A Japanese development team announced a new 3D printing technology, "DynaCube 3D," to enable 3D representations with depth that can be recognized by the naked eye.
The technology was developed by Dai Nippon Printing Co Ltd, DNP Media Create Co Ltd and the Takaki Lab of the Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology (TUAT). The Takaki Lab is represented by Yasuhiro Takaki, an associate professor at the university.
It uses the same lenticular lens as used before. However, in the new method, images viewed from 40 to 80 viewpoints are processed and subjected to halftone dot printing with the use of a frequency modulation (FM) screen. As a result, the perceived image smoothly changes when the viewpoint is moving.
In the 3D printing techniques based on existing lenticular lenses, images viewed from different angles are separately printed. Therefore, the resultant image does not change smoothly along with the changes in viewpoint.
This time, images seen from several angles are processed and converted into one image, followed by a halftone dot printing process with fine dots. In this way, light similar to that reflected on the objects in real space can be seen regardless of viewing angle, realizing natural-looking 3D representations.
The technologies relating to shooting, image processing and plate making were developed by Dai Nippon Printing and the Takaki Lab. The printing equipment and software were developed by Dai Nippon Printing, and its wholly-owned subsidiary, DNP Media Create, manufactured the equipment.
The new technology allows printed representations of still 3D objects with a height of 20-150cm. The printable size ranges from A3 (420 x 297mm) to 550 x 450mm. The shooting cost for 100 copies of 550 x 450mm prints is ¥500,000 (approx US$5,164) or higher (excluding tax) while the production cost is ¥1,000,000 or higher (excluding tax). Dai Nippon Printing plans to improve the technology so that it can be applied to images of people and 3D computer graphics in larger sizes.
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