How to construct an Ames room

The Ames room was developed by Adelbert Ames Jr as part of his research into optics and perception during the 1930s and 40s. After an early career as a painter, Ames began to explore the relationship between visual art and the scientific study of vision. He studied opthalmology at Clark University, Massachusetts and became a professor of physiological optics, developing an interest optical illusions. As part of his research, he conducted a series of experiments that he called 'the distorted room demonstrations'.

When viewed from the correct position, an Ames room gives the illusion of a standard orthogonal room. It is actually a trapezoid shaped space, which means that people standing in different corners at the back of the room and who appear to be the same distance from the viewer, look as if they are completely different sizes. The optical illusion is so convincing that someone walking across the back of the room appears to increase or decrease in scale as they move from one side to the other.

An Ames room is constructed by plotting the visual rays from the chosen view point to the various points of the notional orthogonal room. Points in the Ames room can then be established on the same visual rays, either closer or further from the view point. The following example is quite a simple version of an Ames Room, where the floor and ceiling slope, but with walls that are still vertical. The dimensions of the wall on the right hand side have been reduced by exactly 50% compared to the left. The illusion can be developed further with sloping wall surfaces, whilst still maintaining the apparent appearance of an orthogonal space.

Plans, showing an orthogonal room on the left and the plan of an equivalent Ames room on the right (viewing position at bottom)

3D view showing the perceived orthogonal space

3D view showing the irregular space of the Ames room

Section through the Ames room showing visual rays

(images © copyright Russell Light)

A SketchUp model can be downloaded from the Google 3D Warehouse.


The principle of the Ames room is often used to create spatial illusions in films. Most recently, the effect has been used in the Lord of the Rings trilogy so that the hobbits would appear smaller than other taller characters.

Ames' original room also incorporated an anti-gravity illusion, that took advantage of the apparently flat floor that actually sloped. A ball would be appear to roll upwards along a grooved track that was positioned across the room.


Sources:

F Dubery & J Willats (1983) - 'Perspective and Other Drawing Systems', Herbert Press, London. Amazon link

R Gregory (1994) - 'Even Odder Perceptions', Routledge, Amazon link

2D/3D chairs at Issey Miyake

Yoichi Yamamoto's project for an Issey Miyake store in Tokyo mixes real chair backs with painted anamorphic images to create an illusionary window display on which garments can be placed. The project, which is called 2D/3D chairs, makes effective use of a small space and uses simple means to create a powerful illusionary perspective.

Yoichi Yamamoto describes the illusion and the intention behind it...

"If you look at the installation from one point in front of the shop window, the back of the chairs, which are three-dimensional objects, and the legs of the chairs, which are two-dimensional drawings, meet and create a single figure".

"We expressed Issey Miyake’s “from 2D cloth to 3D dress” philosophy in our installation".

Photo taken from the correct perspective viewpoint

A different view that reveals the illusion

Plan, showing painted 2D surface and viewpoint

Section, showing viewpoint and 3D chair backs

Diagram, indicating the perspective construction underlying the illusion

(all images copyright © Yoichi Yamamoto)


Other design ideas for the Issey Miyake store included anamorphic proposals for a 2D/3D city and 2D/3D vases.

Additional images of the project are featured in Dezeen and Designboom. Further work by Yoichi Yamamoto can be found on his website.

Gallery of perspective drawings

This year there has been a very strong standard of drawings at the School of Architecture at the University of Sheffield, including many good perspective drawings. A selection of the best are shown here...

Claire Burnham - Centre for International Students, BA, Year 2, Marcus Humphrey-Gaskin Prize

Corina Angheloiu - Hotel for the Disillusioned, BA, Year 3

Joseph Dimery - Mushroom Farm, BA, Year 3

Michael Horswill - Airship Transport Terminal, BA, Year 3

Holly Lang - Honeybee Conservation Centre, BA, Year 3, Stephen Welsh Prize in Draughtsmanship

Wenhao Sun - Street Island - Local Life, MAAD course

Ruizhao Zhang - The Street/Border, MAAD course

Dan Hall - Castlegate Market Silver Service Tea House, MArch, Year 5

Marianne Howard - Reclamation/Revaluation Centre, MArch, Year 5

Tim Butcher - Open Wharf-Fair, MArch, Year 6

Philip Etchells - Repairing Utopia, MArch, Year 6, Dr Brian Wragg Prize in Architectural Draughtsmanship

Tom Hudson - Re Collections of Berlin, MArch, Year 6, Stephen Welsh Prize in Architecture

Toby Knipping - Repurposing Ruin, MArch, Year 6

Jonathan Millard - An Atlas of Erasure, MArch, Year 6, Stephen Welsh Prize in Draughtsmanship

Dean O'Brien - Residential/Art Space, MArch, Year 6

Jonathan Shaw - Comknow Collective Archives, MArch, Year 6

Tatiana Vela Jara - Archive of Lost Objects, MArch, Year 6

(all images © University of Sheffield)


A wide range of additional work can be seen in the summer exhibition that is showing in the School at the Crookesmoor Building until 22. July from 9-5, Monday to Friday.

A comprehensive catalogue is also available. This can be purchased from the School office or ordered online.

Charles Holden: Underground Journeys

The V&A and RIBA have created an online exhibition of drawings of the work of Charles Holden from the RIBA drawings collection, based on the exhibition that took place at the Architecture Gallery of the V&A from October 2010 to February 2011. Holden's designs for London Underground stations in the 1920's and 30's were an integral part of the visual identity of the organisation that developed at the time, along with the iconic tube map, posters and Johnston's fonts. The online exhibition includes numerous perspective images by Holden and others.

The exhibition is on the RIBA website. A downloadable PDF brochure is also available.

New offices of the London Electric Railway Company, Broadway, London. Drawn by David Muirhead Bone, 1927

(image © copyright RIBA Drawings and Archive Collection)

3D model of perspective construction

I have added a 3D SketchUp model of the perspective construction used in the 'How to...' section.  This is not in order to demonstrate an alternative method of setting up a perspective drawing, but to help explain more clearly the geometry that underlies any perspective view, whether constructed in the traditional way or via a 3D CAD model.

(images © copyright Russell Light)

Clearly, a CAD model has many advantages in that it can be used as a basis for a whole series of drawings and different perspective views. However, it is still useful to develop an understanding of the basic principles of perspective by constructing a drawing manually, as this can help with composition and selecting a view, as well as being useful for sketches in the field or when a computer isn't to hand.

The SketchUp model can be downloaded from the Google 3D Warehouse.