Help on software implementation of gluLookAt()

My code is like the following. All the data are proven to be correct and the single SoftTranslatef() is also correct.

/**

  • Get the look at matrix and store it into the matrix.

  • NOTE : here the matrix is stored rather than multiplied.

  • eye_x : the x coordinate of the eye point.

  • eye_y : the y coordinate of the eye point.

  • eye_z : the z coordinate of the eye point.

  • center_x : the x coordinate of the center point.

  • center_y : the y coordinate of the center point.

  • center_z : the z coordinate of the center point.

  • up_x : the x coordiante of the up vector.

  • up_y : the y coordiante of the up vector.

  • up_z : the z coordiante of the up vector.

  • *m : the matrix to be stored.
    */
    void SoftGl::SoftLookAt(GLfloat eye_x, GLfloat eye_y, GLfloat eye_z,
    GLfloat center_x, GLfloat center_y, GLfloat center_z,
    GLfloat up_x, GLfloat up_y, GLfloat up_z, GLfloat *m)
    {
    GLfloat head_vector[3];
    GLfloat roll_vector[3];
    GLfloat up_vector[3];

    head_vector[0] = center_x - eye_x;
    head_vector[1] = center_y - eye_y;
    head_vector[2] = center_z - eye_z;

    up_vector[0] = up_x;
    up_vector[1] = up_y;
    up_vector[2] = up_z;

    //get the effect of rotate first
    GeoUtility::Normalize(head_vector);
    GeoUtility::Normalize(up_vector);
    GeoUtility::XProduct(head_vector, up_vector, roll_vector);
    GeoUtility::Normalize(roll_vector);

    memset(m, 0, 16 * sizeof(GLfloat));
    memcpy(m, roll_vector, 3 * sizeof(GLfloat));
    memcpy(m + 4, up_vector, 3 * sizeof(GLfloat));
    memcpy(m + 8, head_vector, 3 * sizeof(GLfloat));
    m[15] = 1;

    //then multiply the translation
    //notice that the translation is to the reverse direction
    SoftTranslatef(-eye_x, -eye_y, -eye_z, m);
    }

However, when I tried this code with a single translation to the positive direction of z axis, the [10] position of the matrix is -1, while the matrix got from OpenGL stack is 1.

Anyone can tell me what is the problem of the above code? I really was confused.

Thank you very much.

You can drop an eye in the glu library source code :wink: it’s available in most of the Mesa releases -> http://www.mesa3d.org
hth

well im not exactely recreating the look at function, but the class i implemented can create quite similar matrices:

TKoo3d<GLfloat> n;
TKoo3d<GLfloat> u;
TKoo3d<GLfloat> v;

n=viewDir.normalize();
u=(nupV).normalize();
v=n
u;

viewMatrix.v[0][0]=u.v[0]; viewMatrix.v[1][0]=u.v[1]; viewMatrix.v[2][0]=u.v[2];viewMatrix.v[3][0]=-pos.v[0];
viewMatrix.v[0][1]=v.v[0]; viewMatrix.v[1][1]=v.v[1]; viewMatrix.v[2][1]=v.v[2];viewMatrix.v[3][1]=-pos.v[1];
viewMatrix.v[0][2]=n.v[0]; viewMatrix.v[1][2]=n.v[1]; viewMatrix.v[2][2]=n.v[2];viewMatrix.v[3][2]=-pos.v[2];

the only thing to do to set the camera is to load the viewMatrix

oh and if the difference in your matrix is only a -1 instead of a 1 then maybe you should try to reverse some cross products (they arent kommutative (hope thats the right word in english ))

ps
btw are you assuming that head and up vector are always perpendicular?

[This message has been edited by Chuck0 (edited 02-22-2003).]