why do I see a left-right-left motion in the lenticulart-3D-section?
this is due to the fact, that we could only give a real 3D-effect by using anaglyphic images. Those need red-green glasses and not everyone watching the site has one on hand. On the other side, anaglyphic images don’t show the real color of the image. With the help of animated gifs you get a certain kind of feeling about the depth of the image. Standing in front of the of the real artwork you will see an impressive 3D-effect without the use of 3D-glasses!
what is lenticulart?
lenticulart is a relatively new form of art. Most people know the technique from postcards – either with a 3 D-effect or with a flipp- or motion-effect. While postcards are handheld, the flipp or animation works best by flipping the card via the horizontal axis. With large format lenticular prints the effect occurs, when the viewer is moving in front of the image left to right or vice versa. For 3-dimensional depth it is always necessary that the optical lens array is lined up vertically. The lenses are extruded in a special shape and angle either for 3D or for flip/motion.
what material is used for lenticulart?
I am using only the best lens-material that is available worldwide. There are different materials for 3D and for motion. I am using the deepest 3D-lens made 0f PMMA (plexiglas) and the best motion-lens made of PETg. The vertical lens-arrays are either 20, 30, or 40 lenses per inch. The larger the image, the coarser the lens, since the viewing-distance increases. We are printing the images either front-lit or for backlight in Lightboxes.
how are the images for lenticulart printed?
the printing process is UV direct-printing with special printing machines. It needs years of knowledge and high skills to print a perfekt lenticular, functioning in the right viewing-distance and with a perfect alignment. Another method is to print on paper or on a PP-substrate and mount the image onto the lenticular-sheet. The problem here is, that it is very hard to avoid tiny dust corns what can be a total waste for the hole image.
How are the images created for lenticulart?
I am creating the scenes or sculptures either in a 3D-programm or photographically or in a mixture of both techniques. In 3D I build the model in different ways, texture them or give them the look of glass, plastic, wood, metal etc. Then I light the scene in a certain kind. This can be very different for each image. After the scene is finally ready (what can take days or weeks) it has to be shot or rendered with a camera within the program and a with certain lens. The lens can be i. e. 20mm, 24mm, 35mm or any other focal length. In my images I am shooting/rendering 27 images on a virtual rail from right to left in exact identical steps. Rendering for 27 images can take up to 1000 hrs depending on the complexity of the model and the materials in use and the resolution/size of the image. After rendering, the images have to be aligned on the ZERO-plane. Elements in front of the zero-plane come out towards the viewer – elements behind the zero-plane go back into depth. Then the images are going to be interlaced with a special program (27 stripes under each lens). Seeing such a printed image without the lens on top is very confusing and you don’t see any type of 3D or animation. Only in conjunction with the right lens, perfectly aligned, the image becomes 3-dimensional or alive like magic.