Editing Isometric projection (section)

== Overview ==
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| image1 = Isometric camera view 35.264 degrees color.png
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| caption1 = Isometric drawing of a cube
| image2 = Isometric camera location 35.264 degrees color.png
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| caption2 = Camera rotations needed to achieve this perspective
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{{comparison of graphical projections.svg|upright}}
The  term "isometric" comes from the [[Greek language|Greek]] for "equal measure", reflecting that the [[scale (measurement)|scale]] along each axis of the projection is the same (unlike some other forms of [[graphical projection]]).

An isometric view of an object can be obtained by choosing the viewing direction such that the angles between the projections of the ''x'', ''y'', and ''z'' [[coordinate axis|axes]] are all the same, or 120°. For example, with a cube, this is done by first looking straight towards one face. Next, the cube is rotated ±45° about the vertical axis, followed by a rotation of approximately 35.264° (precisely arcsin {{frac|1|{{sqrt|3}}}} or arctan {{frac|{{sqrt|2}}}}, which is related to the [[Magic angle]]) about the horizontal axis. Note that with the cube (see image) the perimeter of the resulting 2D drawing is a perfect regular hexagon: all the black lines have equal length and all the cube's faces are the same area. Isometric [[graph paper]] can be placed under a normal piece of drawing paper to help achieve the effect without calculation.

In a similar way, an ''isometric view'' can be obtained in a 3D scene. Starting with the camera aligned parallel to the floor and aligned to the coordinate axes, it is first rotated horizontally (around the vertical axis) by ±45°, then 35.264° around the horizontal axis.

Another way isometric projection can be visualized is by considering a view within a cubical room starting in an upper corner and looking towards the opposite, lower corner. The ''x''-axis extends diagonally down and right, the ''y''-axis extends diagonally down and left, and the ''z''-axis is straight up. Depth is also shown by height on the image. Lines drawn along the axes are at 120° to one another.

In all these cases, as with all [[axonometric projection|axonometric ]] and [[orthographic projections]], such a camera would need a [[Telecentric lens#Object-space telecentric lenses|object-space telecentric lens]], in order that projected lengths not change with distance from the camera.

The term "isometric" is often mistakenly used to refer to axonometric projections, generally. There are, however, actually three types of axonometric projections: ''isometric'', ''[[Dimetric projection|dimetric]]'' and ''[[Oblique projection|oblique]]''.