Exploring 3D in Flash - Flash 3D: Animation, Interactivity, and Games - page 16

Three-point Perspective

If no faces or edges of an object are parallel to the picture plane, the resulting image is
a three-point perspective (Figure 1.21).

Horizon Line

VP

VP

All lines are oblique
to the picture plane

VP

Figure 1.21 Three-point perspective drawing has three vanishing points.

While it is possible to create perspective drawings in Flash or Illustrator, constructing
them in a 3D program such as Swift 3D and importing them into Flash is often faster
and easier and provides greater flexibility.

Summary

This chapter focused on creating the illusion of 3D through a variety of drawing tech-
niques. Key concepts to remember include the following:

• All 3D drawings have four elements in common: a three-dimensional
object, a picture plane, projection rays, and a viewer to observe the
object's image on the picture plane.

• Types of 3D drawings include multiview, single-view, and paraline.

• Perspective drawings are the most realistic type of representational
drawing.

The next chapter focuses on visual depth cues and how to reproduce them in Flash.