# Japan's Giant 3d Cat on a billboard **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [July 7, 2021, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/japans-giant-3d-cat-on-a-billboard/945935 "2021-07-07T23:51:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2021, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/japans-giant-3d-cat-on-a-billboard/945935/1 "2021-07-07T23:51:19Z")
Just in time for the Olympics. The Cat 🙀 certainly looks realistic. Is this a projected image? From Where? Maybe the building across from the 3d display? I don’t understand how it’s visible in the daytime. I’m impressed with the sharp colors and animation. > **[A giant 3D cat has taken over one of Tokyo's biggest billboards](https://edition.cnn.com/style/article/3d-cat-billboard-tokyo)** > > The hyper-realistic cat looms playfully over one of Tokyo's busiest railway stations thanks to a curved 1,664-square-foot LED screen. ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2021, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/japans-giant-3d-cat-on-a-billboard/945935/2 "2021-07-08T00:22:00Z")
It’s just a curved LED video wall. ETA: in fact, the link you posted says that… ---
**Author:** ![squeegee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/squeegee/32/14537_2.png) [@squeegee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/squeegee)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2021, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/japans-giant-3d-cat-on-a-billboard/945935/3 "2021-07-08T00:52:53Z")
And it probably only looks compelling from about where those videos were taken of it. If you stand on the side streets it’ll look like video screens with a distorted image. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2021, 1:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/japans-giant-3d-cat-on-a-billboard/945935/4 "2021-07-08T01:16:18Z")
> [@beowulff](#): > > It’s just a curved LED video wall. > > ETA: in fact, the link you posted says that… Like a curved TV? I was thinking of a projected 3d movie in a theater. I usually don’t see 3d very well. Even with the special glasses, the movie looks flat to me. I can see the 3d cat effect. They’ll probably use it to fill time during the Olympics. ---
**Author:** ![Wheelz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wheelz/32/5718_2.png) [@Wheelz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wheelz)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2021, 5:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/japans-giant-3d-cat-on-a-billboard/945935/5 "2021-07-08T05:40:59Z")
It _isn’t_ 3D though. (Unless, I suppose, you consider the curve in the screen to be an added dimension.) The effect does look convincing in the (2D) videos. I suspect it’s less so in person. ---
**Author:** ![mikecurtis](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mikecurtis/32/3284_2.png) [@mikecurtis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mikecurtis)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2021, 9:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/japans-giant-3d-cat-on-a-billboard/945935/6 "2021-07-08T09:28:44Z")
It’s actually pretty easy to trick the eye…I’ve seen billboards like these and even in person it looks like objects are protruding out of the screen. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/YrkZJIdhV2s/hqdefault.jpg "Amazing Outdoor LED Display with 3D content") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YrkZJIdhV2s) [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/Q59eVItS4Vg/maxresdefault.jpg "3D Robotic Billboard Advertising Digital Signage Display LED Moving Screen") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q59eVItS4Vg) ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2021, 9:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/japans-giant-3d-cat-on-a-billboard/945935/7 "2021-07-08T09:45:21Z")
Yes, I’ve seen one too and they’re disturbingly realistic - not “_Jaws 19_ in _Back to the Future 2_” realistic but pretty good nonetheless. ---
**Author:** ![Richard\_Pearse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/richard_pearse/32/13144_2.png) [@Richard\_Pearse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Richard_Pearse)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2021, 10:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/japans-giant-3d-cat-on-a-billboard/945935/8 "2021-07-08T10:12:07Z")
The type of 3D that requires you use glasses is relying on your stereoscopic vision, I.e. each of your eyes is seeing a slightly different image which helps your brain create a 3D perception of what you see. The thing is, we only use stereoscopic vision at relatively short distances. At longer distances other effects such as relative size and parallax are much more important. Provided you don’t move, parallax isn’t a problem, so then it just becomes a matter of playing with relative size, shapes, placing objects in front of other objects etc, it’s all 2d techniques. ---
**Author:** ![Kzbre5m](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/f08c70/32.png) [@Kzbre5m](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kzbre5m)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2021, 10:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/japans-giant-3d-cat-on-a-billboard/945935/9 "2021-07-08T10:50:42Z")
It’s so popular they made a [livestream video of it](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQ-Cg5c0CD4), from an angle that doesn’t really show off the 3D effect. It doesn’t help that it’s mostly 12 hours difference from the US and the screen is turned off at night. I find it amazing the programming power to draw such a thing. It does seemed to be pre-programmed loops and not “live” – currently the cat is ready to nap, yawning way too much and twitching it’s tail. ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2021, 11:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/japans-giant-3d-cat-on-a-billboard/945935/10 "2021-07-08T11:15:09Z")
> [@Richard\_Pearse](#): > > The thing is, we only use stereoscopic vision at relatively short distances. At longer distances other effects such as relative size and parallax are much more important. Provided you don’t move, parallax isn’t a problem, so then it just becomes a matter of playing with relative size, shapes, placing objects in front of other objects etc, it’s all 2d techniques. Yeah, a key technique is to make the edges of the screen look like they’re part of the infrastructure or adjoining billboards or whatever, so that when the moving figure goes “outside” the apparent boundary of its screen it startles us into seeing it as 3D. ---
**Author:** ![teelabrown](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/teelabrown/32/8412_2.png) [@teelabrown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/teelabrown)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2021, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/japans-giant-3d-cat-on-a-billboard/945935/11 "2021-07-09T18:07:20Z")
Life imitates _Blade Runner_. And does it one better, at least as far as the original _Blade Runner_ is concerned. This technology is far ahead of an advertising blimp. At some point, I’m sure we’ll have multi-story 3D holographic women being used for advertising, as in _Blade Runner 2049_. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2021, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/japans-giant-3d-cat-on-a-billboard/945935/12 "2021-07-09T18:49:16Z")
I’m suprised they didn’t go for a giant 3D Godzilla. Too trite? ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2021, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/japans-giant-3d-cat-on-a-billboard/945935/13 "2021-07-09T21:45:49Z")
> [@Kzbre5m](#): > > It’s so popular they made a [livestream video of it](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQ-Cg5c0CD4), from an angle that doesn’t really show off the 3D effect. It doesn’t help that it’s mostly 12 hours difference from the US and the screen is turned off at night. Huh. I’d never encountered a YouTube stream that didn’t allow you to go back at least a few hours. But apparently you can’t with this one. It’s live only. ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2021, 1:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/japans-giant-3d-cat-on-a-billboard/945935/14 "2021-07-12T01:53:50Z")
> [@Kzbre5m](#): > > . . . from an angle that doesn’t really show off the 3D effect. These kind of illusions really do work only when viewed from the right angle. When viewed from the wrong angle(s), they break down completely. See this google image search for many examples of 3-D crosswalk illusions: [3d crosswalks - Google Search](https://www.google.com/search?q=3d+crosswalks) ---
**Author:** ![rowrrbazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rowrrbazzle/32/414_2.png) [@rowrrbazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rowrrbazzle)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2021, 8:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/japans-giant-3d-cat-on-a-billboard/945935/15 "2021-07-14T08:06:26Z")
> [@Senegoid](#): > > These kind of illusions really do work only when viewed from the right angle. And they work amazingly well! At night, you can see the borders of the projection. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tvacA3Zw0n8](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tvacA3Zw0n8) > [@Senegoid](#): > > When viewed from the wrong angle(s), they break down completely. > **[3D Billboard of Giant Cat Looks Less Impressive From Other Side of the Street](https://gizmodo.com/3d-billboard-of-giant-cat-looks-less-impressive-from-ot-1847233568)** > > The Tokyo billboard is running 3D content during limited times each day. ---
**Author:** ![Kzbre5m](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/f08c70/32.png) [@Kzbre5m](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kzbre5m)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2021, 12:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/japans-giant-3d-cat-on-a-billboard/945935/16 "2021-07-14T12:39:13Z")
> [@Senegoid](#): > > These kind of illusions really do work only when viewed from the right angle. There is a subway entry/exit from diagonally across from the corner of the screen, so the major consumer of the videos are the people exiting. The photos from the OP (CNN) show it from there. The entire screen is turned off for the night at 7 pm local time (if my world clocks are correct). There still seems to be people wandering about at that time. (Did you know you can pan the Liveview???) I’m not the target audience for the advertisements, so I have no idea what the screen is advertising. Outside of the boy bands, and The Cat, there is a group of videos that remind me of the [Eleanor Rigby segment](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HuS5NuXRb5Y) in the Yellow Submarine movie. ---
**Author:** ![Kzbre5m](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/f08c70/32.png) [@Kzbre5m](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kzbre5m)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2021, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/japans-giant-3d-cat-on-a-billboard/945935/17 "2021-07-14T14:44:54Z")
> [@Kzbre5m](#): > > There is a subway entry/exit from diagonally across from the corner Okay, so not directly outside the station, but [across a plaza and around some plantings from the station.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IzkCddHY5yA) There is a traffic light there, so bored pedestrians have something to watch. I’m not sure if the tree helps or hinders the illusion. The math must have been fun to make the letters appear squared off and not curved with the screen. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2021, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/japans-giant-3d-cat-on-a-billboard/945935/18 "2021-07-14T15:01:28Z")
Viewing from the wrong angle is like peeking behind the wizards curtain. ---
**Author:** ![Kzbre5m](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/f08c70/32.png) [@Kzbre5m](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kzbre5m)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2021, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/japans-giant-3d-cat-on-a-billboard/945935/19 "2021-07-20T22:14:28Z")
I managed to catch the cat sleeping (7:00 am Tokyo time) – and nearly falling off the ledge waking up! Now it’s cycling thru the same ads with the cat yowling every 3-1/2 minutes. It seems to be the same ads morning and night. I don’t know if it changes over the course of the day. ---
**Author:** ![thorny\_locust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thorny_locust/32/431_2.png) [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2021, 1:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/japans-giant-3d-cat-on-a-billboard/945935/20 "2021-07-21T01:12:40Z")
Does anybody else keep seeing the title of this thread, reading it not as 3D Cat but as 3rd Cat, and wondering about the other two? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/japans-giant-3d-cat-on-a-billboard/945935.md?page=2)