A new integral photography (IP) technique is presented in which printing technology is used to make not only an IP image but also a fly's eye lens. IP is one of the best methods for 3D displays because both horizontal and vertical parallax can be obtained without having to wear special glasses. A fly's eye lens, which integrates a large number of small convex lenses in array form, is the key component of IP. However, such lenses had to be purchased from a limited number of commercially available options since using a metal mold to custom make them was extremely costly. This situation changed substantially with the emergence of a 3D printer that could produce highly precise and transparent lenses easily and inexpensively. We therefore used our original software to model a fly's eye lens that comprised many minute spherical lenses as a triangular mesh. The resulting STereoLithography (STL) file was then transferred to a 3D printer and a fly's eye lens was made. We also used our conventional CG technology to synthesize an IP image that integrates images observed from many viewpoints. When the image was printed with a full-color inkjet printer and the fly's eye lens was put on it, an excellent 3D image was obtained.
Kazuhisa Yanaka, Naoki Kira, Hideo Kasuga, "Integral Photography Using 2D Printer Output and Fly's Eye Lens Made with 3D Printer" in Proc. IS&T Int'l Conf. on Digital Printing Technologies and Digital Fabrication (NIP28), 2012, pp 273 - 276, https://doi.org/10.2352/ISSN.2169-4451.2012.28.1.art00079_1