As you should have noticed, all the shapes a drawn centered at (0,0,0), and a particular way up. To get them to where you want them and at the angle you want them you must use translations and rotations.

Rotation

This node is affected by the current cumulative rotation and translation values. This node allows you to rotate the axes of your world. It defines a rotation in 3D space on an author-defined axis about the origin. Rotations are cumulative (add up over time), instead of replacing the old rotation, so it is a good idea to use Separator nodes to destroy rotation data. Rotations affect future translations, so it is again a good idea to use Separator nodes. This node has one parameter which defines the axis of rotation (first three numbers), and the angle of rotation in radians (final number).

Parameter	Default Value	Data Type
rotation	0 0 1 0	Rotation

Example: rotation of 90 degrees about y axis.

Rotation {
	rotation 0 1 0 1.570796
}

Scale

This node is affected by the current cumulative rotation, translation and scale values. It defines a 3D scaling centered upon the origin. The parameter scaleFactor defines the scaling to be made, and this does not need to be uniform.

Parameter	Default Value	Data Type
scaleFactor	1 1 1	Vector3D

Example: stretch the x axis by a factor 2 and invert the z axis.

Scale {
	scaleFactor 2 1 -1
}

Translation

This node is affected by the current cumulative rotation, scale and translation values. It defines a 3D translation, given by the translation parameter.

Parameter	Default Value	Data Type
translation	0 0 0	Vector3D

Example: create a shiny red sphere at (4,3,2).

Material {
	diffuseColor 1 0 0
	shininess 0.7
}

Translation {
	translation 4 3 2
}

Sphere {}

Next Topic (DEF and USE)

Previous Topic (Materials and Separators)

Back to the VRML Reference

Back to the Main Page