From: horst.kraemer@snafu.de (Horst Kraemer)
Subject: Re: pitch and roll to euler rotations
Date: Sat, 13 Mar 1999 21:26:59 GMT
Newsgroups: sci.math

On 13 Mar 1999 15:43:22 GMT, Mark Hagerman
<mhagerman@worldnet.att.net> wrote:

> > Hello,
> >
> > does any one know how to convert pitch and roll to euler rotations?
> >
> > Graham
 
> I'm sorry, what's an Euler rotation? I can convert these to rotation
> matrices, if that's what you want.

EULER angles are a way to specify rotations by three subsequent
rotations around _two_ fixed coordinate axis in a constructive way.
The usual convention is z->x->z.

Example: you want to rotate the system x-y-z into the system x'-y'-z'.

1) Rotate the original system around its z-axis until its x-axis lies
in the plane x'y'. (precession angle)

2) Rotate the system around its (new) x-axis until its z-axis
coincides with the z'-axis. (nutation angle)

3) Rotate the system around its (new) z-axis until all three axis
coincide. (rotation angle)



Regards
Horst