2.5D VFX Tutorials?

[FalTorPan]

A fairly common visual effects technique is "2.5D." It basically involves taking a painting or photo or some other 2D image, making simple 3D geometry which roughly resembles the basic elements of the 2D image, and then projecting the 2D image onto the 3D geometry, so that a virtual camera can move some limited amount in what appears to be a fully 3D scene.

Has anyone tried creating this sort of effect? Would anyone recommend any tutorials about how to create this effect? Thanks in advance!

 

[ST-One]

Mhmm... while I haven't used this method to animate something, I used it to place Dennis' Phoenix in this picture...

 

[B.J.]

Google Sketchup has a built-in function (even in the free version) where you can "match a photo". The official site has a mini tutorial, and you can find many other on the web if you search for "sketchup photo matching" or "sketchup match a photo".