3D Image Raytracing with POV Ray

I did it during the lab 208 (Computer Graphics). We were asked to make a 3D image with the theme "Artistics Molecural Rendering" using the software POV Ray. First thing passed through my mind is to create a virus called "T4 Bacteriophage". I was thinking about viruses attack from other planet toward the earth (maybe this idea came from the film Mars Attack ^_^). With many wonderful effects provided in POV Ray, finally I made the image like this :

click the image to enlarge it!

Afterward, the image were duplicated with different camera position and look at position in parallel. The point is that were going to create a stereo image using POV Ray, so that we could see the image in a "Real 3D image". How to make it? Hmm...... good question ^_^. Ok, we just rendered two images for each left and right eyes with a resolution of 200x200 pixels. The left image was the duplicated image from the right image, with an offset to the left. The size of the offset could be obtained by measuring the distance of the nearest object in the image from the camera position, then divided by 30. Finally, we put both images in pair a certain distance so that the width of both images were 13 cm (see the two images below). Why did we do so? Well, by doing this, the real 3D image will be caught easily by our eyes. Now, why don't you try to look at it and feel the beauty of it? ^_^

How to see it?

You'll get an optimum impression at a distance of approximately 30-40 cm of your eyes to the monitor plane. When you look at the stereo pair, just "defocus" your eyes in a manner that you see a 3D image in the middle between the two images. This central image is separated with the gray stripes from the outer images and appears blurred at first. You carefully focus on the central image and there it is a Real 3D image.

Still don't get it?

To "defocus" means that you ractically look right trough the images at a (not existing) point behind them - in a manner similar to day-dreaming. You can practice it by looking at a usual 3D image here. You should be able to see a pair of dolphins inside the water. Now, go back to this stereo images. The left image for the left eye and the right image for the right eye just merge into a single 3D image.

How? Isn't is marvelous? This became a new exciting experience I have ever had. ^_^