Perspective Tutorial: 3VP 1

A preview- the first page of the third part: THREE vanishing points!

Actually, once you really understand the two vanishing points, this is much easier to get the hang of.

Notice how the spire on the lower structure does not come from the third vanishing point, although the tip is directly under it. It leaves quite a bit of leeway.

First, a few things to mention:

In the first part of the Tutorial, with the Single Vanishing Point, anything not based directly on that vanishing point involved vertical and horizontal lines. This could be seen especially in the corridors and 1 Vanishing Point Street.

In the second part, with two vanishing points, anything not directly involved with either vanishing point used a vertical line- for the most part, horizontal lines were not used. This was because gaps left by the Single Vanishing Point were fewer. The use of vertical lines is especially clear with Fig. 29 in that part, the tower.

If you're wondering if, with three vanishing points, automatic vertical lines would be needed, then you're way ahead of this.

The answer is...maybe yes, maybe no.

There are times you'd use a Single Vanishing Point, as with the Complex Corridor or a street view like 1 Vanishing Point Street, or a checkered floor with those horizontal lines. Even if you can use SIX vanishing points- and that is really beyond me!- there are times you'd just use the one.

For other things, like a block seen from a corner view, you'd want to use two vanishing points, and to draw a cube from any view other than one that only allows a direct view of one side- no angles- you'd use at least two vanishing points.

Now- and this is VERY important!!- there is absolutely NO REASON whatsoever the two cannot be combined!

Suppose you wanted to draw a picture of a corridor, like Corridor Complex, or a street or lane view like 1 Vanishing Point Street, but with a cube floating in the air? Then you'd draw the environment with a single vanishing point, but the cube would be drawn using two. You'd just want to put the horizon right on the single vanishing point, so they both line up with whatever view-height you're using.

But three?

Look at Fig. 1 and Fig. 2...

Except for the pinnacle, both structures are drawn pretty much the same, except the bottom one uses 3 vanishing points. But- does it look like it's going up into the sky, or does it look like it simply has sloping sides?

Sloping sides.

The reason is, unless from certain positions, such as near the base or from over the top, even large structures might not use a third vanishing point, or at the least one that only causes a slight angle. Look at a picture of a city with large buildings seen from any distance.

This is mostly because both Single and Two Vanishing Points usually have you looking in the same direction. A vanishing point assumes just that- that something is closer to and further away from you. In the case of the above, the horizon for the two vanishing points is low down. That is where you are looking. You are some distance away.

So the third vanishing point is not really moving anything away from you- draw a line down, and the difference here is not as extreme as with the other vanishing points. Thus, if the sides are straight, as indicated by Fig. 1, then at best they would slope only a little bit. Actually, I probably wouldn't do even that much!

In fact, if this had not been a picture for a tutorial, which is why I put all of the vanishing points on the same page, I would have moved the vanishing points further away, off the page even, so as not to get those exaggerated angles.

Now, if I was standing near the base, looking up, then that would be different! That third vanishing point would act almost as the Single Vanishing Point did! Likewise, the angles from the two other vanishing points would be more exaggerated than before.

So it's a matter of judgment and restraint. When should you use- and not use- a vanishing point?

Typically, a third vanishing point is very much like a single vanishing point in that it adds DEPTH to an image. With a two vanishing point block, notice how you're usually looking straight ahead. This was especially clear with the Two Vanishing Point Tower; it looks as if you are hovering up in the air looking straight at it.

Should you decide to add a third vanishing point, what would happen? The vertical lines of the sides would become sloped; downward if the third vanishing point is below the tower, upwards if the vanishing point is above it.

In other words, now it looks as if you are looking either downwards or upwards as you float in the air near the tower. That extra vanishing point affected the entire view of the image, and the 3VP Tower demonstrates this.