Human beings naturally see the world with three dimensional (stereoscopic) vision. The separation between our eyes causes each eye to see a scene from a slightly different view, and our brain blends these two views into a single depth-rich image. This ability to see depth is extremely important when viewing scenes that contain complex information. By displaying images with realistic depth, the user can gain insights and information available only through true stereoscopic vision. MacNaughton's patented pi-cell technology brings three dimensional visualization to the desktop, creating a powerful tool in the computer-aided workplace. The user can truly visualize a third dimension and various parameters can be designed, calculated and measured in 3-D.

Field-sequential optical techniques are the most popular class of techniques for creating stereo imaging. These techniques use time to separate the two eye views. A pair of glasses are used which block the left eye from seeing the screen while the right eye view is displayed, then they switch. The NuVision product line uses a specialized fast switching liquid crystal cell, called the pi-cell, as a shutter to alternately block each eye.