CS5500 Computer Graphics

March 12, 2007

 Classical Viewing

Ed Angel
Professor of Computer Science,
Electrical and Computer
Engineering, and Media Arts
University of New Mexico
 Objectives

• Introduce the classical views

• Compare and contrast image formation

by computer with how images have been

formed by architects, artists, and
engineers
• Learn the benefits and drawbacks of

each type of view

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 Classical Viewing
• Viewing requires three basic elements
­ One or more objects
­ A viewer with a projection surface
­ Projectors that go from the object(s) to the projection
surface
• Classical views are based on the relationship among
these elements
­ The viewer picks up the object and orients it how she
would like to see it
• Each object is assumed to constructed from flat
principal faces
­ Buildings, polyhedra, manufactured objects
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 Planar Geometric Projections
• Standard projections project onto a plane
• Projectors are lines that either

­ converge at a center of projection

­ are parallel
• Such projections preserve lines
­ but not necessarily angles
• Nonplanar projections are needed for
applications such as map construction

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 Classical Projections

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 Perspective vs Parallel
• Computer graphics treats all projections
the same and implements them with a
single pipeline
• Classical viewing developed different

techniques for drawing each type of

projection
• Fundamental distinction is between

parallel and perspective viewing even

though mathematically parallel viewing is
the limit of perspective viewing
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 Taxonomy of Planar
Geometric Projections
planar geometric projections

parallel perspective

1 point 2 point 3 point

multiview axonometric oblique
orthographic

isometric dimetric trimetric

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 Perspective Projection

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 Parallel Projection

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 Orthographic Projection

Projectors are orthogonal to projection surface

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 Multiview Orthographic
Projection
• Projection plane parallel to principal face
• Usually form front, top, side views
isometric (not multiview
orthographic view)
front

in CAD and architecture,

we often display three
multiviews plus isometric
side
top

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 Advantages and
Disadvantages
• Preserves both distances and angles
­ Shapes preserved
­ Can be used for measurements
• Building plans
• Manuals
• Cannot see what object really looks like
because many surfaces hidden from view
­ Often we add the isometric

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 Axonometric Projections

Allow projection plane to move relative to object

classify by how many angles of

a corner of a projected cube are
the same
1
none: trimetric 2 3
two: dimetric
three: isometric

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 Types of Axonometric
Projections

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 Advantages and
Disadvantages
• Lines are scaled (foreshortened) but can find
scaling factors
• Lines preserved but angles are not
­ Projection of a circle in a plane not parallel to the projection
plane is an ellipse
• Can see three principal faces of a box-like object
• Some optical illusions possible
­ Parallel lines appear to diverge
• Does not look real because far objects are
scaled the same as near objects
• Used in CAD applications

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 Oblique Projection

Arbitrary relationship between projectors and

projection plane

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 Advantages and
Disadvantages
• Can pick the angles to emphasize a particular
face
­ Architecture: plan oblique, elevation oblique
• Angles in faces parallel to projection plane are
preserved while we can still see “around” side

• In physical world, cannot create with simple

camera; possible with bellows camera or
special lens (architectural)
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 Perspective Projection

Projectors coverge at center of projection

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 Vanishing Points
• Parallel lines (not parallel to the projection plan)
on the object converge at a single point in the
projection (the vanishing point)
• Drawing simple perspectives by hand uses
these vanishing point(s)

vanishing point

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 Three-Point Perspective
• No principal face parallel to projection plane
• Three vanishing points for cube

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 Two-Point Perspective
• On principal direction parallel to projection plane
• Two vanishing points for cube

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 One-Point Perspective
• One principal face parallel to projection plane
• One vanishing point for cube

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 Advantages and
Disadvantages
• Objects further from viewer are projected smaller
than the same sized objects closer to the viewer
(diminuition)
­ Looks realistic
• Equal distances along a line are not projected
into equal distances (nonuniform foreshortening)
• Angles preserved only in planes parallel to the
projection plane
• More difficult to construct by hand than parallel
projections (but not more difficult by computer)

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