This event is here to improve awareness and create excitement about the elements of 3-dimensional printing that includes both art and science.
National 3D Day offers a delightful opportunity for fans and practitioners of 3D printing to promote it while those who are newer to the concept can take some time to learn more about it and get involved themselves!
National 3D Day Timeline
Wheatstone Demonstrates Binocular Depth Perception
British physicist Charles Wheatstone publishes his paper on binocular vision and introduces the mirror stereoscope, showing how two slightly different images can create a single three‑dimensional scene in the mind.
Brewster Popularizes the Lenticular Stereoscope
Scottish scientist David Brewster designs a compact lenticular stereoscope that uses lenses instead of mirrors, helping stereoscopic photography become a popular Victorian parlor entertainment.
“The Power of Love” Screens as First 3D Feature Film
The silent melodrama The Power of Love is exhibited in Los Angeles using red‑green anaglyph glasses, widely regarded as the first feature‑length motion picture shown to a public audience in 3D.
First 3D Color Features Spark a Hollywood 3D Craze
With releases like Bwana Devil in 1952 and House of Wax in 1953 using dual‑projector polarized systems, Hollywood experiences its first major boom in stereoscopic 3D cinema.
Slađanović and Others Advance Early 3D Printing Concepts
In the mid‑1980s, several patents, including those by French and American inventors, describe layered fabrication systems, helping establish additive manufacturing as a practical way to create 3D objects.
Avatar Redefines Modern Digital 3D Cinema
James Cameron’s film Avatar premieres using advanced digital stereoscopic projection and performance‑capture, becoming the highest‑grossing film of its time and driving a worldwide resurgence of 3D movies.
3D Printing Expands into Medicine and Industry
As printers become more accurate and affordable, 3D printing moves from prototyping into customized medical implants, dental devices, and small‑batch industrial production, showcasing the practical power of digital 3D design.
History of National 3D Day
National 3D Day was first celebrated in 2020, but the concept of 3-dimensional technology can be traced back much further!
In fact, the science behind the 3D stereoscope was discovered in 1838 by British Professor, Charles Wheatstone.
It would be at least two more decades before the first glimpses of 3D motion would occur and another 70 years before the first 3D feature film would be released. 1922 brought The Power of Love, a silent drama that was shown to an audience in Los Angeles while wearing the iconic red/green glasses.
As time has passed, 3D technology has continued to improve in quality and increase in scope, with 3D films prominently featured in the 1950s and finding a resurgence in the 1980s and 1990s.
National 3D Day was founded through the efforts of Ilicia Benoit, who is a stereoscopic artist and researcher, in collaboration with 3-D Space, a non-profit organization associated with the stereoscopic museum in California.
How to Celebrate National 3D Day
Get creative with all sorts of ways to enjoy National 3D Day, including some of these ideas to start with:
Watch a 3D Film
Head on out to a cinema that is offering options for watching 3D movies or get set up to watch one at home in celebration of National 3D Day!
Tons of different movies have been made into 3D versions for certain showings, so there are tons of options for watching online (with the right glasses!).
Consider some of these hit feature films that have been released with 3D options:
- Gravity (2013). Starring Sandra Bullock and George Clooney in a fabulous space story
- Journey to the Center of the Earth 3D (2008). Featuring Brendan Fraser and Anita Briem in an action adventure, science fiction tale
- Avatar (2009). An immersive experience in a fantasy 3D world
- The Walk (2015) Based on the true story of Philippe Petit’s famous 1973 tightrope walk between the Twin Towers in New York City
Learn More About 3D Technology
Have loads of fun on National 3D Day by learning and sharing some interesting information related to the technology behind three dimensional viewing.
Head over to a local library and do some research, or get started with some of these fascinating facts:
3D imaging mimics how to human brain (and eyes) perceives depth by using two images that combine in the brain to create one object.
The technology for 3D scanners can be used to scan and digitize almost any object, with data that is much more valuable than 2D data.
3D imaging can be used in many industries, from mechanics and engineering to medical xrays for diagnosis and surgery.
