Three-dimensional objects can be represented with the side elevation, front elevation, and top elevation (called plan) clearly indicated on a two-dimensional surface. We can then ask about the view from each of these elevations.

Worked example

Consider this solid formed from cubes:

What is the front view? We can colour the sides of the cubes that are facing the front to make an image like this:

We can now piece together the front view by joining the highlighted faces together:

Front view

We can do the same from above:

Looking up and over from the side, we can tell that this is the plan view:

Plan view

When thinking about the side view, we can again use the same trick:

However, this time there is a highlighted face that would be hidden from the side that we don't include:

Once we have identified this hidden side, we can draw the side view properly:

Side view

Viewing sloped and curved sides

Since the 2D views of a solid only show what the solid looks like directly from one angle, these views cannot show depth like how a 3D view can.

For example, if we look at this hexagonal prism from the front, we will be able to see these three faces.

The faces visible from the front view of the hexagonal prism

However, two of these faces are sloped and will appear thinner in the front view than they actually are. As a result, the front view will look like this:

The front view of the hexagonal prism

This is because the sloped sides aren't as wide when viewed directly from the front. As is shown in the diagram below, the distance between the two ends of the sloped sides is closer together when viewed from the front because the 2D view doesn't show that one end is further away than the other.

Looking at sloped sides directly

For a similar reason, the side view of a cylinder will look like a rectangle:


3D view	Side View

Curved sides in 3D will always look flat in a 2D view.

Looking at curved sides directly

Viewing other sides

A 2D view might also show a side that we can't see from the 3D view.

When looking at a triangular prism from the 3D view, we notice that we can only see two of the five faces. The bottom and back faces of the prism won't show up on any of our 2D views but the last hidden face will be visible from the top view.