Bald Brain » DIY realD 3D Glasses

JUNE 19, 2011
By BALD BRAIN

DIY realD 3D Glasses

I wear prescription glasses. Going to see a 3D movie where I have to wear a 2nd pair of glasses is uncomfortable. I decided to bring home a few pair of the realD 3D glasses from my local theater and modify them to fit my normal prescription glasses.

Version 1

For the first version, I kept the lenses in the original frame. I used a dremel to cut off the hinges and temples. On the back side of the bridge, I cut a deep slit into the plastic so the bridge of my normal glasses fit inside. Then I used 5 of the tiny thermal fitting beads from a pair of Billy-Bob teeth to fill the slot and make a perfect fit for the bridge of my normal glasses. The thermal fitting beads work by heating them in a cup of very hot water until they turn clear. Then you press an object into the soft, hot, thermal material for 20 seconds or so. Pull the object out of the thermal material and let it cool until it turns white again. This version works just fine, but it adds the extra weight of the original 3D frames.

Version 2

For the second version, I decided to remove the realD 3D lenses from the original frame. They were almost wide enough for me to cut a tiny slot on either side of each lens and wedge them between the metal frame of my normal glasses. But after cutting the tiny slots, they were just a little too narrow to stay wedged in place. I found some other clear plastic material, similar in thickness to the lenses, and cut out 4 little hooks. I used Gorilla Super Glue to attach the little hooks to the 3D lenses. Now they rest on the metal frame of my glasses just fine. What I like most is how little extra weight they add. My last addition was to add the plastic bridge to connect the two lenses together. Now with the two lenses attached to each other, I’m less likely to loose them, and they also stay snapped in place on my glasses more securely. A helpful tip: I was able to clean off the excess super glue with acetone (found in fingernail polish remover) which dissolves super glue quite well, at least before it has had time to dry completely. It also didn’t damage the 3D lenses.

I tested these out for the first time at Transformers: Dark of the Moon 3D. They worked like a charm! And the movie was fun! 8/10 stars for me, better than Revenge of the Fallen by far. The opening sequence (battling space ships) was the best 3D in the whole movie (followed by the sky diving towards the end). Perhaps the opening scene was so good because it was entirely CG. It reminded me of the opening sequence of Star Wars: Episode III where Anakin and Obi-Wan were flying and fighting above Coruscant.