Multiple vanishing points and the diagonal construction method

Zero Vanishing-Point Construction Viator (Jean Pélerin), (1505)

Viator's diagram reveals how accurate local perspective of a flat pavement may have been constructed without knowledge of vanishing points.

The zero-vanishing-point method starts with a trapezoid. Equal intervals are measured across the top and bottom. Connecting the equal intervals top to bottom generates the receding lines in accurate perspective. The placement of the transversal lines is found by drawing a diagonal line across the corners. Each transversal is then placed at the intersection with the diagonal. Fully accurate perspective is this pavimento achieved without the need to use or even conceptualize a vanishing point. The same approach could be used to design the perspective geometry for the paneling on a wall.

The reconstructed vanishing points of the two regions constructed with the zero-vanishing-point method are very unlikely to coincide, unless the artist was aware of the need for convergence to a single point. This therefore provides a non-optical explanation for discrepancies in vanishing points.