Chapter 3: Spatial descriptions &

transformations
- Object location in space specified by location of a
selected point on it and orientation of the object.
- A coordinate system
(frame) is attached
rigidly to the object.
Then proceed to
describe the position and
orientation of this frame
with respect to some
reference coordinate
system.
 C.B. Pham 3-1
 3.1. Descriptions: positions, orientations,
and frames
Description of a position
Once a coordinate system is established, any point in the
universe can be located with a 3  1 position vector.

 C.B. Pham 3-2

 3.1. Descriptions: positions, orientations,
and frames

 C.B. Pham 3-3

 3.1. Descriptions: positions, orientations,
and frames
Description of an orientation
-The complete location of the hand is still not specified until
its orientation is also given.
- A coordinate system (B) has
been attached to the body in a
known way. A description of {B}
relative to (A) now suffices to give
the orientation of the body.

 C.B. Pham 3-4

 3.1. Descriptions: positions, orientations,
and frames
Note: Rotation matrix are simply the projections of a frame
onto another frame.
• Projections of
{B} onto {A}:

• Projections of
{A} onto {B}:

 C.B. Pham 3-5

 3.1. Descriptions: positions, orientations,
and frames
Example:

 C.B. Pham 3-6

 3.1. Descriptions: positions, orientations,
and frames

Note: In a rotation matrix, rows / columns are orthogornal

unit vectors.

 C.B. Pham 3-7

 3.1. Descriptions: positions, orientations,
and frames
Example: Determine missing elements in the following
rotation matrix.

From properties of rotation matrix:

 C.B. Pham 3-8

 3.1. Descriptions: positions, orientations,
and frames

 C.B. Pham 3-9

 3.1. Descriptions: positions, orientations,
and frames
Description of a frame
A frame is a coordinate system where, in addition to the
orientation, we give a position vector which locates its
origin relative to some other embedding frame.

 C.B. Pham 3-10

 3.2. Mappings from frame to frame
- It is concerned how to express the same quantity in terms
of various reference coordinate systems.

• Mappings involving translated frames

 C.B. Pham 3-11

 3.2. Mappings from frame to frame

• Mappings involving rotated frames

 C.B. Pham 3-12

 3.2. Mappings from frame to frame

Example: Determine AP. Given that a frame {B} is rotated

relative to frame {A} about 𝑍 by 30 degrees, with:

Rotation matrix

 C.B. Pham 3-13

 3.2. Mappings from frame to frame

• Mappings involving general frames

 C.B. Pham 3-14

 3.2. Mappings from frame to frame

Generally, it is desired to think of a mapping from one

frame to another as an operator in matrix form.

    
 A P  A
R A
PBORG   B P 
  B

    
    
 1  0 0 0 1  1 
(4  1) (4  4) (4  1)

The 4 x 4 matrix above is called a homogeneous transform.

 C.B. Pham 3-15
 3.2. Mappings from frame to frame

Example: A frame {B} is rotated relative to frame {A} about

𝑍 by 300, translated 10 units in 𝑋𝐴 , 5 units in 𝑌𝐴 . Determine
AP, given BP = [3.0 7.0 0.0]T

 C.B. Pham 3-16

 3.3. Operators: translation, rotation, &
transformation

The same mathematical forms used to map points between

frames can also be interpreted as operators that translate
points, rotate vectors, or do both.
• Translational operators
A translation moves a
point in space a finite
distance along a given
vector direction.

 C.B. Pham 3-17

 3.3. Operators: translation, rotation, &
transformation
To write this translation operation as a matrix operator:

where q is the signed magnitude of the translation along

the vector direction 𝑄.

The DQ operator may be thought

of as a homogeneous transform
of a special simple form.

where qx, qy, and qz are the components of the translation

vector 𝑄.
 C.B. Pham 3-18
 3.3. Operators: translation, rotation, &
transformation
• Rotational operators
Another interpretation of a rotation matrix is as a rotational
operator that operates on a vector AP1 and changes that
vector to a new vector, AP2, by means of a rotation, R.

In this notation, "RK()" is a rotational operator that

performs a rotation about the axis direction 𝐾 by  degrees.
This operator can be written as a homogeneous transform
whose position-vector part is zero.

 C.B. Pham 3-19

 3.3. Operators: translation, rotation, &
transformation

 C.B. Pham 3-20

 3.3. Operators: translation, rotation, &
transformation

Example: Given AP1 = [0.0 2.0 0.0]T. Compute AP2 obtained

by rotating AP1 about 𝑍 by 30 degrees.

 C.B. Pham 3-21

 3.3. Operators: translation, rotation, &
transformation
• Transformation operators
A frame has another interpretation as a transformation
operator. In this interpretation, only one coordinate system
is involved, and so the symbol T is used without sub- or
superscripts. The operator T rotates and translates a vector
AP to compute a new vector AP .
1 2

 C.B. Pham 3-22

 Summary of interpretations

As a general tool to represent

 
frames, a homogeneous transform 
has been introduced. That is a 4 x 4 
A
B R A
PBORG 
matrix containing orientation and  
position information.  
0 0 0 1 
There are three interpretations of
this homogeneous transform:
• A description of a frame - describes the frame {B}
relative to the frame {A}:
• A transform mapping:
• A transform operator:
 C.B. Pham 3-23
 3.4. Transformation arithmetic

Compound transformations

 
 A
R CBR A B
R P  A
P 
CT 
A  B B CORG BORG 

 
 
0 0 0 1 
 C.B. Pham 3-24
 3.4. Transformation arithmetic

Inverting a transform  
 A
R A
PBORG 
BT 
A  B

 
 
0 0 0 1 

We have:

 C.B. Pham 3-25

 3.4. Transformation arithmetic

 
 A
RT  BART A PBORG 
AT 
B  B

 
 
0 0 0 1 
Example: Frame {B} is
rotated relative to frame
{A} about 𝑍 by 300, and
translated 4 units in 𝑋𝐴
and 3 units in 𝑌𝐴 .
 C.B. Pham 3-26
 3.4. Transformation arithmetic

Determine:

Solution:

 C.B. Pham 3-27

 3.4. Transformation arithmetic

Transform equations

 C.B. Pham 3-28

 3.5. More on representation of orientation

For a rotation matrix R

• 9 elements

• 6 constraints

R is conveniently specified with three parameters

 C.B. Pham 3-29

 3.5. More on representation of orientation

Example: Consider two rotations, one about X by 300, and

one about Z by 300.

 C.B. Pham 3-30

 3.5. More on representation of orientation

Note:

 C.B. Pham 3-31

 roll-pitch-yaw (X - Y - Z fixed angles)

Start with the frame {B} coincident with a known reference

frame {A}.

• Rotate {B} first about X̂ Aby an angle  (roll)

• Then, rotate {B} about ŶA by an angle  (pitch)
 C.B. Pham • Finally, rotate {B} about Ẑ Aan angle  (yaw) 3-32
 roll-pitch-yaw (X - Y - Z fixed angles)

 C.B. Pham 3-33

 Z-Y-X Euler angles

Start with the frame {B} coincident with a known reference

frame {A}.

• Rotate {B} first about Ẑ B by an angle 

• Then, rotate {B} about ŶB by an angle 
 C.B. Pham • Finally, rotate {B} about X̂ B by an angle  3-34
 Z-Y-X Euler angles

 C.B. Pham 3-35

 Solution for  /  / 

If

If

 C.B. Pham 3-36

 Equivalent angle - axis

Start with the frame

{B} coincident with a
known frame {A}; then
rotate {B} about the
vector A K̂ by an angle
 according to the
right-hand rule.

 C.B. Pham 3-37

 Equivalent angle - axis

A general orientation of {B} relative to {A} may be written as

or

Where

If

 C.B. Pham 3-38

 Equivalent angle - axis

Example: A frame {B) is described as initially coincident

with {A}. We then rotate {B} about the vector (passing
ˆ  [0.7070 0.707 0.0]T by an amount 
through the origin) A K
= 30 degrees. Give the frame description of {B}.

 C.B. Pham 3-39

 Equivalent angle - axis

A frame {B} is described as

initially coincident with {A).
Then {B} is rotated about the
vector A Kˆ  [0.7070 0.707 0.0]T
(passing through the point AP
= [1.0 2.0 3.0]) by an amount
 = 300.

Give the frame

description of {B}.

 C.B. Pham 3-40

 Equivalent angle - axis

Solution: define two new frames {A’} and {B’} so that their
origins are at AP = [1.0 2.0 3.0]T and

 C.B. Pham 3-41

 Equivalent angle - axis

We have

 C.B. Pham 3-42

 3.6. Line vector vs. Free vector

The term line vector refers to a vector that is dependent on

its line of action, along with direction and magnitude, for
causing its effects.

 C.B. Pham 3-43

 3.6. Line vector vs. Free vector

A free vector refers to a vector that may be positioned

anywhere in space without loss or change of meaning,
provided that magnitude and direction are preserved.

𝐴
𝑉 = 𝐵𝐴𝑅 𝐵𝑉
 C.B. Pham 3-44