Vanishing Point

A vanishing point is one of possibly several points in a 2D image where lines that are parallel in the 3D source converge.

  • linear perspective is a drawing with 1-3 vanishing points.
  • curvilinear perspective is a drawing with either 4 or 5 vanishing points, in 5 point perspective the vanishing points are mapped into a circle with 4 vanishing points at the cardinal headings N,W,S,E and one at the circle origin.
  • reverse perspective is a drawing with vanishing points that are placed outside the painting with the illusion that they are "in front of" the painting.

Vanishing points can also refer to the point in the distance where the two verges of a road appear to converge. This is often used to help assess the upcoming curves in the road; to judge the radius and therefore the entry speed and optimum line. If the vanishing point moves towards you or to your sides, the curve is tightening. If the vanishing point moves away from you or comes to center, the curve is straightening.

  • One-point perspective projection.

  • A people mover at Frankfurt International Airport illustrating the vanishing point at the end of the tunnel.

  • Pietro Perugino's usage of perspective in the Delivery of the Keys fresco at the Sistine Chapel (1481–82) helped bring the Renaissance to Rome.

  • An example of perspective using two vanishing points.

Famous quotes containing the words vanishing and/or point:

    “The vanishing volatile froth of the present which any shadow will alter, any thought blow away, any event annihilate, is every moment converted into the Adamantine Record of the past.”
    —Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882)

    “Many women are surprised by the intensity of their maternal pull and the conflict it brings to their competing roles. This is the precise point at which many women feel the stress of the work/family dilemma most keenly. They realize that they may have a price to pay for wanting to be both professionals and mothers. They feel guilty for not being at work, and angry for being manipulated into feeling this guilt. . . . They don’t quite fit at home. They don’t quite fit at work.”
    —Deborah J. Swiss (20th century)