Impossible Dice Triangle Illusion

Peter Blair found this one yesterday on the Sun’s Viral. As you see it’s “pretty impossible” object constructed in real life. We already explained how these strange triangles work, especially good explanation can be seen through this rotational animation, but somehow I can’t find the connecting line in the dice below? If we could only rotate the picture, it would be much easier. Can someone spot where the dice “appear” to connect? Please help me with this one.

Dozen more similar and impossible constructions are categorized in impossible objects category. You can browse them all very quickly, and post your opinion on the best shape. Also, please share this illusion link on other web sites you visit…

71 Replies to “Impossible Dice Triangle Illusion”

  1. it looks liek the connection line is between the 3 and the 2 going from left to right on the top row. i say this because the 2 and others are lighter then the 3 and 5 on the left side

  2. i Think the dice were placed on a piece of glass and then the photo was taken through that piece of glass… if that makes sense

  3. It might be two images pasted togeher in photoshop. The dice that form the top portion are a little bit whiter than the dice that form the bottom part.

  4. GLUE! he glued one dice to the one that sticks up from teh ground…and got an angle so that it looks like it is impossible. or photoshop ftwz.

  5. Thats awesome!!!!! but i think somehow, the vertical line of dice ends at the bottom right…if u see wut i mean…

  6. Another possible give-a-way is that the two top dice with the #2 facing out are slightly different sizes, indicating the top one is further away (i.e. behind, on the ground, and smaller) than the bottom one (larger, and hence part of the vertical column).

  7. After downloading this image and loading it up in Adobe Photoshop CII I found that if you bring the curves down there is an obvious detection of color shifts in the dice that have been added.

    At the top middle( starting at die with 2 on top) procedded by 3 then 4 then go down reading dice numbered on right: 2,5 and then 2. This is the string that has apperently been altered in this image. I hope this helps. I was unable to upload my jpeg to this blog. If you have an editing program you can see the difference with brightness/contrast or curves. Cheers

  8. The three dice on the right side have been added (in photoshop or something like it) — you can tell because they are slightly larger than the “real” dice, and also a different color. The other two sides anyone can build… get nine dice and try it.

    FYI: the word is “dice”, not “dices”. “Dice” is plural of “die”. One die, two dice. :o)

  9. Don’t know about how it was done but please, people its one “die” and many “dice”. You can not say dices. Dice is the plural of die.

    Thank you.

  10. look at the numbers on the dive if you want to be sure [take a real dice and make sure that at all the number locations are possible to make sure that they didnt photo shop or use any photograph tricks

  11. After looking at the large version, I agree that this image has been photoshopped. The top right two–and maybe the one next to them–are definitely different from the other dice. I thought at first they just used a different type of die(maybe they ran out of Brand A and started using Brand B) but the more I look, the less convinced I am that this is real.

  12. Grrr… nice brainbreaking dizzy dicey… I agree with SparkBugg, there are suspect size differences, although it’s not enough to explain it all. One of the dices, as seen in rotational animation should be literally CUT by half in order to see through it the dice further behind it. Otherwise, if not cut, one of the dices would cover another. The cut dice must be a bigger dice contacting a small dice, I bet for the upper 2/6 big dice touching one of the 3/5 small dices. The step in the shadow behind could confirm it.

  13. I agree with post 12, you can also look at the dice he mentioned, the dice on the right side in the vertical line, numbers 2,5,2 are larger than the dice on top(4,2) and below(2,1) it. You can actually see the second from bottom(dice 3,2) taking up room on the next dice(3).

    The “<" shape is one image and the "|"(middle 3 dice) are another image photoshopped together.

  14. I think the three dice in the middle of the vertical row are added. Their shadow isn’t big enough and don’t look real in my opinion. Those three dice seem too big either, in comparison to the others.

  15. the three vertical dices are diferent from the others, could this be a fake ilusion made in photoshop?

  16. Are you folks kidding me ?!? As a Photoshop junkie I assure you this is photoshopped. I think Esher did this one originally, it’s virtually impossible to build out real dice. Nice photoshop work, I’m impressed!

  17. You guys ruin all the fun with your glue and Photoshop. I think that the dice on the top from the four on the right to the five on the leftare on the floor, and perpendicular to that is the row on the bottom from the six to the two, also on the floor. The die with the two and three and the die with the four and five are stacked on top of the die with the two and one. They look bigger because they are closer. the final die, with the two and the six, is a fake or a cutout.

    when this photo was taken from the perfect angle, the two topmost dice line up with the fake die, and creates the illusion of an impossible triangle

  18. Simple, if the lighting was the same (making it the same picture no edits), then the top of the top row of dice would not be shadowed. The right and bottom rows hint that the light source is coming from the top right, eliminating the possiblity that the top row can have shadows on the top.

  19. the dividing line is between the three and the two (from left to right) on the top row. The 3, 5, 6, 1, and 2 have shadows cast on them and the 2, 3, 4, etc. do not. It is possible that this image wasn’t photoshopped, so don’t be negative because you couldn’t spot how the illusion was made.

  20. Based on how the shadows are it looks like the straight up column on the right is in front and then starting at the bottom of that column it goes back at a NW direction and then at the next corner it turns northeast and the dice with the 3 on top and to the right were its 4 is where they “dont connect” but based on the angle that the picture was taken it looks like they do. THe illusion.

  21. this can be made very easily.I made one at school when I was about 13. you have to use glue. I even had to glue mine to a board because it would not stand up unaided.

  22. You guys have got way too much time on your hands. I am pleased to see, however, that a few of you are smart enough to know that dice is the plural of die.

    It is a pretty cool effect, though.

  23. why do you people ALWAYS think photoshop on almost every one atleast 1 person post’s it is photoshop or something

  24. Differences in the size and color of the dice aren’t enough arguments to conclude that the image is photoshoped. Most packages come with 6 dice and there are in fact 2 different groups of identical 6 dice each in the photo.
    But I still can’t explain how the illusion was made.

  25. Actually, did you notice the shading on the top left rows second and third (third and fourth by counting from the right)? It is different. I also rock at breaking illusions and HOWMADETHEYARE.

  26. Its called a penrose triangle. If you have three rectangles equal lentgh at 90 degrees apart offset by 90 degrees. If you get at the right angle, you will see this yourself. Its hard to explain, but go to wikipedia and look it up. It will explain it better.

  27. I saw an ad on Facebook saying “how many dice are in this picture? 91% of Americans get this question wrong!” But I didn’t want to give them my email so I could take the gay little test. Can someone please tell me how there are NOT 12 dice in this picture? Is it just something really stupid like “LOLOL there are 4 dice HIDDEN BEHIND THE OTHERS of course, LOLOLOLOL!”

  28. Given that the di must be glued for them to stand the correct number of di for this to stand is 13. Since the three di on the top row (2,3,4) must be balanced by those on the bottom (5,3) there must be at least one hidden beneath di with 2 dots showing (sitting next to di with 3 dots). The row of di that connects the top and bottom rows are numbered (L2R and on their left side: 6,3,2,3,2.
    The magic “line” is fairly easy to see between di number 3 and 2. Di 3 is slightly shaded and 2 not at all because it is on top in direct light.

    1. tilt you head 90degrees so the right side is now bottom then if you shined a light for there you could recreatethis

  29. I think this one must be photoshopped. Just cause where are you suppose to half a die so that the other end of the supposedly connecting line looks like they connect.

  30. This is ‘shopped. Notice how the scale of the top-right die is so different from the die immediately under it. This is because the die “under” it is closer to the camera in its own shot.

    That kind of spoils this image. It’d be much better if a depth-flattening lens were used to make this less apparent or slightly smaller dice were used going up the column to make the effect less noticeable.

    Actually, you can even see a bit of depth of field blurring on those too-close-to-be-behind-that-other-one dice. Still, a nice image.

  31. Not photoshopped. Two left lines of dice are on the counter. Right column is vertical with the top di (2 & 6) cut out in the perfect shape such that you can see the whole dice behind it (4 & 2 showing).

  32. This is probably based on M.C. Escher’s “Watermill”. I cant find the link but u can always google it if you want to see something like this…

  33. Fake notice how the shading with the down column five and the top across five have the same exact effect goin in the black different angles would mean dug lighting plus there warped

  34. The images are manipulated. The top corner is a faded distortion, and the images are overlapped very, very, VERY well.

  35. all opposite numbers of a die equal 6 so sides 2+4 cannot be together this is where the join is but i cant see how it was positioned

  36. In my opinion only 1 dice is tweaked. That dice is the key to overall illusion. Its located at the top-right (with 3/5 dots). The rest are normally placed.

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