Matrix4 - Verge3D User Manual - Soft8Soft
Description: Learn how to use Matrix4 in your interactive 3D apps made with Verge3D

# Matrix4

A class representing a 4x4 matrix.

The most common use of a 4x4 matrix in 3D computer graphics is as a Transformation Matrix.

This allows a Vector3 representing a point in 3D space to undergo transformations such as translation, rotation, shear, scale, reflection, orthogonal or perspective projection and so on, by being multiplied by the matrix. This is known as applying the matrix to the vector.

Every Object3D has three associated 4x4 matrices:

- Object3D.matrix: This stores the local transform of the object. This is the object's transformation relative to its parent.
- Object3D.matrixWorld: The global or world transform of the object. If the object has no parent, then this is identical to the local transform stored in matrix.
- Object3D.modelViewMatrix: This represents the object's transformation relative to the camera's coordinate system. An object's modelViewMatrix is the object's matrixWorld pre-multiplied by the camera's matrixWorldInverse.

Cameras have three additional 4x4:

- Camera.matrixWorldInverse: The view matrix - the inverse of the Camera's matrixWorld.
- Camera.projectionMatrix: Represents the information how to project the scene to clip space.
- Camera.projectionMatrixInverse: The inverse of projectionMatrix.

Note: Object3D.normalMatrix is not a 4x4 matrix, but a 3x3 (Matrix3).

## A Note on Row-Major and Column-Major Ordering

The set() method takes arguments in row-major order, while internally they are stored in the elements array in column-major order.

This means that calling

`const m = new v3d.Matrix4(); m.set(11, 12, 13, 14, 21, 22, 23, 24, 31, 32, 33, 34, 41, 42, 43, 44);`

will result in the elements array containing:

`m.elements = [11, 21, 31, 41, 12, 22, 32, 42, 13, 23, 33, 43, 14, 24, 34, 44];`

and internally all calculations are performed using column-major ordering. However, as the actual ordering makes no difference mathematically and most people are used to thinking about matrices in row-major order, the Verge3D documentation shows matrices in row-major order. Just bear in mind that if you are reading the source code, you'll have to take the transpose of any matrices outlined here to make sense of the calculations.

## Extracting position, rotation and scale

There are several options available for extracting position, rotation and scale from a Matrix4.

- Vector3.setFromMatrixPosition: can be used to extract the translation component.
- Vector3.setFromMatrixScale: can be used to extract the scale component.
- Quaternion.setFromRotationMatrix, Euler.setFromRotationMatrix or extractRotation can be used to extract the rotation component from a pure (unscaled) matrix.
- decompose can be used to extract position, rotation and scale all at once.

## Constructor

### Matrix4()

Creates and initializes the Matrix4 to the 4x4 identity matrix.

## Properties

### # .elements : Array

A column-major list of matrix values.

## Methods

### # .clone() → Matrix4

Creates a new Matrix4 with identical elements to this one.

### # .compose(position : Vector3, quaternion : Quaternion, scale : Vector3) → this

Sets this matrix to the transformation composed of position, quaternion and scale.

### # .composeE(position : Vector3, euler : Euler, scale : Vector3) → this

Sets this matrix to the transformation composed of position, euler and scale.

### # .copy(m : Matrix4) → this

Copies the elements of matrix m into this matrix.

### # .copyPosition(m : Matrix4) → this

Copies the translation component of the supplied matrix m into this matrix's translation component.

### # .decompose(position : Vector3, quaternion : Quaternion, scale : Vector3) → this

Decomposes this matrix into its position, quaternion and scale components.

Note: Not all matrices are decomposable in this way. For example, if an object has a non-uniformly scaled parent, then the object's world matrix may not be decomposable, and this method may not be appropriate.

### # .decomposeE(position : Vector3, euler : Euler, scale : Vector3, order : String) → this

order — the rotation order in which `euler` will be decomposed from this matrix. Default is `euler._order`.

Decomposes this matrix into it's position, euler and scale components.

### # .determinant() → Float

Computes and returns the determinant of this matrix.

### # .equals(m : Matrix4) → Boolean

Return `true` if this matrix and m are equal.

### # .extractBasis(xAxis : Vector3, yAxis : Vector3, zAxis : Vector3) → this

Extracts the basis of this matrix into the three axis vectors provided. If this matrix is:

`a, b, c, d, e, f, g, h, i, j, k, l, m, n, o, p`

then the xAxis, yAxis, zAxis will be set to:

`xAxis = (a, e, i) yAxis = (b, f, j) zAxis = (c, g, k)`

### # .extractRotation(m : Matrix4) → this

Extracts the rotation component of the supplied matrix m into this matrix's rotation component.

### # .fromArray(array : Array, offset : Integer) → this

- array — the array to read the elements from.
- offset — (optional) offset into the array. Default is `0`.

Sets the elements of this matrix based on an array in column-major format.

### # .invert() → this

Inverts this matrix, using the analytic method.

You can not invert with a determinant of zero. If you attempt this, the method produces a zero matrix instead.

### # .getMaxScaleOnAxis() → Float

Gets the maximum scale value of the 3 axes.

### # .identity() → this

Resets this matrix to the identity matrix.

### # .lookAt(eye : Vector3, target : Vector3, up : Vector3) → this

Constructs a rotation matrix, looking from eye towards target oriented by the up vector.

### # .makeRotationAxis(axis : Vector3, theta : Float) → this

- axis — Rotation axis, should be normalized.
- theta — Rotation angle in radians.

Sets this matrix as rotation transform around axis by theta radians.

This is a somewhat controversial but mathematically sound alternative to rotating via Quaternions.

### # .makeBasis(xAxis : Vector3, yAxis : Vector3, zAxis : Vector3) → this

Set this materix to the basis matrix consisting of the three provided basis vectors:

`xAxis.x, yAxis.x, zAxis.x, 0, xAxis.y, yAxis.y, zAxis.y, 0, xAxis.z, yAxis.z, zAxis.z, 0, 0, 0, 0, 1`

### # .makePerspective(left : Float, right : Float, top : Float, bottom : Float, near : Float, far : Float) → this

Creates a perspective projection matrix. This is used internally by PerspectiveCamera.updateProjectionMatrix()

### # .makeOrthographic(left : Float, right : Float, top : Float, bottom : Float, near : Float, far : Float) → this

Creates an orthographic projection matrix. This is used internally by OrthographicCamera.updateProjectionMatrix().

### # .makeRotationFromEuler(euler : Euler) → this

Sets the rotation component (the upper left 3x3 matrix) of this matrix to the rotation specified by the given Euler Angle. The rest of the matrix is set to the identity. Depending on the order of the euler, there are six possible outcomes. See this page for a complete list.

### # .makeRotationFromQuaternion(q : Quaternion) → this

Sets the rotation component of this matrix to the rotation specified by q, as outlined here. The rest of the matrix is set to the identity. So, given q = w + xi + yj + zk, the resulting matrix will be:

`1-2y²-2z² 2xy-2zw 2xz+2yw 0 2xy+2zw 1-2x²-2z² 2yz-2xw 0 2xz-2yw 2yz+2xw 1-2x²-2y² 0 0 0 0 1`

### # .makeRotationX(theta : Float) → this

theta — rotation angle in radians.

Sets this matrix as a rotational transformation around the X axis by theta (θ) radians. The resulting matrix will be:

`1 0 0 0 0 cos(θ) -sin(θ) 0 0 sin(θ) cos(θ) 0 0 0 0 1`

### # .makeRotationY(theta : Float) → this

theta — rotation angle in radians.

Sets this matrix as a rotational transformation around the Y axis by theta (θ) radians. The resulting matrix will be:

`cos(θ) 0 sin(θ) 0 0 1 0 0 -sin(θ) 0 cos(θ) 0 0 0 0 1`

### # .makeRotationZ(theta : Float) → this

theta — rotation angle in radians.

Sets this matrix as a rotational transformation around the Z axis by theta (θ) radians. The resulting matrix will be:

`cos(θ) -sin(θ) 0 0 sin(θ) cos(θ) 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1`

### # .makeScale(x : Float, y : Float, z : Float) → this

- x — the amount to scale in the X axis.
- y — the amount to scale in the Y axis.
- z — the amount to scale in the Z axis.

Sets this matrix as scale transform:

`x, 0, 0, 0, 0, y, 0, 0, 0, 0, z, 0, 0, 0, 0, 1`

### # .makeShear(xy : Float, xz : Float, yx : Float, yz : Float, zx : Float, zy : Float) → this

- xy — the amount to shear X by Y.
- xz — the amount to shear X by Z.
- yx — the amount to shear Y by X.
- yz — the amount to shear Y by Z.
- zx — the amount to shear Z by X.
- zy — the amount to shear Z by Y.

Sets this matrix as a shear transform:

`1, yx, zx, 0, xy, 1, zy, 0, xz, yz, 1, 0, 0, 0, 0, 1`

### # .makeTranslation(x : Float, y : Float, z : Float) → this

- x — the amount to translate in the X axis.
- y — the amount to translate in the Y axis.
- z — the amount to translate in the Z axis.

Sets this matrix as a translation transform:

`1, 0, 0, x, 0, 1, 0, y, 0, 0, 1, z, 0, 0, 0, 1`

### # .multiply(m : Matrix4) → this

Post-multiplies this matrix by m.

### # .multiplyMatrices(a : Matrix4, b : Matrix4) → this

Sets this matrix to a x b.

### # .multiplyScalar(s : Float) → this

Multiplies every component of the matrix by a scalar value s.

### # .premultiply(m : Matrix4) → this

Pre-multiplies this matrix by m.

### # .scale(v : Vector3) → this

Multiplies the columns of this matrix by vector v.

### # .set(n11 : Float, n12 : Float, n13 : Float, n14 : Float, n21 : Float, n22 : Float, n23 : Float, n24 : Float, n31 : Float, n32 : Float, n33 : Float, n34 : Float, n41 : Float, n42 : Float, n43 : Float, n44 : Float) → this

Set the elements of this matrix to the supplied row-major values n11, n12, ... n44.

### # .setFromMatrix3(m : Matrix3) → this

Set the upper 3x3 elements of this matrix to the values of the Matrix3 m.

### # .setPosition(v : Vector3) → this

### # .setPosition(x : Float, y : Float, z : Float) → this // optional API

Sets the position component for this matrix from vector v, without affecting the rest of the matrix - i.e. if the matrix is currently:

`a, b, c, d, e, f, g, h, i, j, k, l, m, n, o, p`

This becomes:

`a, b, c, v.x, e, f, g, v.y, i, j, k, v.z, m, n, o, p`

### # .toArray(array : Array, offset : Integer) → Array

- array — (optional) array to store the resulting vector in.
- offset — (optional) offset in the array at which to put the result.

Writes the elements of this matrix to an array in column-major format.

### # .transpose() → this

Transposes this matrix.

## Source

For more info on how to obtain the source code of this module see this page.