This is the start of our first vanishing point. I could have placed it on the center, but I wanted to demonstrate that the vanishing point does not have to align with the vertical horizon. For this, grab your pen tool (below the left lasso you see on the tools pallet) and point one point on the horizon. For this line, I am going to create one of the lines of the floor. This line can be the corner of where the floor meets the right wall. For ease, lock down the unused layers by clicking on the empty box in the layer of the pallet. Since we will not be needing the square or horizon lines to ever move, they might as well be out of the way so you do not accidently select them when this page is filled with lines.

Now we're going to create the other side so that the sections of corridor can be marked out in perspective. This is the start where we create the measurements to make the equal sections of corridor stay equal, yet seem to progress into the distance. Visually, create another 'floor line' where you want the left side of the room's floor/wall to meet. Here is where one of the key techniques I utilize comes in very handy. To keep the lines all spreading from the exact same point, select the line with the black arrow and hit control+c (Windows) or command+c (Macintosh) to copy the line. Then hit control+f (Windows) or command+f (Macintosh) to 'paste in front' directly atop the previous line. If you had merely copy and pasted from the edit menu, the line would have appeared in the center of the screen and not directly on top of the old one.

Now, with the new line selected with the empty arrow (upper right of the tools pallet) go down to the end of the line (away from the horizon line). Hit control+shift and while these keys are being held, click on the node at the end of the line. For Macintosh, hit command+shift and then click on the node. That will select only that node so that you can move it freely to another location while the other end stays precisely at your vanishing point. This is how I make all my lines stay at the vanishing point. This move is essential and will make your life SO much easier.

Now that you have the left and right lines of your floor, you need to dissect the expanse into two equal parts or find the median. For this, create an orange line of measurement on another layer about near the middle of the two lines. Duplicate the line by hitting control/command+c and control/command+f. Then while holding the shift key down, drag the line to the right so that they are end to end. By holding the shift key down, the line will only ever move horizontally, vertically or at a 45° angle to the original location of the line. This makes it very easy to keep objects parallel or so forth to each other. Make sure there is a tiny space between them so that you can tell where they meet. Now select both lines and hit control/command+g to group them together. Using your black arrow tool, select the grouped orange lines and place them so that they are in between your floor lines. If you have misjudged the length of the middle, here is where you make it precise. You can use the selection's middle of the grouped lines (see step four for an example of the box when the black arrow selects an object or group of objects) to scale the item into place. By doing this with the lines grouped, their relative size will stay the same.

When the orange lines are aligned between the floor lines, you should still see the space between the orange lines you originally left. That is where you will copy and paste-in-front another line and swing the end to go through. Once you have the middle line in place, you're all set. ;}

Now we're going to place our second vanishing point on the horizon line. Typically, an object has two vanishing points on a horizon line, but to maintain realism, they need to visually be about 9 feet away from each other (this is where our periphrial vision typically ends). We're going to simulate that distance artifically. The closer your vanishing points are to each other, the more skewed the room or object will look.

To lengthen the line, unlock your horizons layer by clicking on the lock and use your black arrow to click on the line. This will create a noded box I discussed earlier. Drag the middle right node to lengthen the line horizontally to a good amount of distance.

Now on another layer, make a line for your other vanishing point as you did for the first one. Make it a good amount of distance away, but don't get too crazy. You do need to still work with your document. ;} Put the line so it will cross your frame area (the square) about where the end of the nearest space corridor segment will go. Reference Chaos' original pic above if you need to visualize this area a bit better.

Now that you have the first part of the corridor segment, you must decide where the end of that segment will go. Copy and past in front another green line to the point where the end of the corridor segment will be (in this case, where that wall column will go... see the pic at the beginning). CAUTION: When your vanishing points become this far away, it is very easy to mis-select the node and just select the whole line. An easy way to check this (and I would do this VERY often... even pros mess this up somewhere along the line... no pun intended ;} hehe) is when you are dragging the node, swing it momentarily above your horizon line. If the line starts to change its angle, you've selected just the node. If it continues to run parallel to the previous line, then you have the entire line selected. Be very careful about this. It can happen. Trust me.

Now we're going to measure out where the third corridor line should be. For that, get another measuring line out (make a new layer if you want) and put the beginning at the point where the blue floor line and green vanishing points meet, continue through so it crosses where your second green line and the bisecting blue line meet and straight to the other blue floor line. See below. You MUST have the middle cross point lined up. Where the far end of the line touches the floor line will be where you need to intersect your next green line.

Okay, I know there are only three columns where the corridor segments are on her drawing, but I want the back wall of the hallway to be drawn too. AND I want that back hallway to be exactly two corridor segments long. So, for that, continue measuring out your lines until you have five green lines. Nearest to farthest, 1–5, the first three lines are your corridors. The two farthest are your hallway with that forth line being just a guide.

For three-point perspective, there must be a third vanishing point. Since I want the room to look slightly from the ceiling down, or birds-eye, I need to make my vanishing point on the vertical horizon at the bottom. Remember, the nearer your vanishing point, the more extreme the perspective. I want just a slight perspective, so my vertical vanishing point has to be WAAAAAAAAY down there.

Okay. Now, you line up the line where the blue and green vanishing poings cross at the first corridor. Check the next step for a closeup. Right now we are creating wall lines. And we're matching them up to where the floor lines need a wall vertical.

Okay, see how the wall verticals intersect the floor vanishing lines? Good. For the three corridor segments, put three wall verticals that intersect as shown on both sides of the floor.

Now that we have our walls in place, we're making the lines for the ceiling. For this, copy and paste-in-front another blue vanishing point so that where the new blue vanishing point intersects the wall lines, that intersection will be the height of your room. And where the blue and purple lines intersect, that's where you put your green vanishing line. See how the line should mirror the bottom lines in angle? This assures that all the lines vanish to ONE point. If they were parallel, you've missed a line and need to fix it. Otherwise, just zoom out or scroll until you can see your vanishing point and all lines ending on it.

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