How to Build Makeshift 3D Glasses Quickly

The 3D technology is nothing new and has been used by the Hollywood movie makers way before the time I was even born. The highly talked about movie of the 1980s – “Jaws” was released in 3D and perhaps many more movies were made in 3D before that. For enjoying movies and graphics in 3D, all you need is a cheap 3D glass. When you go to watch the 3D movies in theater you can one of such 3D glasses for free too. But when we find some picture or movie in 3D on internet, we cannot seem to find all those 3D glasses we have collected from various movie theaters.

Fortunately, it is very easy to make such 3D glasses using three or four things lying around your room. So if you are in a hurry to see how that 3D picture that your friend has sent looks like, then just put together a makeshift a pair of 3D glasses and satisfy your curiosity.

You will need something transparent for the glasses like a transparent glass or plastic. Any old CD/DVD case cover can be used for this. I have many old CD covers that I would have otherwise thrown away in the junk. This Samsung CD-RW case I found was lying around in my desk drawer for many many years.

Makeshift 3D Glasses

You will need some ink – magenta/red and cyan/light blue. You can use permanent marker pens (Sharpie is best) with these colors. But the best colors are the ones that come for refilling the inkjet printers – magenta ink and cyan ink. You can use these refill inks with the help of a Q-tip or cotton ball to apply on the transparent plastic/surface.

Makeshift 3D Glasses

So go ahead apply the inks on the CD cover in square regions making it look like a square pair of glasses. Usually the cyan ink is applied on the left side and the red/magenta ink is applied on the right side. You may have to wait for the ink to dry up and apply a second coat for the uniform ink application. Once the ink is dried up, you can use it for watching 3D movies or 3D graphics on your computer right away.

Makeshift 3D Glasses

Conclusion: You can easily build a makeshift pair of 3D glasses using an old CD cover and a couple of permanent marker pens. This can help you if you want to quickly see how a 3D picture/movie looks like.