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Three-dimensional illusory contours and surfaces

Nature volume 360, pages 585–587 (1992)Cite this article

Abstract

UNDER general viewing conditions, objects are often partially camouflaged, obscured or occluded, thereby limiting information about their three-dimensional position, orientation and shape to incomplete and variable image cues. When presented with such partial cues, observers report perceiving 'illusory' contours and surfaces (forms) in regions having no physical image contrast1–7. Here we report that three-dimensional illusory forms share three fundamental properties with 'real' forms: (1) the same forms are perceived using either stereo or motion parallax cues (cue invariance8,9); (2) they retain their shape over changes in position and orientation relative to an observer (view stability10); and (3) they can take the shape of general contours and surfaces in three dimensions11 (morphic generality). We hypothesize that illusory contours and surfaces are manifestations of a previously unnoticed visual process which constructs a representation of three-dimensional position, orientation and shape of objects from available image cues.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. The Salk Institute VCL, PO Box 85800, San Diego, California, 92186, USA

    George J. Carman

  2. University of California, San Diego, California, 92093, USA

    Leslie Welch

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  1. George J. Carman
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  2. Leslie Welch
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Carman, G., Welch, L. Three-dimensional illusory contours and surfaces. Nature 360, 585–587 (1992). https://doi.org/10.1038/360585a0

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