A Self-Training Tool for Learning 3D Geometrical Transformations

Abstract

This paper presents a self-training tool for learning 3D geometric transformations, i.e. translation, scaling and rotation. Our aim is to provide students with a tool they can use to practise these transformations by themselves so that they can understand and learn how to use them. Its main feature is to show an animation of the geometrical transformation applied on a geometric primitive. This animation helps to comprehend the transformation more easily, as the student sees how the primitive changes its size, position and orientation. Furthermore, the teacher can also use it as a teaching aid to explain and solve exercises in class. The geometric primitives as well as the transformation parameters used in this tool are those provided by the GLUT library and the OpenGL standard. Moreover, one of the results the tool can also provide is the C source code of the scene for OpenGL programming, which is very useful if the student needs to learn to program OpenGL transformations. Finally, this tool has been made available to our students for three academic years, and they found it very useful.