Stereoscopic Viewer
Most of the photographs in these instructions are animated.
Stereoscopic (3D) viewers work by using lenses, mirrors, LCD shutters, or diffracted light to show each eye a different image. The images are combined by the brain to create the illusion of depth. The LEGO VR Visor uses lenses to isolate images shown on a smart phone.
Parts needed:
- LEGO bricks
- 01 @ 2x4 half slope
- 01 @ 1x4
- 19 @ 2x4
- 05 @ 2x8
- 04 @ 2x3
- LEGO plates
- 08 @ 2x4
- 14 @ 2x8
- 05 @ 2x3
- 03 @ 1x6
- 01 @ 4x4
- 02 @ 2x2 winged
- 04 @ 2x2 knobless
- 2 @ 25mm biconvex lenses with 45mm focal length.
- Android smart phone, iPhone or iPod Touch
For the lenses you can search on eBay. This project uses the same lenses as Google Cardboard so they are easy to find.
I made every effort to use basic LEGO pieces.
Eyepiece Module
The first step is to make the eyepiece module which will hold the lenses a very specific distance apart and not block them while in use.
The photograph is illustrated to show the eyepiece module all the way around. The yellow pieces on the green platform are only there to elevate the base module and are not part of the project.
The diagram shows the assembly instructions. Start at the outside and work inward.
Base Module
The second step is to make the base module which will hold the eyepiece module a very specific distance off the phone's surface so the lenses can properly focus.
The height of the base is the focal distance of the lenses. Some height is added by the eyepiece module. Do not change the height of the base or the lenses will not focus.
The width of the base is the same as the height of the phone used for testing. Only change the width of this step if absolutely necessary.
Support Pieces
The last step is to make the support pieces which will hold the phone or iPod Touch in place. These pieces can be modified as necessary to better fit the device. The phone used in this project was a Sony Xperia Z1S which is on the larger side of phones.
The photograph is illustrated to show the support pieces all the way around. The yellow pieces on the green platform are only there to elevate the support pieces and are not part of the project.
The diagram shows the assembly instructions. Start at the outside and work inward.
Final Assembly and Screen
The three modules are attached together to look like the pictures. On top is the eyepiece module. Below the eyepiece module is the base module. The support pieces go under the base module. Any of the support pieces can be removed to insert or remove the phone or iPod Touch.
On a smartphone or iPod Touch find a 3D split screen video, image or app. The video game screenshots in this Instructable are from SpaceTerrorVR for Android.
When correctly assembled the phone screen should be in focus through the center of the lenses.
If you modify this project to work with a different phone please tell us how you did it in the comments!
If you modify this project to work with different lenses please tell us! That would be cool.
If you find cool 3D apps or videos share those.
Wrap Up
This build took me an evening sitting on the floor with a giant tub of LEGOs. It took another two days to write these instructions including drafting all the diagrams and making the animated pictures one photo at a time. There are over 400 still frames in this project that have been converted to rotating images.
I run a blog where I talk incessantly about the things I build, including an unabridged version of this project with pictures of the unit as it was being assembled for the first time. There are other neat things there like a device that lets you hear temperatures and a novel I'm writing.