/ic/ - Artwork/Critique

>>2717745
The problem you are describing is essentially a perspective projection problem (ie how to "project" a 3D object onto a 2D surface). The fundamental objects of projection is the "center of projection", and the "plane of projection", these are keywords that computer graphics folks often use, but artists will know them as the "stationary point" and "picture plane", see pic related.

Artists solve the "projection problem" using construction and scaffolding like horizon lines, vanishing points, reference points, etc. Computer solve the "projection problem" by taking xyz matrices as input and input and spitting out xy matrices as output.

If you want to draw an arbitrary 3D object like a dodecahdron onto a 2D surface like a piece of paper -- with nothing but a pencil and ruler I'd imagine -- then you as a human are obliged to apply some form of construction artifacts. Maybe not horizon lines or vanishing points specifically, but a "scaffolding" of sorts will most certainly be necessary to consctruct your dodecahedron.

You could do it the way computers do it with a calculator (and a spare afternoon), but it will probably be more tedious. Before any kind of maths is done, you must first describe your dodecahedron in terms of its verticies, ie xyz coords.

I don't know of any resource that describes a technique that strikes a balance between being computationally heavy (matrices) and being "anthrocentric" (horizon lines, eye levels, etc), but I've dropped a bunch of keywords that should help you find the resources you're looking for.