Projectors and Fog Team Up to Create Walk-Around 3D Scenes

Maker ‘Ancient’ recently worked on a project that transforms standard fog into a small stage for 3D models. So you stand in front of it and see this green ghost, also known as Slimer from Ghostbusters, floating around in mid-air. You go to one side, and the perspective refreshes fluidly, as if the ghost is actually floating about in there. There is no need for special glasses or anything like that.

The method works by carefully projecting into a space filled with tiny water droplets. The light scatters in the fog, but the moment you divert your gaze away from a straight line to the projector, it becomes very dim. They got past this by putting in a variety of projections all around the fogbox. This manner, no matter which angle you look at, one of the projections will be exactly aligned while the others will fade away. It’s a simple yet effective design that creates a sense of depth and allows you to stroll around the object from various perspectives.

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The build process begins with a simple projection test to ensure that everything works in 2D. Then things get a little more tricky with folding optics to keep the entire outfit compact. Mirrors bend the light to ensure that all of the equipment fits together in a small place without having to hurl the images over great distances. Then there are the specific cuts to ensure that the mirrors fit perfectly in the case where they will be installed.

Assembly puts everything together by combining the mirrors, projector, and frame into one compact unit. Then there’s the atomiser, which mixes the water to produce a homogenous fog within the viewing area. The calibration stage comes next, during which each projection must be properly aligned so that the images overlap exactly inside the mist. Without doing it correctly, the entire thing collapses when you change positions.

Once everything is in order and you’ve completed the final checks, the demos really shine. You get a 3D model suspended in the fog, which changes perspective as you walk around it. It’s all pretty smooth. A second presentation includes more complicated motion or lights. Everything works without anyone having to tell you what’s going on; just the silent buzz of fans and the beautiful illumination in the mist.

The entire system is built around common components that most hobbyists can easily obtain. The image output is handled by projectors, and the fog serves as a display surface that appears only when necessary. There are no spinning parts or arrays of lights to mess things up; instead, the entire system relies on the natural way that light works in fog to handle the stereo and motion stuff automatically.