Difference Between Two-Dimensional and Three-Dimensional Images
An image can be defined as a visual representation of an object, person, animal or anything capable of being captured by the human eye and captured through various techniques such as painting, photography, drawing, design, video, among others.
Images describe the aspect and appearance of anything and can be classified according to different criteria, according to the technique used, according to what you want to represent, according to where you are, among others.
That is why, according to the dimensions presented by the image, they can be classified into two-dimensional and three-dimensional images, which we will explain below to show their differences.
Two-Dimensional Images
Two-dimensional images are those that basically represent two dimensions, such as height and width. This means that they are the flat representation of the height and width of an object, person, animal or any element that can be captured through drawing, painting, photography, etc.
Every object has three dimensions: height, width and depth, when only height and width are represented, we speak of a two-dimensional image. The two-dimensional images are called -planes- and it is the representation of a body without volume, since the volume is determined by the depth.
For example:
- In geometry, triangles, squares, the circle, the rhombus and the rectangle are examples of plane figures, that is, two-dimensional.
- Painting, drawing and photography are the representation of two-dimensional images, although their content can generate the effect of depth in the image it represents, as happens in the painting of a face through shading, the drawing of an animal or the photograph of a landscape.
Three-Dimensional Images
Three-dimensional images are those that represent the three dimensions of a particular object such as height, width and depth. By this we mean that it is the representation of the height, width and volume of an object, person, animal or anything that is capable of being captured by the human eye and captured through different techniques such as sculpture, printing, construction, assembly, etc.
A figure represented in three dimensions allows us to measure not only the height or width but also the depth of the object.
For example:
- In geometry, the cone, cube, cylinder, pyramid, and sphere are examples of three-dimensional figures.
- Sculpture is the three-dimensional representation of a particular object because all three dimensions of it can be seen.
As can be seen, there is a big difference between two-dimensional and three-dimensional images, which has to do with the spectrum or dimension they represent. That is why, from what was described above, the following differences are broken down:
| two-dimensional images | three-dimensional images |
| Two-dimensional objects are projected flat and do not allow their depth to be distinguished. | Three-dimensional objects are projected as a volume, so it is possible to observe their height, width and depth. |
| Two-dimensional images are represented by the symbol 2D. | Three-dimensional images are represented by the symbol 3D |
| Two-dimensional images do not have perspective. | Three-dimensional images have perspective. |