3D Imaging Fundamentals (Open Access)

OSA Advances in Optics and Photonics publishes "Fundamentals of 3D imaging and displays: a tutorial on integral imaging, light-field, and plenoptic systems" by Manuel Martínez-Corral (University of Valencia, Spain) and Bahram Javidi (University of Connecticut, Storrs).

"This tutorial is addressed to the students and researchers in different disciplines who are interested to learn about integral imaging and light-field systems and who may or may not have a strong background in optics. Our aim is to provide the readers with a tutorial that teaches fundamental principles as well as more advanced concepts to understand, analyze, and implement integral imaging and light-field-type capture and display systems. The tutorial is organized to begin with reviewing the fundamentals of imaging, and then it progresses to more advanced topics in 3D imaging and displays. More specifically, this tutorial begins by covering the fundamentals of geometrical optics and wave optics tools for understanding and analyzing optical imaging systems. Then, we proceed to use these tools to describe integral imaging, light-field, or plenoptics systems, the methods for implementing the 3D capture procedures and monitors, their properties, resolution, field of view, performance, and metrics to assess them. We have illustrated with simple laboratory setups and experiments the principles of integral imaging capture and display systems. Also, we have discussed 3D biomedical applications, such as integral microscopy."

OSA Advances in Optics and Photonics site also has a 2011 open access paper "Structured-light 3D surface imaging: a tutorial" by Jason Geng. Since the structured light approach has progressed a lot over the recent years, the information in this tutorial is largely obsolete. Still, it could be good start for learning basics or for history-inclined readers.