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Question regarding Boxes: Additional Notes

6:50 PM, Thursday March 26th 2020

The following paragraph:

You've probably heard about the horizon line, which establishes the ground plane in the scene. You can also usually think of it as the "eye line", as it is the line that represents where your eyes are relative to the scene you're looking at. If it's very high, then your eyes (and therefore you) are high up, with the bulk of your scene unfolding beneath your altitude. If it's very low in the frame, your eyes are closer to the ground, as everything unfolds higher up.

Shouldn't it be the other way around (low horizon line = high up and vice verse)? That's at least the way it intuitively feels like it should be to me. Provided that I'm not misreading or misunderstanding anything here.

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1 users agree
10:37 PM, Thursday March 26th 2020
edited at 10:37 PM, Mar 26th 2020

The horizon line would stay relatively constant assuming you only ascent/descent without rotating your head/eyes/camera. This assumption only starts breaking once you start getting into outer space or if the real horizon line is becomes hidden by buildings/terrain.

So what was the notes talking about? Whenever the viewer in a drawing is raised it is also assumed the viewer will rotate their head/eyes/camera and start looking down on the scene. Similarly when the viewer is lowered down closer to the ground it is assumed the viewer rotate their head/eyes/camera and look up at the scene. This is to keep the focus on the same target as the viewer is moved around.

It is this up/down rotation that causes the horizon to move. Rotating the view downwards makes the horizon go up in the drawing, at the same time the viewer is raised providing a birds-eye view of the scene. Rotating the view upwards makes the horizon go down and at the same time the viewer is lowered to gets a worms-eye view of the scene.

Of course nothing stops you from placing the viewer high up and still look upwards, on which case you'll get a nice view of the sky or ceiling. Or placing the viewer low to the ground and looking downwards, which will provide a up close view of the ground. These cases don't get as much use though.

edited at 10:37 PM, Mar 26th 2020
5:52 AM, Friday March 27th 2020

Okay, now it makes a lot more sense. Thanks!

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