Vanishing points
SŠ9 minHow parallel lines converge to a vanishing point.
What is happening
The pink rails are parallel in space. Their central images on π still converge – in a single point U. It lies on the horizon, exactly at the height of the eye S.
Scene
Spatial view
Theory
In central projection parallels stop being parallel. Lines that are parallel in space and not parallel to the picture plane have images converging in a single point – the vanishing point U.
The vanishing point is found simply: through the centre S draw a line parallel to the given direction and meet it with the picture plane. Every direction has its own vanishing point, depending only on the direction, never on where the lines lie.
The vanishing points of all horizontal directions lie on one line – the horizon, at the height of the eye S. Lines parallel to the picture plane have no vanishing point and their images stay parallel.
Step-by-step construction
Practice
Build the construction yourself
What is the next step?
1 / 5Choose the step that comes next. The drawing only advances on a correct choice.
Check your understanding
What is the vanishing point U?
How do we find the vanishing point of a direction?
Which lines have no vanishing point?
Downloadable material
A PDF for this lesson is in preparation.
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