Three point perspective uses three sets of orthogonal lines and three vanishing points to draw each object.

Click here to view the illustration with all the vanishing points displayed.

Three Point Perspective is the most complex form of perspective drawing.

This technique is most commonly used when drawing buildings viewed from a low or high eye-level.

A Low Eye Level

The low eye level in our illustration above creates the illusion that the box is towering over us. It now has the scale of a tall building.

As the viewer has to tilt their head back to look up, the picture plane is no longer at right angles to the ground plane.

In one and two point perspective, the picture plane is fixed at right angles to the ground plane.

In three point perspective, the picture plane is set at an angle.

As a consequence, the transversal lines, which were parallel in one and two point perspective, now appear to recede. They form a third set of orthogonal lines, which rise from the ground plane and eventually meet at vanishing point 3, high above the picture plane.

A High Eye Level

Three point perspective is also used when drawing an object from a high eye level as in our illustration below.

It creates the illusion of looking down from a high viewpoint.

This drawing process is simply a reversal of the method used for drawing a box from a low eye level.