Mediaspace scheduled maintenance: Aug 25, 2026 07:00 - 12:00 AM. During this time, videos will be temporarily unavailable. Check status updates.

Lecture

Depth Perception: Motion Parallax & Stereoscopic Vision

In course

CS-444: Virtual reality

The goal of VR is to embed the users in a potentially complex virtual environment while ensuring that they are able to react as if this environment were real. The course provides a human perception-action background and describes the key programming techni ...

Description

This lecture covers the concept of depth perception, focusing on motion parallax and stereoscopic vision. It explains the key monocular and binocular cues for perceiving depth, including oculomotor and visual cues. The effectiveness of depth cues is discussed, along with an overview of stereoscopic delivery methods such as anaglyph, polarized glasses, and shutter glasses. The importance of motion parallax in virtual reality (VR) environments is highlighted, emphasizing the role of viewpoint tracking. The lecture concludes by comparing stereopsis and motion parallax as means of achieving depth perception, noting the computational cost difference between the two approaches.

This video is available exclusively on Mediaspace for a restricted audience. Please log in to MediaSpace to access it if you have the necessary permissions.

Watch on Mediaspace

Instructor

Ronan Boulic

I come from Brittany, France, where I have completed my PhD degree in Computer Science in 1986 from the University of Rennes, France, at the INRIA-IRISA research institute. I also received the Habilitation degree from the University of Grenoble, France, in march 1995. I was hired in 1989 as First Assistant in the VRLAB, I became scientific collaborator, and senior researcher. I'm presently Senior Scientist (MER) and leader of the Immersive Interaction research Group (IIG). I'm co-author of around 150 research papers among which 43 appeared in international peer-reviewed journals. I have contributed to multiple SNF projects and EU projects. Please check iig.epfl.ch for more details.

Official source

Ontological neighbourhood

Information engineering

Artificial intelligence: Computer vision

Related concepts (32)

Depth perception

Depth perception is the ability to perceive distance to objects in the world using the visual system and visual perception. It is a major factor in perceiving the world in three dimensions. Depth perception happens primarily due to stereopsis and accommodation of the eye. Depth sensation is the corresponding term for non-human animals, since although it is known that they can sense the distance of an object, it is not known whether they perceive it in the same way that humans do. Depth perception arises from a variety of depth cues.

Stereopsis

Stereopsis () is the component of depth perception retrieved through binocular vision. Stereopsis is not the only contributor to depth perception, but it is a major one. Binocular vision happens because each eye receives a different image because they are in slightly different positions on one's head (left and right eyes). These positional differences are referred to as "horizontal disparities" or, more generally, "binocular disparities". Disparities are processed in the visual cortex of the brain to yield depth perception.

Stereoscopy

Stereoscopy (also called stereoscopics, or stereo imaging) is a technique for creating or enhancing the illusion of depth in an image by means of stereopsis for binocular vision. The word stereoscopy derives . Any stereoscopic image is called a stereogram. Originally, stereogram referred to a pair of stereo images which could be viewed using a stereoscope. Most stereoscopic methods present a pair of two-dimensional images to the viewer. The left image is presented to the left eye and the right image is presented to the right eye.

Anaglyph 3D

Anaglyph 3D is the stereoscopic 3D effect achieved by means of encoding each eye's image using filters of different (usually chromatically opposite) colors, typically red and cyan. Anaglyph 3D images contain two differently filtered colored images, one for each eye. When viewed through the "color-coded" "anaglyph glasses", each of the two images reaches the eye it's intended for, revealing an integrated stereoscopic image. The visual cortex of the brain fuses this into the perception of a three-dimensional scene or composition.

3D display

A 3D display is a display device capable of conveying depth to the viewer. Many 3D displays are stereoscopic displays, which produce a basic 3D effect by means of stereopsis, but can cause eye strain and visual fatigue. Newer 3D displays such as holographic and light field displays produce a more realistic 3D effect by combining stereopsis and accurate focal length for the displayed content. Newer 3D displays in this manner cause less visual fatigue than classical stereoscopic displays.

Related lectures (38)

Immersive Imaging

Explores the evolution of 3D technology, discussing challenges and key concepts in delivering immersive experiences to users.

Virtual Humans: Creation and Applications

Delves into the creation of virtual humans, immersive VR systems, challenges in controlling digital facsimiles, and applications in medicine.

Virtual Reality: Sensory Experiences

Explores the fusion of virtual and real worlds through sensory stimulation.

Virtual Medical Devices: Challenges and Solutions

Covers Virtual Medical Devices, real-time support, safety analysis, adaptive exploration, and fail-safe system design.

Visual Extensions in the Workplace