

The photographing of a scene from positions corresponding to the locations of both eyes. A viewing device is used to present one picture to each eye for fusion of the retinal images, giving a...

The maximum distance at which the stereoscopic effect may be observed. With respect to the unaided human eye, it has been estimated at about 1500 ft.

A rangefinder similar to a pair of binoculars with a long base, a dot or other wander mark provided in each eyepiece field, together forming an apparent point in space. When one dot is moved...

A television system in which the images produced appear three-dimensional.

Vision in depth of three dimensions as a result of the spacing of the eyes. This spacing allows the eyes to see objects from slightly different points of view.

The array of methods used in the transmission and reception of pictures and images with a three-dimensional appearance.

A type of stereoscopic photography in which the distance between the two view points is greater than the average interpupillary distance. Therefore, the viewed image will appear to be half its size...

A type of stereoscopic photography in which a pair of lenses focuses a pair of images, relative to the positions of the two eyes, onto film through a lenticular screen, which records the images as an...

The stereo image that is recorded by the lenticular, stereo photographic process.

Microscopic investigation of two-dimensional areas of a three-dimensional object that can be quantitatively evaluated by consideration of the line intersections or point counts obtained via...

A binocular microscope designed for the viewing of stereo pairs. As these stereoscopic image pairs are seen through a microstereoscope, they are merged into a single image allowing the brain to...

When a stereo pair of images is switched so that the right eye sees the left image and the left eye the right, the stereo image perceived will be reversed in terms of relative object depth.

A 3D profile sensor, also known as a 3D profiling sensor or 3D depth sensor, is a technology that is used to capture and measure the three-dimensional shape or profile of an object or a scene. These...

Additive manufacturing (AM), also known as 3D printing, is a manufacturing process that involves creating three-dimensional objects by adding material layer by layer. This is in contrast to...

The creation of topographical maps and charts from a stereographic record produced through the overlapping of consecutive aerial photographs by more than 50 percent.

In aerial photography, the ratio derived from a stereoscopic pair of photographs that represents the air-base length divided by the flight altitude.

Designating any instrument in which both eyes can be used to view the image to achieve a stereoscopic effect, or merely to facilitate observation. See also prism binoculars.

Chirality is a property of certain molecules and objects in which they are non-superimposable on their mirror images. In other words, a chiral object or molecule cannot be exactly superimposed onto...

The direct appreciation of the distance between a given object and the observer, or between the front and back of a solid object. Real depth perception is achieved by the retinal disparity formed by...

A general term referring to the situation in which an image is not a true-to-scale reproduction of an object. The term also is used to connote the temporal alteration of the signal's waveform shape....

Instruments used by ophthalmologists and optometrists to study the eye. There are, for instance, the ophthalmoscope to observe and photograph the retina; the retinoscope and optometer to determine...

A form of a stereoscopic microscope having paired objectives, prisms and eyepieces, and invented by H. Greenough.

A rangefinder used to determine the height or altitude of aerial targets by means of optical triangulation. The device employs the stereoscopic principle.

A desklike apparatus with an opal glass surface illuminated from beneath by fluorescent tubes. It is equipped with roll holders for aerial films and a low-power microscope or some form of...

A wireless stereo imaging device used in conjunction with a monitor to produce a virtual interactive environment. Liquid crystal shutters in the eyewear are synchronized with the monitor at 120...

The use of retroreflective projection technology (RPT) to project a background image onto a masked object, such as a vehicle or overcoat, thereby making the masked object appear invisible....

A pair of telescopes with prismatically erected images, mounted side by side with the eyepieces at the interocular distance of the observer. This separation is adjustable with a convenient millimeter...

The discernment of depth or apparent difference in distance that causes the object to stand out from its background because of stereoscopic vision. The impression of relief can be obtained from the...

A reflecting prism that is rhomboidal in shape. It has two parallel transmitting faces, and two parallel reflecting faces; the latter are oblique to the former (usually but not necessarily at...

Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) is an advanced imaging technique used in microscopy to obtain high-resolution, three-dimensional images of the surfaces of solid specimens. SEM achieves this by...

Virtual reality (VR) is a computer-generated simulation of a three-dimensional environment or experience that can be interacted with and explored by an individual using electronic devices, such as a...