Perspective projection

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Views
Graphical projections Orthographic projection Plan, or floor plan view Section Elevation Axonometric projection Isometric projection Dimetric projection Trimetric projection Axiometric projection Oblique projection, and Perspective projection Cavalier perspective Cabinet perspective Top-down perspective Other views Aerial view Bird's-eye view Map projection Worm's-eye view This box: view • talk • edit

Perspective projection is a type of drawing, or rendering, that graphically approximates on a planar (two-dimensional) surface (e.g. paper or painting canvas) the images of three-dimensional objects so as to approximate actual visual perception. It is sometimes also called perspective view or perspective drawing or simply perspective. A perspective projection drawing must be made according to an established geometric protocol.

See linear perspective for a discussion of one-point, two-point and three-point perspectives.

All perspectives on a planar surface have some degree of distortion, similar to the distortion created when portraying the earth's surface on a planar map. See perspective projection distortion for a discussion.

[edit] Perspective drawing for a painting

Perspective Projection

A photograph automatically shows a scene with correct perspective for the location of the camera. It follows that an artist wishing to paint a picture of the scene with true perspective needs only to draw an accurate copy of the photograph. If his painting is to be of a different size from that of the photograph he must accurately scale it up or down. This may easily be done by using a proportional divider, sometimes called a Variscaler, set to give the scaling ratio which is required to fit the scene on to his painting support.