Math::CalculatePrincipalAxes

Defined in: C4Computation.h

Calculates the principal axes for an arbitrary set of points.

Prototype

void CalculatePrincipalAxes(int32 vertexCount, const Point3D *vertex, Point3D *center, Vector3D *axis);

Parameters

`vertexCount`	The number of vertices.
`vertex`	An array of vertices whose size is given by the `vertexCount` parameter.
`center`	A pointer to a location in which the average position of the vertices is returned.
`axis`	An array of three vectors in which the principal axes are returned.

Description

The CalculatePrincipalAxes function uses principal component analysis to calculate the machine axes for an arbitrary set of points. The vertexCount parameter specifies how many points are in the array specified by the vertex parameter. The Point3D object pointed to by the center parameter receives the average position of all the vertices. The three principal axes (which are orthogonal) are returned in the array of Vector3D objects specified by the axis parameter. The primary axis is stored in axis[0], the second most dominant axis is stored in axis[1], and the least dominant axis is stored in axis[2].