VR tech 411 : 6DoF, XYZ + YPR, position + orientation in 3space

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I’ve spent so many cycles describing this gesturally to so many people, I’m considering getting this tattooed on my chest. To avert that, here is the diagram, liberally adapted, corrected, and upgraded from the Oculus Developer Guide:

We present to you, the standard coordinate 3-space system:

dSky-Oculus-XYZ-YPR position orientation diagram

POSITION is listed as a set of coordinates :

  • X is left / right
  • Y is up / down
  • Z is forward / back

ORIENTATION is represented as a quaternion* (later). Simply:

  • Pitch is leaning forward / back (X axis rotation)
  • Yaw is rotating left / right (Y axis rotation / compass orientation)
  • Roll is spinning clockwise / counterclockwise (Z axis rotation)

Now there, all clear. You’re welcome.

 

Further clarifications:

* a quaternion is a very special (and generally non-human readable) way of representing 3-dimensional orientation reference as a 4-dimensional number (X, Y, Z, W) in order to correct for strange behaviours encountered when rotating 3d objects.

* 6DoF is an acronym for “six degrees of freedom”. It is generally used in talking about input devices which allow a user to control position and orientation simultaneously, such as head trackers, playstation Moves, razer Hydras, Sixense STEMs, etc.

 

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