3D Basics
Global and Local Coordinates

 Each object in PiXELS3D has its own local coordinate system. When an object is created its center and orientation are the same as the world’s. As you move and rotate the object, this changes. The world’s center and orientation are still the same, but the object’s center and orientation may have changed.
Take a simple square for example. Say the upper-left corner is located at {-5,5,0}. When the object is first created, that point is the same in local and global coordinates because the object’s center is at {0,0,0}. If we move the object +7 along the x axis and +3 along the y axis, the upper-left corner would now be at {2,8,0} in global coordinates but would remain at {-5,5,0} in local coordinates—that is relative to the center of the object. In other words, any point can be specified relative to its object’s local coordinate system or relative to the global coordinate system shared by all objects.
Transformation

 The size, location and orientation of an object in 3D space is known as its ‘transformation’. When an object is first created, its transformation is set to align with the global coordinates. Its position is set to {0, 0, 0}, its size is set to {1, 1, 1} and its orientation is set to {0, 0, 0}. As you work with an object, these values can change.

Translation

This refers to an object’s position in space. There are three coordinates that define an object’s position (x,y,z). These coordinates represent where the center of an object is located.
Rotation

This refers to an object’s orientation in space. An object will rotate around its center, so moving an object’s center can change the way it rotates. There are three axis of rotation: x, y and z. To help you visualize this, imagine that each axis is a pole that your object is glued to. If you grip the pole between your forefinger and thumb and roll it back and forth, how will your object spin? This is the same rotation you can expect from PiXELS3D.