Why did artists use pinhole cameras during the Renaissance?

During the Renaissance, artists used pinhole cameras, also known as camera obscura, as a tool for sketching and capturing perspective. This device allowed them to project images of the outside world onto a surface, helping them understand light, shadow, and the proportions of subjects. By providing a way to observe scenes accurately, pinhole cameras facilitated the transition to more realistic representations in art, contributing to the era's emphasis on realism and detail. Additionally, it served as an aid in the development of techniques such as linear perspective.