[photo-3d] Re: Origin of Phantograms

[Bruce Springsteen <bsspringsteen@xxxxxxxxx>]

Steve Hughes wrote:
>At the NSA convention, where we had a great time, I got into a discussion
on
>the origin of the phantogram and, in particular, the origin of the photo
>phantogram. The earliest reference I have is a text book, copyrighted in
>1979, for drafting students. I would really appreciate any earlier
>references.

>In fact I think I'll offer a small 3D related prize for the oldest
>verifiable reference to phantograms anyone can find.

I think the relevance of the contest may be questionable - the term is
currently being used more broadly than it should, and I am partly to
blame.   I'd like to know the name of that text book and the author,
Steve, and if it uses the term "Phantogram", in which case some gaps in
the history may be filled in for me.  Here is what I know:

The only place I have seen the word Phantogram used in print is in a book
offered through Reel 3-D:  "Constructing anaglyphic images
(anaglyptography) on PHANTOGRAM Perspective Charts."

The book is copyright 1994 by Jerry Haines Sales of West Covina, CA.  The
publication page says "Conceived and edited by Raymond Nicyper. 
Phantogram viewing and reference illistration by Aladar Heppes."  This is
accompanied by a packet of perspective grids, a standard aid in technical
drawing, designed to produce this kind of stereo projection.  They are
labeled "Phantogram (tm) Perspective Charts - Series VII" and each chart
is labeled "copyright 1979 GRAPHICRAFT".

 As to history, the preface of the book says only: "...this series of
charts was developed to assist those desiring to apply this tool to their
own field of endeavor.  The charts have been modified and improved through
actual use over a period of years.  The box grid chart has proven itself
to be a practical solution to the otherwise complex procedure required for
'building' this type of visual structure.  And although the technical term
for this category of stereo illustration is an anaglyptic, Aladar Heppes,
the originator of this do-it-yourself method, gave it the expressive name
of Phantogram.  This applies primarily to the personally constructed 3/D
image as opposed to commercially published anaglyph text illustrations."

So you see the implication here is that, while these kinds of stereo
images have existed for some time, the fellow who decided to make a
do-it-yourself, perspective-grid method of drawing them - as opposed to
other drawing methods - decided to name his system "Phantogram."  I assume
that name is proprietary still.  It does not seem to refer to photographic
forms of this medium, or even to drawn images that don't use his
copyrighted grids, but those of us who have been discussing the subject
for the last couple years have gotten into a bad habit of using the term
in that general way.

Arthur Girling (whom I just learned from ISU's "stereoscopy" passed away
this last April, I am very sad to hear!) describes a method of creating
these projections by conventional "construction line" methods, from plan
and elevation drawings of the object to be depicted.  This is standard
projective perspective drawing as taught in technical drawing books, with
the plane of projection just moved from its usual orientation and
position.  Girling refers to these images as "free-standing anaglyphic
projections" in his book "Stereoscopic Drawing", with a number of examples
and a very detailed example of the construction technique in use.

In 1995-96, when I was exploring that method, I independently devised a
calculated coordinate method, with help from a 2D perspective drawing book
called "Perspective Drawing by Programmable Calculator" by David Yue.  I
wrote a Basic program (actually several) for the VIC20 computer, to
perform conversions from real object coordinates to projected coordinates,
with objects oriented and viewed from any position and stereo base
specified.  I outlined my method in some long postings here on P3D.  I
later discovered that Fritz Waack had essentially the same calculations
and plotting method described in his book "Stereo Photography:  An
Introduction to Stereo Photo Technology and Practical Suggestions for
Stereo Photography."  I had failed to notice it before, partly because his
book is to my eyes a little haphazard in organization, and because he
refers to these projections as "book anaglyphs", a term I've not seen
elsewhere (see his pages 49 and 51, figure 7).  I was never under the
impression that I had "first-discovered" anything, as the method is easily
derived by anyone with basic trigonometry and algebra skills, and some
background in perspective drawing.  Many examples of these
stereo-projections appear in library books I had come across, mostly
involving technical drawing, molecular models, and such visualization
tools.

One such example is "Descriptive Geometry With '3-D' Figures" by Imre Pal,
copyright 1959, originally published in Budapest, in Hungarian.  It is
absolutely packed with excellent examples of these anaglyphs, and that is
all he calls them: "anaglyphs".  Maddeningly, he gives them no special
term, nor does he describe the method of construction.

As to the possibility of the photographic form, I asked about this in
early 1998 on P3D, to no response.  Then Achim Bahr had just such and
image reproduced on the cover of "Stereoscopy" that fall, to my excitement
- I knew it must have been done before.  But again it was with no
explanation of the method.  Further discussion on and off Photo3D led to
Boris Starosta's first attempts at converting existing stereo images by
digital means to free-standing anaglyphs, including his full-size figure
"Surprise".  I have incorporated a non-anaglyphic standing drawn figure
into my stereo card "Knot Impossible".   Boris, Larry Berlin and I also
discussed the thoery of a "Phanto-cam", a view camera designed to create
pairs in this medium.  To my knowledg, it is still a theory.   At that
time I also proposed calling these images "anamorphic anaglyphs" or, more
generally, "stereoanamorphograms", because they are a natural combination
of anamorphic art, which dates from the Renaissance, and stereo drawing
and photography which dates from the 19th century.  Combining the two
seems an obvious combination of prior art.  The specific methods of
achieving the projections are also all applications of well-known drawing
and photo techniques.  In these recent discussions we unfortunately have
acquire the habit of calling all such images "Phantograms" because the
term is catchy, easy to say, and we are lazy and imprecise. :-)  We are, I
think, inappropriately using a proprietary term that applies only to a
very limited version of this medium.

So Gabriel, according to the "street", what does this guy think he's
invented that's patentable?  I am highly skeptical, as always.

Hope this confuses you, Steve.  I too would appreciate more history on
this stereo niche in all its forms and names, from anyone who knows!  (See
my SSA Yearbook entry.)

Bruce (The Phantoboy) Springsteen
 


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