vanishing point question.

[Mray]

I'm having problems creating a vehicle in 2 point perspective.
The problem is, I can't fit my vanishing points on the page in order to get a
normal perspective, without distorting the vehicle (fish eye effect).

Are there any tips you can give me on vanishing point placement, or any rules of thumb to go by?

Also, I was thinking about purchasing a couple of the DVDs.
Which would you suggest I buy? I'm looking for something that addresses point perspectives.

Thanks,
Mray

[Helium Macaroni]

Your best option when drawing vehicles in perspective is simply to eyeball it. This however can be a bit tricky if you don't have much experience with freehand perspective. The better you can draw a straight line unaided the better it will come out.

In terms of vanishing points, often vehicles look better with vanishing points quite far apart and therefore off the picture plane. The closer they are, the more odd the angle looks, and the more distortion you get, as I'm sure you've noticed.. What you can do is make a grid on the computer of your perspective layout, zoom in on a part of that grid that has an angle you like, blow it up, print it out, and draw ontop of it. Thats the easiest way in my opinion.

As for DVDs, Scott Robertson's videos are a must if you'd like to learn how to draw vehicles.

[Ivan.R]

I woud also suggest the Scott Robertson's DVD "Basic perspective form drawing". It is just great!

[NoSeRider]

I guess your only real option is to draw small, thumbnail size. Make the vanishing points somewhere where it's accessable, just as long as you can see it on the drawing table.

Once you make the thumbnail as detailed as you can manage, then you'll have to enlarge it somehow.

Generally, I scan the image into my computer then just simply scale it in photoshop.....of course you are now only limited to 14 x 8.5 inch paper on a standard printer.

Print the image. Since everything is technically sound vanishing point wise in the enlarged thumbnail, you can now retrace the image and add more detail as you feel fit.

Lightbox is beneficial at the tracing point. I just have an opaque plexiglass that's about 12 inches by 19 inches, where 4 of the 19 are bent.....bent into a 'L' shape. Just stick a light under it, you got a light table.

[johnfields]

This will sound dumb but it works ...take some string and a thumbtack, extend the lines with your stringand tack it down then come back with the string to the dwg on the other line, make a small tick mark on the edge of the paper where the string meets the edge. Do this on BOTH sides. this will give you an approximate guide to the rest of the converging lines! :\

[andres_pad]

ok, i dont know how ur trying to do your perspective, but ive just started my university course, and there's so much more than what you get taught than the 'everything goes to the 2 points' thing. theres a method called 'measuring point perspective' which is quite scientific and you can actually measure proper lengths and stuff within your pictures.

this is important to me because im doing industrial design (product desing and engineering mixed together basically) and so i need to accurately draw things all day in proper proporition.

if you want me to try to make a tutorial on how to do it, i can. email me at pimpin.dre@gmail.com and i'll snap one up.

ok, and if you ARE using that method then you can stick two pages next to each other, and set your MP's out on the other page. (this can be useful because u can do a drawing on the other page aswell and use the same setup aswell.

yeah its kinda hard to explain, so if you want to know, email me and i'll help you out

andre