I did perspective layouts by hand in the early part of my
career. When 3D modeling came along I jumped on board eagerly. So… in regard to
this blog I have to ask myself…
Does anyone need to know how to do layouts by hand?
If you are relatively young, and only know computer
modeling, you might view hand layouts as anachronistic and useless. Indeed,
when dealing with basic renderings they ARE useless.
But if you want your rendering to stand out from the crowd
you have to know when to step outside the CAD “box”. And, when you step outside
the box you’ll find it handy to have a basic understanding of perspective.
So, yes, I’m going to publish a number of
posts on laying out perspectives.
Following are examples from my files where knowledge of
perspective came in handy.
Placing a modeled structure into an existing aerial
photograph takes a good eye, and a sense of vertical convergence; as in this
rendering of the observation tower at Niagara Falls.
… Or in this proposal for Olympic venues outside New York
City.
…Or in this master plan aerial perspective of the Rutgers
Camden campus across from Philadelphia. In all these cases understanding basic
perspective helped to make a coherent image of the project.
Rendering a simple building in the computer is quick and
satisfying, but working out the context in detail is hard. A photo-montage is
the quickest solution, but making the final image seamless and believable is
not so easy. This performing arts center at Georgetown University is an
example.
…As is this office building in Providence, Rhode Island.
…As are these additions to the Kansas City Auditorium.
An existing interior has the same problems of perspective
“fit”. This view of the Minneapolis
Symphony Hall changed the color scheme and carpet. The believability of the carpet
demanded a clear idea of receding surfaces in perspective.
Although a bird’s eye perspective can be produced in a CAD
rendering program, it is useful to know the basis for the mechanical layout of
such a view.
The same goes for a worm’s eye view, although the only
reason I did this one was to see if I could actually pull it off.
So… in the next few months I will post on one point
perspective, two point perspective and three point perspective, as well as some
notes on marginal drawing types. The information will not include detailed
instruction on layouts (there are plenty of websites that cover the nuts and
bolts of perspective layout), but rather will focus on basics that will help
anyone integrate hand work, computer rendering and photography.
Perspective - Three Point Perspective- Hand & CAD
Other posts on Perspective:
Perspective - Two Point Perspective -
Distortions & ComplicationsPerspective - Three Point Perspective- Hand & CAD
I hope you will continue this series on perspective. I am twenty-one, and still at university, so I've known only CAD and computer generated drawing. Older drawings done by hand had a certain "snap" and a wonderful artistic quality that is totally lacking in CAD work. Even the lettering was beautiful and individualistic. I really enjoy your blog!
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