Ocular Viewer

A month ago I was not aware of ocular viewers, then I saw one. Basically you take a 3D image and split it on your smart phone. The phone is placed inside a specially constructed viewer. And then you proceed to enter the picture. So I set about trying to build one. Our systems tech had done it. I had access to a 3D printer. What could be so difficult.

With Brandon's help I ordered two 50mm lenses from Amazon for about $10. I then crafted four basic parts: a phone holder, a lens holder (2), a body part to hold the lens holder which needs to be able to focus, and a retainer to keep the glass lens in place. 

I used sketch up to first create the phone holder. Then I tried to construct the body. It became necessary to split the body into two parts so they could build successfully (orientation in the 3D printer is important for a proper build) and the printer was not large enough to do the body in one build. Then I worked on the lens holders to get the correct sizes. One requirement is that the lens has to be a certain distance (focal length) from the phone face and it needs to be able to slide.

After some trial and error I figured out that narrow black gorilla tape was my secret weapon. It let me tape parts together. It also let me wrap the lens holder to get a tight fit between the lens holder and the body sleeve that holds the lens assemblyl. Remarkable, it all assembled very well with the tape (which gives me the luxury to disassemble or adjust).

So far I have viewed a virtual reality roller coaster, a Paul McCartney concert and a mad go cart ride. My favorite to date is the roller coaster.  A link to the website for information on commercially available viewers and the roller coaster is here: 

http://fibrum.ru/index_en.html

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