SISGen for Windows

by W.A. Steer PhD
About...

Full details about downloading and installing SISGen.

Title:                SISGen
Author:               W.A. Steer
Version:              1.58

Machine:              IBM PC
Operating system:     MS Windows 3.1, WfW 3.11, Win 95, Win 98, Win NT or later
                      [256 or more colour screen mode advised]

Date mounted/updated: 12th September 1996
File names:           sisgen15.zip
Archive size:         132934 bytes
Unarchived files:     stereo.exe    (140k) - the Windows executable
                      stereo.hlp    ( 15k) - the Windows Help file
                      bwcc.dll      (157k) - DLL for Borland-style controls
                      doldemo.bmp   (200k) - demo depth-map of a steam loco.
                      treept85.bmp  ( 11k) - test pattern
Unarchived size:      511k

Conditions of use:    Not for commercial use/distribution
                      without prior written permission from
                      the author.

Download sisgen15.zip

By downloading SISGen you consent to the standard disclaimer.

Description

SISgen creates extremely high quality single-image stereograms (SIS) from user-supplied patterns and greyscale depth-maps in 256-colour .BMP format. It is based on the algorithms documented on my Technical Description page. This version, 1.58 uses the same algorithms as other recent versions, except that even more speedups have been implemented, colour-palette management has been much improved, stereograms can now be of virtually unlimited height, the memory requirements for big stereograms have been reduced, and the resolution of the stereogram is stored in the stereogram bitmap file. In addition, I've also bundled a more exciting demonstration depth-map!

Details of how to use the program, and its limitations, are given in the accompanying Windows Help file (select Help on SISGen's menu bar).

See also my document Stereograms: creating the best for lots of hints, tips, and answers to frequently-asked questions.

[Although this program is fully-functioning, contraints on programmer's time mean that it is lacking a few minor finishing touches such as an auto-install routine, and the documentation is not yet totally comprehensive. In some cases error-trapping - disk-full & low memory, for example - could still be improved.]

At present the version of SISGen available here can only create stereograms up to 4800 virtual pixels wide (that's equivalent to 2400 real pixels with 2x oversampling). Attempts to exceed this limit will most probably cause a GPF. If you have only 4Mb of system RAM you may experience a lot of hard disk activity when creating very big stereograms - this is perfectly normal Windows swap-file behaviour.

As of October 2001, SISGen 1.58 is still the latest version available. I'd quite like to write a new native 32-bit version, and to work with 24-bit true-colour patterns, but it all takes time. One day it will happen!

Installation

Create a directory 'sisgen' on your hard disk, then use PKUNZIP or WinZIP to unpack the zip file to it.

Run the program 'stereo.exe' using Start|Run, or Windows Explorer.
Alternatively, add the program shortcut to your Start bar.

Originally written: 1995
Last modified: 23 March 2002
Source: http://www.techmind.org/stereo/sisgen.html