The Humblest Equation In 3D Graphics - (x', y') = (x/z, y/z)
· 5 min read
This post is about a simple yet foundational equation for rendering 3D objects on a computer screen.
Working in VFX, I have always been curious about the math behind the work we do. I am far removed from any of the heavy lifting on that front, but have wanted to understand, at least at a high level, how this stuff works.
The other day I came across an interesting youtube video. The video outlined how to put together a simple HTML page and some javascript to generate 3D images. The intro explained an elegant and super important equation for mapping the points of 3D objects to a 2D surface. The equation looks like this:
x' = x/z
y' = y/z