3D, no glasses: the holy grail for CAD and animation?

3D, no glasses: the holy grail for CAD and animation?

In the cinema, you have to put on glasses, but behind the computer screen, meanwhile, you can experience 3D without them. There are still limitations, but the road to real 3D screens in a professional context seems to be open.

Jane Qianying Wan, GM of Lenovo’s Research’s Technical Strategy & Innovation Platform, was forced to play second fiddle at Lenovo Tech World in Seattle. The core message of that event revolved – how could it be otherwise – around AI. Wan has a different focus. “3D is my project,” she says. “It seems like the holy grail. People want to reach for it all the time, but the experience has to immerse the user. You can’t do that with glasses.”

During the keynotes, there is little time for Wan’s 3D project, but on the show floor, the project is getting some attention. “There is a trend where we are moving from 2D to 3D,” WAN believes. “That requires computing power, but also the display is quite a challenge.”

3D laptop

Lenovo will demonstrate several 3D displays and even a 3D laptop during the event. The principles are the same in all cases. The displays individually serve each eye a portion of the 3D picture. To do this, the display is equipped with a camera that follows the user’s eyes. Based on the eye position, the right image comes out the right way, with the help of customizable lenticular lenses for the pixels.

This works very well. The screens take a few seconds to calibrate vision, but don’t let go of our eyes after that. In those first few seconds, the 3D image looks like in the cinema, when you take off the glasses. Then suddenly the door opens to true 3D. The quality is excellent when we play a game, and remains so when viewing 3D models.

Organic

It is striking how natural the viewing experience is. Without glasses, the 3D effect feels much more organic. During our brief test, we didn’t notice any additional eye fatigue. After a few minutes, we actually got used to the 3D display, and 2D felt restrictive. Lenovo is not the only one betting on the technology. In early 2024 , for example, Acer showed a similar concentrate.

“The next generation of screens will be even better,” says WAN. “Panels in higher resolutions are already possible.” The focus of the technology right now is on single-person screens, and pretty soon it becomes clear why. As soon as people start looking over our shoulder, the 3D effect once again turns into a blurry soup. The extra eyes confuse the sensor, and the right images no longer come through.

Designing in depth

In the business sector, Wan sees several areas in which glasses-free 3D displays can add value. “In healthcare, a surgeon can’t just put on glasses, but can see in depth,” she gives as an example. Creative work is another clear focus. “Designers can see their designs in 3D.” Lenovo is working with design tools to bring screen support to software.

With a new type of screen comes a new type of input, according to Wan. “A mouse is possible, but actually you need an extra axis of freedom.” In theory, you could work with grand gestures, since screens are equipped with cameras anyway. However, Wan doesn’t think that’s a solution either. “You don’t want to wave your arms throughout the working day. Movements have to be implicit.”

Lenovo proposes a solution in the form of a ring. It is inspired by the trackpoint (the red ball on laptops) and is therefore called TrackPoint Ring. The ring allows you to manipulate the 3D world with small hand movements. Large movements also still work: for example, without the ring, we turn a 3D model in all directions with our hands. This takes a little practice, but all in all, it works well, too.

High screen quality

Wan has high hopes for the technology. It seems quietly on the verge of making inroads into the business world. The disadvantages have not been great for a long time. The 3D effect has little impact on quality. For example, the Lenovo ThinkVision 27 3D, which Lenovo unveiled in September, should cover 99 percent of the DCI-P3 and Adobe RGB gamut, with tremendous color fidelity. Lenovo claims an average DeltaE of less than one. The resolution is not bad either, with 1,920 x 2,160 pixels in 3D.

For now, devices such as the laptop with 3D screen are still demos, not available in the market. That will basically change in the coming year. The technology looks all grown up at Lenovo, and the added value for various business applications is clear. Those who design in 3D would be able to actually see those designs in 3D without effort and glasses. That strikes us as an attractive possibility.