Page 6b -- 3D Pure Rotation Demonstration

Click on the screen for the 3D object to appear! Further instructions below.

INSTRUCTIONS:

First get an idea of the shape of this object. Drag or click the mouse in the display to change the object position. Note that the axis rotates with the body, representing the local coordinate system.

Enter a value for theta X, Y, or Z (in degrees) to witness a rotation about a single axis. Hit RETURN. (If the system seems to be running slowly, reload after entering rotation values.)

Now the axis remains stationary like the global coordinate system, with the x-axis directed to the right of the screen, and the y-axis pointed toward the top of your screen, and the z-axis coming out of the screen.

For more complex rotations, describe rotations about two or more axes. This applet is designed such that the sequence of rotations is about the x, y, and z-axes, respectively.

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This applet is intended to facilitate the understanding of the relationship between matrix manipulations and object rotations in three dimensions. The user should be able to develop the 3x3 matrix which corresponds to axis rotation given the description on the previous page.