Unofficial
H3D/Wicked3D Eyewear Page

initial release of this page: January 1998
last update: December 28, 1998

Quick info: The H3D Eyewear is a wireless 3D-shutterglasses system for the PC. It utilizes a VGA-pass-through controller. The controller contains a "sync-doubler" and a "line-blanker", which achieve compatibility to any graphics hardware, even the latest 3D-accelerators. This is a unique set of features in the consumer market today. The H3D glasses are the only consumer solution for 3Dfx Voodoo 1 & 2 add-on boards so far.
In conjunction with the Wicked3D driver technology the H3D glasses offer support for almost all 3D-accelerated Windows 95/98 games. An image viewer - Brightland H3D View - is available as shareware. The H3D-Activator freeware makes the glasses work with some non-H3D 3D-software on a true color Windows desktop.

By the end of November 98 H3D went out of business, because of financial problems. At the moment it looks like the product will survive under the Wicked3D label.
 
 

NEW: H3D-Activator

Now that H3D as a company is gone the underground tools and hacks are coming forward. There's now a little program called H3D-Activator which.... well you guessed it. H3D fought such tools until the end. They prefered to stay proprietary. The tool is available at stereovision.net
 
 

 
Graphics hardware manufacturer Metabyte offers some unique 3Dfx Voodoo2 and Banshee boards, under the Wicked3D label. They feature driver level stereoscopic support for H3D. In theory any Direct3D, miniOpenGL or 3Dfx Glide software - mainly games - can be watched in true 3D. This is not fake-3D, it's real, because the driver has access to the 3D-data, i.e. to the depth-information. Since standard software isn't designed for stereo3D there are problems with on-screen text and other 2D elements. In some cases there are other 3D-math related slipups. However there is no better stereo3D gaming solution than Wicked3D plus H3D currently on the market. The Wicked3D drivers do not work for other brands of 3Dfx boards, they are protected.
Beside the H3D glasses some other "sync-doubler" shutterglasses can be used in conjunction with the Wicked3D hardware, but such glasses are usually far more expensive, since they are targeted on the pro-market.
 
 

metabyte eyeSCREAM
H3D and the Wicked3D drivers targeted on all Voodoo2 board owners

The new Wicked3D Eyescream brings universal H3D support to all brands of Voodoo2 boards and later to all Banshee boards too! Possibly there will be a driver-CD-only package also.
 
 

metabyte stand-alone Wicked3D driver CD for 3rd party Voodoo2 boards

For all users who already own the H3D glasses and a non-Wicked Voodoo2 board metabyte now offers a CD with the drivers for $29. If you don't buy it immediately you must be crazy (or a software pirate).
 
 
 

 
December 98: H3D Activator released, metabyte Wicked3D eyeSCREAM released, metabyte Wicked3D stand-alone driver CD released.

November 7, 1998: The Brightland H3DView Image Viewer has been finally released. It was about time! Look at the July 98 news below!

August 21:How to run all stereo capable windows desktop programs using H3D!I just found out that Classy Glasses got the permission from H3D to distribute the unofficial/unsupported H3D-Win-Quake beta. Get it there! I was sitting on this beta-file for month and had orders from H3D not even to talk about it - oh well. Now what is it good for? Basically it allows Quake1 to run unaccelerated in a Window on the Desktop. In other words it's pretty useless from the Q-Point-of-View.
The BIG THING is that while Q is running in a window the whole desktop is set into line-blanking mode. So if you got enough RAM, just start H3D-Win-Q and minimize the window. Now you can run your web-browser or image viewer and watch stereo images from the web. You can also use programs like the 3DEM landscape generator freeware or whatever you like. Set the right stereo orientation by software-switch or by moving the image. - Have fun. (Please note: I haven't tried the H3D-Win-Q version from Glassy Glasses yet. I just assume it's identical or at least behaves like the version I got.)
The best thing would be if H3D released an utility to control the H3D system manually under DOS and Win, but they don't want that. H3D could even handle all the professional stuff for CrystalEyes and the like. H3D has the mightiest controller in the world. It can do more than ANY other controller whether consumer or professional, but - and I can't stress this enough - they kind of maimed it! I just can't get over this. The line-code is a nice thing for comfort as long as it's there, but if it's not there the system is dead. I think the code is a very good idea, the only thing I ask for is a manual override. - Uhhh, yes and bigger panels of course.

July 1998: Brightland is about to release a H3D Image Viewer. It was about time!

July 1998: H3D users will have to learn some new vocabulary. It's now all about application-level vs. driver-level H3D-support. Please check the Wicked3D homepage and the Wicked3D-FAQ on the H3D site.

May 26, 1998: I was asked if it would be possible to build an alternate H3D-transmitter to make H3D glasses compatible to non-H3D software. Well, I don't see the point for a new IR-transmitter, but what about a new controller? Based on the circuits for homebrew controllers (ser, par, VGA, sync-doubler) one could build a controller with a mini-DIN-3 connector for the H3D-IR-transmitter, instead or in addition to the usual connectors for wired-glasses. I think this device wouldn't require the H3D-line-code and could work on LCD-BIOS, etc. The problem? I don't know the signaling of the H3D miniDIN-3 connector.  H3D told me it's different from the VESA3 miniDIN-3 signaling. (Thanks to Nik http://surf.to/eastfield for asking.)

April 24, 1998: As you might know from the official H3D-News page there's an interview with the H3D-staff in RealVideo on GameTime. Since the interview is rather long (1 hour) here's a summary of what I found new & interesting:
- The H3D controller actually amplifies the VGA-signal to prevent signal-losses. That's the reason the signal goes away when the dongle isn't powered. (True?)
- H3D doesn't seem to be interested in an API or a 3D-engine which gives developers stereo-support by default on their own. They want to actively participate in every single software project for quality-assurance.
- Voodoo 2 support is the No.1 on H3D's To-Do-list, so it's just a matter of time until it's done. Reportedly they had to wait for a stable V2-code base to do their magic on it.
- Voodoo 2 SLI mode (two boards) with 1024x768 Z-buffered will be supported.
- 1024x768 is the max. resolution the H3D-controller can handle.
- The 3D-accellerator chipsets, H3D concentrates on, are 3Dfx and Rendition, with NVidia next on the list!
- H3D is developing new versions and add-ons to the glasses: different designs, different colors, alternate nose-pieces, frames and most important: larger LCD-panels!!!
- With the curent know-how provided by H3D a software developer should be able to incorporate H3D support into his product within 3 to 4 days! The development of H3D-Quake1 took 5 month, but this was a R&D project.
- Unreal (Epic Megagames): H3D can't announce this officially yet, but they're very interested in this title and are in close contact to the developers.
- Forsaken (Acclaim): H3D is interested in this title too. They talked to the developers, but it's unclear if this game will be ported.
- H3D talked to tons of software developers including Activision, GTInteractive and Epic.
- H3D tries to get support in MS DirectX.
- H3D is mainly interested in A-class titles.
- Retail distribution: H3D will start retail distribution when there's a basis of about 20 to 25 A-class software titles available.
- 3D-sound may be incorporated into the eyewear in the future.
- Big announcements by H3D to follow in the near future!
 
 
 

 

 
The H3D-system comes with two black boxes. One connects between VGA-out and monitor and contains the controller and sync-doubler circuits. For a VGA-dongle it's quite large and heavy and puts some pressure on the jack of your VGA-card when used in the gravitational field of a larger planet.  The second box contains the infrared transmitter. The cable of the transmitter is long enough to reach up to the top of the monitor, even when used on systems placed under the desk. The whole system has only one button. It switches the IR transmitter between near and far. The default setting is far, but if there are more than one H3D transmitters in the room (for network gaming) near-setting might prevent interference.

The transmitter is activated by a colored pattern on top of screen, which is provided by H3D-certified software. No drivers software is required whatsoever.

The controller/transmitter has to be powered all the time or it won't pass-through the normal VGA-signal.
 
 

Black Box 1: The miraculous v-sync, sync-doubler, line blanker VGA-pass-through controller of the H3D Eyewear system in the NUDE (eehhhk).
From left to right: power in/VGA-out/IR-transmitter-out (miniDIN-3).
Photo by Christoph (what a pervert).
 

Black Box 2: The IR-transmitter

IR-Transmitter cable length
 

 
BTW, the H3D glasses doesn't listen to the IR signal from the VRSurfer transmitter and vice versa. I expected this, but it would have been really cool to use them together.
 

UPDATED: Power supply (220Volt users listen up!)

The current H3D transmitter comes with a US-style 120V to 9V power adaptor. Usually this is of no concern, because other power adaptors can be used. Not in this case!!! The H3D hardware is very tricky when it comes to the voltage.
Use a good, adjustable, stabilized (a bit more expensive than un-stabilized) universal power adaptor. (Available in electronics stores for about $15 upwards.)
The H3D controller has a small power plug (like modems and walkmans) and the following specification: 9V DC 200mA.
My adaptor is set to 6V however.
In case the the power isn't right the H3D-dongle doesn't pass-through the VGA signal and the monitor remains black!
If the power is slightly out of range the VGA-signal goes through, but is distorted.
That's why I'm recommending a power supply which is adjustable in small steps.

H3D now offers a 220V power supply for 10 extra bucks. Don't hesitate to get it if you're located in a 220-country. The H3D-dongle is quite delicate when it comes to the right voltage. The original supply is better than an universal adaptor.
 
 

Don't miss the rest of this gigantic 3D website!!!

 

The design of the H3D Eyewear was stolen from the late 21st century. (Call the time-cops!)  The lower part of the glasses is completely transparent. The glasses are incredibly light, even lighter than the wired glasses I've tested.  They're are a bit small for my big head, but it's acceptable. Usually comfort should be very good. I still prefer the 3D-Spex when it comes to comfort though, but that might be due to my personal off-the-scale physique.

The optical quality of the LCD-panels is good. There are no distortions. A unique feature is the adjustability of the panels. Each LCD-panel can be moved to the left and right, to fit the individual eyeball-distance. That's neccessary, because the panels are rather small and narrow. My 17 inch monitor screen fits barely into the view-field. On the borders of the field of view the vision is blurred by the transparent frame which holds the LCDs. The H3D eyewear can be worn over prescribed glasses, but those shouldn't be wider than 14 cm. The distance between the eyes and the LCD-panels is increased then, which might limit the field of view even further. The H3D-glasses itself are 15 cm wide.
The manual says: "If you find the Eyewear uncomfortable for your particular viewing situation, contact H3D Entertainment, Inc. for more information about our Eyewear accessories."

The glasses are powered by two small lithium batteries (CR-2032). They are placed in the middle, which prevents any weight ballance problems. On one of my two H3D glasses the battery case doesn't close perfectly, but that shouldn't be of any concern.
The glasses are automatically activated by putting them on.
Due to the light construction and the almost unprotected LCD-panels the glasses should be treated like raw eggs.

News update: After reading my "raw-egg" statement H3D pointed out that the eyewear is more damage resistant than the light design might imply. They were tested under rough conditions and should survive all minor "accidents". No reason to be rude though.
 
 

LCD-panel size (width x height) per eye

 

Weight
(measured with my own humble paper-weight)

 

Battery Life
(according to manufacturers manual)

 

Check the X-RAY lab for a comparison between the various glasses.

 
In short: H3D is the only consumer system, currently available, which is compatible to ALL current and future graphics cards.

The H3D hardware looks very good when it comes to graphics hardware compatibility. Usually shutterglasses require a compatible VGA-chipset and a driver which provides page-flipping or interlace modes. The H3D-controller can sync to page-flipping too if available, but that's not neccessary. H3D is the first consumer system which incorporates a Sync Doubler device which transforms a normal screen mode into a kind of page-flipping. It automatically doubles the vertical frequency (the refresh rate). The VGA-card hasn't to be set to any special mode.

Example for Sync Doubler modes:

 
Since the lowest setting on most VGA-cards is 60Hz your monitor has to support at least 120 Hz refresh if sync-doubling mode is used.

By setting the screen modes to 75 Hz I reached 150 Hz with the H3D, even in 1024x768 mode. That's quite good. At 85 Hz the H3D-controller refused to activate.

The Sync Doubler mode shows fine black "interlace" lines, just like most modes used for systems like 3D-Max or VRSurfer.  As far as I know the Sync Doubler mode is activated in H3D-DOS-Quake and in H3D-GL-Quake when used with a Voodoo 1 or 2 Graphics add-on board. The sync doubler mode shows an up/down split screen in case the H3D-controller isn't installed. Sometimes the controller misses the control-pattern. In this case turn off and on the H3D option in the software again. See to it that the two horizontal beams in the calibration screen are perfectly alligned.

As far as I know on Voodoo Rush and Rendition boards sync doubling isn't used. The page-flipping is produced by the graphics-boards. The images are line-doubled, which avoids the black interlace lines and looks even better. In a non-sync-doubler mode you might have to set the refresh rate manually by using a utility from  the board manufacturer (or something like Scitech Display Doctor). The initial refresh rate might be 60 Hz which isn't acceptable. Find out how to increase it on your VGA-card. The resulting horizontal frequency is higher (2 times) than in sync-doubler mode. A "hot" monitor is recommended.

NEW 21/01/98 : H3D-controller does Miracles! You thought the Sync-Doubler in the H3D-box was a little sensation? Well it was, but what I found out now will blow you away. The technical novices might not understand this, but you experts better buckle up! It's unbelievable, yet proven. Yesterday I would have bet a $$$1000 against it, but it's true. I saw it. I put it to the test. The H3D-controller can generate interlace out of thin air. I had to check back with H3D-engineering because I thought I'm loosing my mind.
VGA card and monitor are in normal non-interlaced/non-page-flipped mode, no sync doubling involved, resolution & refresh are normal, but your eyes see interlace. How is this done?
Here you go: The H3D-controller scans the frame and blanks out the odd lines. In the next frame the controller blanks out the even lines and so on. The refresh rate and other parameters aren't changed. The lines are still there, they're just black now. This is not even page-flipping. It's what I would call "synthetic interlace", without the participation of VGA-card or monitor. No software driver is involved. The H3D-box does the job.
In the future this can be used to set the Windows desktop into this "synthetic-interlace" on any, I said ANY (!!!) VGA-hardware. That way you can watch interleaved stereo images on the web or use other interlaced (alternate line) software on your windows desktop (or somewhere else maybe), without tweaking your graphics hardware (that's what all the other systems do). The H3D-control pattern is still required to activate the glasses of course. Software which
activates this mode isn't officially available yet. Please be patient.
 
 

H3D VGA-chipset support

 

Thanks to the Sync-Doubler device the H3D goes where no consumer shutterglasses has gone before (e.g. Voodoo1 & 2 add-on cards support). Unfortunately to achieve optimum image quality a Voodoo Rush, Rendition or some other hardware-page-flipping capable chipset is required. In this case the sync-doubler isn't needed anymore.

The H3D is, as far as I know, the only consumer shutterglasses solution for Voodoo Graphics 1 or 2 add-on-board users at the moment!
(Voodoo2 support is currently unavailble. It will be added when Glide 3.0 is released.)

Please consult the Technology page for more info on these issues.
 

 
Software compatibility isn't an issue with the H3D system. There is no compatibility beyond proprietary software. At the moment only H3D-certified software will work. There is Quake1, soon there will be GL-Quake2 and some other game titles, that's it!
You can't use any other applications, multimedia titles or games. The H3D eyewear comes without any drivers or software. There is'nt even an image viewer to watch stereo-pix from the internet. (Image viewing capability is announced though.) There are over a hundred software titles listed on my pages. The H3D systems works on none of them, apart from the few H3D-titles. It's a shame. Usually I loose my temper if some controller refuses to work on a few titles. I hope there will be some tool from H3D or from a hacker which enables the glasses on the windows desktop or even in DOS.
I must admit the list of H3D announcements is quite hot and there's a good chance they'll become a reality.

From the hardware point of view the H3D-controller could achieve backward compatibility to almost all other shutterglasses and HMD's, but H3D intensionally prevented this by the use of a proprietary control system. The irony is that H3D doesn't work on the software of it's competitors, but there are a few (very few) competitors which run on H3D's software in some cases, depending on the VGA-hardware used.

At the moment the H3D system can complement other shutterglasses systems (like VRSurfer, 3D-Max, 3D-SPEX and others), but it can't replace them, because of the compatibility issue.

On the other hand most other consumer shutterglasses DO NOT support the H3D-software at the moment, no matter what VGA-board is used.

So you want to play GL/V-Quake 1&2 NOW? The easiest way to do this is by using a H3D system !!! You have a Voodoo 1 or 2 add-on (not Rush) board? H3D is a MUST then!!! (Voodoo 2 users will have to wait until Glide 3.0 for H3D support!)

The future of stereo-gaming support looks brighter than ever due to the team up of H3D with id software and Electronc Arts. EA is a major player in games development and distribution. BTW some earlier stereo3D games like Magic Carpet 1+2, Hi-Octane and System Shock are distributed by EA. Why not H3D-enable them? Well, distributors are not interested in such old stuff, there are no financial gains.

 
 
 
 
 

 

For an up-to-date list of available H3D-titles go to the H3D-homepage.
As I'm writing this Quake, Quake2, SIN and Andretti Racing are available. An image viewer is soon to be released.
Usually all Quake 1 & 2 mission packs and total conversions can be used, but NOT Quakeworld.
Andretti Racing is a Glide title and will work on 3Dfx boards only.

The hardware platforms with the best H3D support are Voodoo Graphics and Rush. Voodoo2 is in beta.
There are several other games announced. It seems some of them will only be available in a Glide (3Dfx) version.

There can be no doubt that 3Dfx Voodoo accelerators are THE hardware platform for H3D in the foreseeable future.
H3D is also trying to support Rendition and there might be D3D support here and there, but hey, you want to wait another millenium for some drivers or what?
The hot issue is currently driver-level support for tons of programs provided on Wicked3D 3Dfx Voodoo2 boards. Please check the Wicked3D and H3D websites for details.

 

Image viewing capability for the H3D is announced (the software is in early beta).
3D-Movies will follow later.
 

Don't miss the rest of this gigantic 3D website!!!

 

Some problems from the early stereo functions in standard Quake has been fixed. The weapon looks perfect now.
The overall impression of the newest H3D-DOS-Quake version is very good. The depth can be set to maximum without much eyestrain.

A very important difference between standard-stereo-Quake and H3D-Quake is the 3D-accelerator support, which isn't available at all in the standard version.

It might be neccessary to start h3dquake with command line option -h3d.
You have to remove  SET FX_GLIDE_SWAPINTERVAL=0 from your autoexec.bat to get H3D-GL-Quake working. (Thanks to Matt Barrett, Visual Clan.)
 
 

The shell commands are usually not needed. The functions are available in the options menu.

 
  Brightland H3DView

The  Brightland H3D image viewer has finally been released. The viewer supports above-below, interlaced, parallel view and anaglyph (red/blue) stereo formats. There are load and save functions for JPS, JPG, TGA and the new *.H3D file format. The save function conserves the full resolution of the initial stereo pair.

The zoom-plus-filter function is really cool. It allows to use the program in hi-res mode, like 1280x1024, and still watch lo-res images in full-screen without pixelization effects. You can zoom far into stereo pix "Blade-Runner-style". When it comes to image quality this viewer is second to none. (Correct me if i'm wrong, but the other programs I saw before had no filter.)

The full resolution of the stereo pair is used. Example: Two 640x480 images are loaded. By viewing such a stereo pair with the Brightland viewer at 1280x1024 no lines are lost. A standard interleaved format stereo viewer would axe half of the resolution, since it would generate a single interleaved 640x480 image.
To be fair it should be mentioned that programs like NuVision 3D-Pix or VRex DepthCharge achieve this too by using full-res page-flipping.

Other features include move, rotate, crop, parallax control, stereo reverse.
Images are best loaded by drag and drop them into the preview window.

What I'm missing at this point are slideshow-, batch-conversion- and thumbnail- functions. This may be added later, but don't count on it yet.

The viewer is suitable for H3D, VR-Joy, 60GX (sync-doubler), CrystalEyes (sync doubler). Other windows compatible glasses, like SimulEyes/3D-fanatix (WLC is kept intact), 3D-Max, APEC-VGA, VGA-PT, i-Art, Cyberstuff and more are also supported, but require the usual interlace drivers. The H3D hardware offers the best comfort here since everything works automatically.

The program is shareware and sells for $20.
Check www.brightland.com or info@brightland.com for details.
 
 

 

H3D has announced a TV-version of the controller and some Stereo3D videos. Check the movie-page.
Videos on DVD for use with the PC-version are also conceivable.

 
 
 
 
 

 

The Heaven and the Hell of H3D

In my opinion the H3D is a wonderful product and a disappointment at the same time.

First of all the H3D has a VGA-pass-through controller which syncs to anything (very good, but we saw that in other products before) and in addition a built in Sync-Doubler. This helps VGA-chipsets which doesn't support either page-flipping or interlace modes (fantastic).
Because of this unique (in the consumer market) feature the H3D is AFAIK the only consumer 3D-shutterglasses system which work for 3DFX Voodoo Graphics add-on boards (Voodoo2 and Rush do support page-flipping and will not need this).

In theory the H3D controller would be able to run almost any Stereo3D-software imaginable. It would run almost all titles you find on my software lists, including almost everything on the Games-Hotlist.

But H3D decided otherwise. They decided to abandon all existing Stereo3D-software and allow the H3D controller to activate the glasses only in case "H3D-Certified" software is started. There is a "line pattern" shortly displayed at program startup which tells the controller to activate the glasses. It handles the left/right orientation and stereo mode selection (page-flipped, sync doubled or other) as well. The H3D controller has no buttons or software tools for on/off (force3D), stereo-mode-select or stereo-reverse.

This prevents H3D to run old interleaved, old split screen, old page-flipped, HMD, LCD-BIOS or 3D-BIOS software, in other words any software which existed before the H3D.
It doesn't seem to prevent other VGA-pass-through devices to run H3D software however, as long as Sync Doubling isn't required.

H3D wants to maintain a high quality standard for 3D software. Only new, tested, flawless, hassle free stereo-software-titles, which are pleasing to the eyes, are allowed to run on the H3D hardware, to secure the good reputation of the product.
H3D believes that there was some damage done by other products in the past, which led to bad press and to resentments in the software industry against Stereo3D.

With H3D-certified software the system will run perfectly on ANY graphics-hardware - that's the revolution!!! It's very easy to setup and will give the user a perfect 3D-experience from the first minute (some -not all- of the older systems were a bit tricky here). The H3D will be available in the shops all over the world, no more searching the web for those rare mail-order items. They might have real strong distribution (through Electronic Arts) and advertising - that's the second revolution!!! And for the first time there is real hope for strong hi-class consumer software support. The team-up of H3D with id-software and Electronic Arts is an incredible achievement - that's the third revolution!!! The H3D glasses are the lightest I ever saw, even lighter than wired glasses - that's the fourth revolution. They are quite comfortable and the optical quality it good. (Those are my words, no marketing stuff.)

So the H3D is a wonderful dream OR a nightmare, that's just a matter of perspective.

For the real freaks and hackers and the lovers of classic software (like Duke3D, Magic Carpet, MDK, Nascar, Hi-Octane, Whiplash, Terminal Velocity, Descent 1+2 and more...) among us it's a bit sad, because we were incredibly close to the PERFECT system. And this perfect system seems to really exist! It exists in the shape of the H3D-developer-version. This developer box has buttons and can do anything. It's the best of both worlds. The consumer version can do anything too, but H3D seems to have done something to it which I would describe as crippling.

I'm certain there will be pattern-hacks for older software titles, just like the Quake-White-Line-Code hack. A SSDI driver for the H3D is also conceivable.

The future of 3D looks brighter than ever now, maybe just not as bright as I hoped for.

I'd like to thank the H3D and the Brightland teams for their support.
 
 

---

Special thanks to H3D Entertainment Inc. for providing me with H3D Eyewear samples.

 
 
 
 
 

 

Don't miss the rest of this 3D website!!!

Brand and product names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders.
Most images are "borrowed" from the official manufacturer sites.
The author can not guarantee the accuracy or topicality of the information given on this page.

Christoph Bungert, Germany