He can’t predict the future of stereoscopic 3D – nor does he want to try – but Imax co-founder Graeme Ferguson took to the stage at the Toronto International Stereoscopic 3D Conference to share his thoughts on the technology’s impact on the industry.

The Toronto-born Ferguson delivered a keynote on Tuesday morning, following a screening of last year’s Hubble 3D, on which he’s also credited as an executive producer.

His first interest in 3D came from watching the short Around is Around (1953) from fellow Canuck animator and filmmaker Norman McLaren, which first opened up his eyes to the third dimension as a “medium of imagination.”

Ferguson approved of financial support from the government to help foster innovation, noting that the 3D conference itself received funding from the OMDC.

While many pin the new wave of 3D making its way to cinemas on the success of James Cameron’s Avatar, Ferguson said the 3D documentary The Last Buffalo, Imax’s second-ever 3D film, spurred a considerable wave of interest from the cinema world back in 1990. “Once theatre owners saw that film, they started converting to 3D just to show the film,” he recalled. “From 1991 on, Imax Corp. hardly sold 2D-only projectors.”

In the meantime, with the fast pace of developing technology, he said there’s a lower barrier to entry for 3D, much in the same way that the general public has access to filmmaking materials – cheaper, smaller cameras and even smartphones. “There’s a real potential for a 3D camera consumer product here,” he maintained. “If I’m right and that happens, people can really profit from that and run successful businesses.”

Ferguson noted that such access comes with a price, as improved technologies can render manpower and industry jobs obsolete. But he added that it’s also an opportunity for industry folks to retrain themselves and get comfortable with emerging technologies.

“I have an iPhone I can’t use very well,” noted the 82-year-old filmmaker.

The Toronto International 3D Stereoscopic Conference from York University’s 3D FLIC runs until Wednesday.