questions on mathematics of perspective projections

Question

In light of recent questions. Should we allow mathematics or computer graphics questions on this site?

Even if OP cross posts all of the questions here and in computer graphics? In my mind this is a clearly against the spirit of stackexhange.

On that note the general gist of the questions follows from i dont know maybe the fact that the asker does not understand the incompatibility of what a article on how drawing things is presented in art instructions and how ultimately programmers do it. It wouldnt really hurt us to allow a post that would ask a question in a manner that would both be instructional.

• Difference between 2D pipeline and 3D pipeline
• Why shearing multiplying by y?
• Special case of perspective projection
• Vanishing point in perspective projection

Answer 1

Graphic designers use mathematics all the time. Consciously or not. Arithmetic, algebra, vectors, Pythagoras theorem etc. But they also use a lot of other disciplines which are not in themselves directly linked to the craft of "graphic design". Like for example psychology and language.

I don't think I can formulate a strict rule, but in my opinion mathematics and computer graphics related questions should only be allowed if they somehow lead directly to some design solution or are needed for example to understand what happens in design applications. We have lots of those questions, which I think do belong here.

The "recent questions" you talk about do not seem to have that direct link to graphic design to me. They seem to come from a desire to understand the underlying mathematics of computer graphics. Not to use that knowledge to aid in creating graphic design, but rather perhaps to create the tools used by graphic designers. Other stacks must be a better fit for these questions.

It would be cool though if stacks somehow "advertised" questions in each others chat rooms instead of just migrating them (and if the chat rooms had more activity). I mean a question could be best suited for computergraphics.se, but best answered by a graphic designer who understands the theory and vice versa.

Answer 2

I generally agree with @Wolff 's answer .... it's about the why.

Why is the question posed?

• Is it to understand how to create or output a visual... then it's on topic.
• Is it to understand the underlying mathematical formula used in specific construction fo something... then it's off-topic and more computer science than design.

The linked to recent questions, in my opinion, are asking about math and seeking to understand the math... that's not graphic design. While designers certainly use math, they aren't mathematicians and don't often have years of experience with more complex mathematical formulas. Face it, 99% of graphic design merely employs basic high-school level mathematics. There are several other stacks with more expert math users which are better suited for such questions.

The key, to me, is that graphic design is about visuals. If the ultimate goal is to create a visual or configure a visual for reproduction/output then anything and everything is on topic. However, if the ultimate goal is to create a math formula then it's off topic.

It's akin to the software questions we do get here.. is it a "How do I do this in X?" or "AppX isn't working, how do I fix it?" - it's not always an immediately apparent line to those posing questions, but it's pretty definitive once you see it. Sure I can answer many of the tech support type of questions, but just because I can answer them it doesn't make them on-topic for this particular stack.

If I have an OS question.. I post on the stack related to my OS i.e. https://apple.stackexchange.com/ ... even though I use my Mac for Graphic Design. Just as if I had a math question, as it related to my work as a designer, I'd post on https://mathematica.stackexchange.com/ not here.