Magic Eye Paintings Revamped: 3D Artworks that Conceal Hidden Images
A New Twist on an Old Favorite
Who loves Magic Eye paintings? I remember being a child and standing in front of an art shop window flabbergasted by the effect (and being totally rubbish at it, actually). A new challenge has presented itself in the form of some Blender-created artworks that conceal 3D models. The premise is the same, you ‘relax’ your eyes and wait for the hidden image to reveal itself – but this is created in a different way using 3D techniques. It’s some of my favourite 3D art to date.
How It Works
Created by artist lavaboosted, these works are technically ‘stereograms’ rather than magic eye paintings because they use two images in combination to create the work rather than one. The artist has created multiple 3D artworks that you can scroll through on the above Reddit thread, and has also shared their work on Reddit, provoking an enthusiastic discussion over how brilliant it is.
The Process
The artist shared the whole process via a set of instructions:
Creating the Artwork
- Load model into Blender
- Select it and tab into edit mode and add a ground plane + background plane
- Select all and UV project from view
- Add the UV image pattern
- Object mode – add a material and make the base color the image. Select the image for the emission color as well. Then roughness all the way up and sheen any spectral to 0
- Delete the light
- Position the camera such that it looks disgust but not too camouflaged or it will be too hard to see (so move the camera from the spot where you projected the UV from view)
- Render the left image. Use walk navigation to storage over to the right a bit and render the right image
- Load the images into Excalidraw and line them up, crop them, export
- Load the image into PhotoMosh to make them really pop
A Note on Stereoscopy Rendering
After all this, discover Stereoscopy rendering (still haven’t messed with that much yet tho)
Getting Started
If you want to make your own 3D artwork then download Blender – then for more, see our list of the best Blender tutorials.
Conclusion
These 3D artworks are a nostalgic throwback to the magic eye paintings of our childhood, but with a modern twist. With the ability to create these stunning images using Blender, the possibilities are endless. Try it out and see if you can spot the hidden 3D model!
FAQs
Q: What is the difference between Magic Eye paintings and these 3D artworks?
A: Magic Eye paintings use one image to create the hidden image, while these 3D artworks use two images in combination to create the work, making them technically stereograms.
Q: How do I create my own 3D artwork?
A: Follow the instructions provided by artist lavaboosted, or download Blender and explore its features to create your own 3D artwork.
Q: Why can’t I see the hidden 3D model?
A: It’s possible that the image is too complex or the images are not aligned properly. Try adjusting the images or using a different model to create the artwork.
