3D glasses

There are three types of 3D eyeglasses that correspond to the three ways stereo frames are separated for 3D effects: anaglyph, polarized and active. For more about each method, see anaglyph 3D, polarized 3D, active 3D and 3D visualization.

Anaglyph 3D Glasses

Red/cyan, red/blue and red/green glasses are available in paper and plastic frames. See anaglyph 3D. (Image courtesy of Rainbow Symphony, Inc., www.rainbowsymphony.com)

Polarized "Passive" 3D Glasses

Used in the cinema, as well as passive 3D TV sets, these RealD glasses use polarized lenses in ordinary eyeglass frames. See polarized 3D. (Image courtesy of RealD, www.reald.com)

Active 3D Shutter Glasses

For gaming and active 3D TV sets, LCD lenses open and close in sync with the stereo frames. Accepting infrared (IR) signals beamed from the monitor, these are NVIDIA 3D Vision glasses. For ceiling-mounted movie projectors, radio frequency (RF) signals are used instead of IR. See active 3D, RF shutter glasses and 3D Vision. (Image courtesy of NVIDIA Corporation.)