How to Make Your Own 3D Glasses

Making your own 3D glasses is so easy to do that you can whip them up just before a movie, right at that moment you've discovered the ones that came with your 3D DVD are missing! Here are two methods for producing effective 3D glasses at home.
You should note that the 3D glasses you make will work for stereoscopic (anaglyph) 3D used in 3D DVDs (not Bluray3D)and PC games that have 3D capability such as Bioshock or King's Bounty: Armoured Princess. They should also work for stereoscopic images as well.

Edit Steps

Converting a pair of sunglasses

^[1]

1. 1
   

   Find a cheap pair of plastic sunglasses.
   Find a cheap pair of plastic sunglasses. Dollar store or thrift store ones are perfectly fine, or you can find them in the kid's toys section. Pop out the plastic lenses.
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2. 2
   

   Use the plastic lenses as a template to draw the correct shape onto the transparency sheet, cellophane, or acetate.
   Use the plastic lenses as a template to draw the correct shape onto the transparency sheet, cellophane, or acetate.
3. 3
   

   Cut out the lenses on the inside edge of the line you have traced on the plastic.
   Cut out the lenses on the inside edge of the line you have traced on the plastic.
4. 4
   

   Color with the red and blue markers.
   Color with the red and blue markers. If you didn't use red or blue colored plastic sheeting, you'll need to color each lens. Make the left lense red, the other blue.
5. 5
   

   Place the colored lenses back into the frames.
   Place the colored lenses back into the frames. Red goes on the LEFT, and blue goes on the RIGHT.
6. 6
   

   Check that they fit well.
   Check that they fit well. Make any adjustments needed. Then start watching your 3D movie.

Paper version

1. 1
   Download and print off a copy of the PDF. This can be downloaded from http://stereo.gsfc.nasa.gov/img/glasses.pdf, or enlarge the image provided here. Cut out each piece (including the eyeholes). Stick the sides to the center to form a pair of glasses. This forms a stencil.
   
2. 2
   Tape the stencil flat to the sturdy poster board, or trace around it. Cut out the glasses. Cut the eyeholes as well.
3. 3
   Cut out lenses from the sheets of blue and red acetate. If you can only find clear acetate, color with a red and blue marker (one red, one blue lens).
   • Make sure to cut the acetate pieces a little larger than the opening for the eyes.
4. 4
   Tape the lenses over the eyeholes. Red goes on the LEFT, and blue goes on the RIGHT.
   • Do not get tape on parts of the acetate visible through the eyehole.
5. 5

Edit Tips

• These 3D glasses will only work with movies that use the red/blue shift method for 3D. Modern 3D movies in the theaters use polarization and the new home 3D TVs and movies use synchronization with glasses that have lenses with high speed shutters. These red/blue glasses will not work for those other technologies.
• If desired, decorate the glasses using any materials on hand.
• The pattern provided is just one possible style. Vary the outer shape of the glasses to make them fit better for your own needs, or to make them more creative.
• If you would like to make custom polarized glasses, you can simply keep the pair you get from the movie theater (returning them is oplenses, and follow the directions above! Make sure to remember which lens came from which socket. This method will not work for the powered shutter 3D glasses needed for most of the newer 3D TV models.

Edit Warnings

• Do not wear your glasses constantly; 3D glasses can cause headaches.
• Do not drive while wearing these glasses.
• If you use teal or green instead of blue, the colors might not blend in and it might not work. Make sure it is pure blue.

Edit Things You'll Need

• Plastic sunglasses (method one)
• Transparency sheet, cellophane, or acetate (methods one and two), colored or clear; if clear, also get markers
• Sturdy poster board, such as oaktag (method 2)
• Scissors
• Clear tape
• Basic pattern for glasses (see template for method 2)
• Blue and red markers (suitable for plastic)