rmat
rmat "m0 m1 m2 ... m15"RMAT(nged)
NAME
rmat - get or set the view rotation matrix
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SYNOPSIS
DESCRIPTION
The rmat command gets or sets the current view rotation matrix as a 16-element space-separated floating-point string.
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No arguments: Returns the current view rotation as a 16-element string representing the 4×4 rotation matrix in row-major order.
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One argument: Sets the view rotation from the provided 16-element space-separated string. The string must decode to exactly 16 values. The view is updated immediately after the change.
The rotation matrix controls how model space is oriented in the view — which direction is "up", "forward", etc. It is the same rotation used by quat and ae, but expressed directly as a matrix rather than as a quaternion or azimuth/elevation angles. Use this command to inspect the raw matrix or to set a custom rotation that was computed externally.
The set form accepts the matrix as a single quoted string. Providing more than one argument returns a usage error.
EXAMPLES
Example 1. Retrieve the current rotation matrix
mged> rmat
Returns the current 16-element view rotation matrix, e.g. 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 for the identity (no rotation).
Example 2. Round-trip: capture and restore rotation
mged> set m [rmat] mged> ae 35 25 mged> rmat $m
Saves the current rotation matrix, changes to a 35/25 azimuth-elevation view, then restores the original matrix directly.
Example 3. Set the identity rotation (front view)
mged> rmat "1 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1"
Sets the view rotation to the identity matrix — the default front-facing orientation with no rotation applied.
AUTHOR
BRL-CAD Team
BUG REPORTS
Reports of bugs or problems should be submitted via electronic mail to devs@brlcad.org