3D Graphics and Perspective
Like other modern artistic fields, 3D graphics has very few perspective materials written for it, despite its heavy dependence on that knowledge.
Because perspective was originally developed for drawing and painting, hundreds of years before anyone ever heard of something as routine today as 3D graphics, it should be no surprise that no one had developed this firmly established subject to include the many art forms which have arisen over the past few decades alone.
Today we have computers which can calculate accurate perspective much more rapidly, precisely and with more freedom than if done by hand. This would seem, then, to render perspective learning materials unnecessary.
In fact, considering the perspective texts we had to work with, one would be right.
However, there is a vital factor for the artist which previous books on perspective failed to consider. Today's technology emphasizes the importance of instruction focusing less upon memorizing drawing techniques and more on understanding the effects of seeing objects from different perspectives. Oddly, this is something perspective books rarely, if ever, touch upon.
We can now define perspective as, "Creating viewpoints that best communicate a subject to an audience." This is about establishing "an eye" in your art through which your audience sees. So even though perspective had been considered the most difficult subject in all of art, its concept is really quite simple.
This information is what every artist needs to understand how 3D form functions. So regardless of your art form, if understanding how your audience sees it and participates in it is important to you, then you must grasp how perspective works. This is something which all professionals in the visual arts must deal with, from film directors to bridge builders or anyone else who presents imagery to audiences, customers or clients.
Perspective, therefore, is still a critically important subject in need of study, even where its drawing aspects have been taken over by computers.
The following articles introduce the 3D graphic artist to what this entails.
Check back regularly for additional articles that are currently in production.
Stand-Alone Perspective Tutorials
These perspective tutorials can be viewed in any sequence.
Perspective Tutorial Series
These perspective tutorials must be read in sequence. Grasping later tutorials depends upon understanding terminology and principles covered in earlier ones. Any individual group topic, though, may be read without having to read the others.
Vanishing Point Secrets
The True Basics of Depth and "3D"