In
3D computer graphics
3D computer graphics, sometimes called Computer-generated imagery, CGI, 3D-CGI or three-dimensional Computer-generated imagery, computer graphics, are graphics that use a three-dimensional representation of geometric data (often Cartesian coor ...
, the image plane is that
plane in the world which is identified with the plane of the display monitor used to view the image that is being rendered. It is also referred to as
screen space. If one makes the analogy of taking a
photograph
A photograph (also known as a photo, or more generically referred to as an ''image'' or ''picture'') is an image created by light falling on a photosensitivity, photosensitive surface, usually photographic film or an electronic image sensor. Th ...
to rendering a 3D image, the surface of the film is the image plane. In this case, the
viewing transformation
The computer graphics pipeline, also known as the rendering pipeline, or graphics pipeline, is a framework within computer graphics that outlines the necessary procedures for transforming a three-dimensional (3D) scene into a two-dimensional (2 ...
is a
projection
Projection or projections may refer to:
Physics
* Projection (physics), the action/process of light, heat, or sound reflecting from a surface to another in a different direction
* The display of images by a projector
Optics, graphics, and carto ...
that maps the world onto the image plane. A rectangular region of this plane, called the viewing window or
viewport
A viewport is a polygon viewing region in computer graphics.
In computer graphics theory, there are two region-like notions of relevance when rendering some objects to an image. In textbook terminology, the ''world coordinate window'' is the area ...
, maps to the monitor. This establishes the mapping between
pixels
In digital imaging, a pixel (abbreviated px), pel, or picture element is the smallest addressable element in a raster image, or the smallest addressable element in a dot matrix display device. In most digital display devices, pixels are the sma ...
on the monitor and points (or rather, rays) in the 3D world. The plane is not usually an actual
geometric object in a
3D scene, but instead is usually a collection of target coordinates or dimensions that are used during the
rasterization process so the final output can be displayed as intended on the physical screen.
In
optics
Optics is the branch of physics that studies the behaviour and properties of light, including its interactions with matter and the construction of optical instruments, instruments that use or Photodetector, detect it. Optics usually describes t ...
, the image plane is the plane that contains the object's projected image, and lies beyond the back
focal plane.
See also
*
Focal plane
*
Picture plane
*
Projection plane
*
Real image
{{citations needed, date=June 2019
In optics, an ''image'' is defined as the collection of focus points of light rays coming from an object. A real image is the collection of focus points actually made by converging/diverging rays, while a ...
References
External links
*
3D computer graphics
Planes (geometry)
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