Patent ID: 7643025

Claim:
A method for forming a stereoscopic representation of a three-dimensional object, comprising the steps of: (a) providing a stereogram comprising first and second views of the object; (b) selecting from the first and second views a plurality of pairs of corresponding image points relating to three-dimensional features which represent a basic shape of the object, and determining image coordinates for each selected point with reference to an image coordinate system of its respective view; (c) determining a location of a natural convergence point or forced convergence point related thereto in three-dimensional space for each selected pair of corresponding image points; (d) providing a substrate having a surface defined by a set of coordinates in three-dimensional space, the set of coordinates corresponding to locations of the natural convergence points or forced convergence points, wherein the substrate is a three-dimensional representation of surface features of the basic shape of the object; and (e) providing a data structure embodied on at least one of a record medium, a computer memory, or a read-only memory containing a set of instructions for applying the first and second views to the substrate with each pair of corresponding image points applied to their respective coordinates on the surface of the substrate such that surface parallax is substantially, eliminated for each selected pair of corresponding image points, and residual surface parallax occurs for at least some nonselected pairs of corresponding image points.