Depth Cues: Creating the Illusion of Depth - Flash 3D: Animation, Interactivity, and Games - page 54

Summary
This chapter focused on depth perception and how to reproduce it through visual cues.
Key concepts to remember include the following:
• Visual depth cues include linear perspective, relative image size,
interposition, aerial perspective, light and shadows, surface shading,
and texture gradient.
• Relative size deals with scale. Objects larger in scale are perceived to
be in closer proximity to the viewer than smaller scaled objects.
• Interposition deals with overlapping images to simulate depth.
• A depth change in coloring and clarity is known as aerial perspective.
• Light and shadows are essential in creating the illusion of three-
dimensional space. Without these two elements, objects would
appear flat. Highlights are a result of light illuminating or reflecting
off an object. Shadows exist where the light cannot reach.
The visual depth cues studied in this chapter simulate depth to a certain degree.
Movement adds life to a two-dimensional world. The next chapter expands on the visual
depth cues you learned by adding the elements of motion and time.