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In theory, a computer system could serve as an ideal platform for displaying stereoscopic images. It is commonplace to have computers that have enough performance to render stereoscopic images. Of these computers, about 90% are running a version of the Windows operating system, with a version of Windows 9x being the most commonly used. In addition, it is relatively easy and inexpensive to add stereoscopic equipment to the computers. However, a serious problem is encountered when one wants to use the stereoscopic equipment with software that is running under a version of Windows 9x. There are very few applications programming interfaces (API's) that allow a developer to take advantage of the stereoscopic equipment. Typically, a developer is forced to use an API specific to a video card, or specific to a particular model of stereoscopic equipment. To overcome these obstacles to the development of stereoscopic applications, the Win3D company developed a stereoscopic API based around modular components. The primary module of the API communicates with the rendering library. Direct X is the initial library supported. Additional modules are developed for the supported video cards and for the supported stereoscopic equipment. This allows, for the first time, a widely available solution for developers to independently select the video equipment and the stereoscopic equipment to be used. Thus, the limitations of an API for specific video cards or specific stereoscopic equipment can be eliminated. An additional feature of the modular design is that various display methods are supported -- software page- flipping, hardware page-flipping, interlaced, over/under, anaglyph, etc. The modular design also allows applications to automatically stay current with additional video equipment and stereoscopic equipment as it is developed, without requiring changes to the applications.
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