Stiefelmayer-Contento of Germany has taken the concept of flat 3-D holograms to the next level with this amazing new laser-engraved Darth Sidious rendered three-dimensionally inside a block of glass. Produced as part of their Clarisso-vision 3D-Reality line, the Revenge of the Sith series imagery is formed by laser engraving thousands of microscopic dots within a block of hand-polished optical-quality glass. New software developed exclusively by Stiefelmayer has allowed for subtle effects such as light and shadow to be rendered into the 3-D image, an innovation not seen in Star Wars glass art before.
The end result of this process is a rendered dimensional portrayal of Darth Sidious that appears to "float" within the glass itself, appearing very much like a translucent hologram that can be enhanced by illuminating it from above or below.