About 2 days ago I decided to write code to explicitly calculate the Model-View-Projection ("MVP") matrix to understand how it worked. Since then I've had nothing but trouble, seemingly because of the projection matrix I'm using.
Working with an iPhone display, I create a screen centered square described by these 4 corner vertices:
const CGFloat cy = screenHeight/2.0f;
const CGFloat z = -1.0f;
const CGFloat dim = 50.0f;
vxData[0] = cx-dim;
vxData[1] = cy-dim;
vxData[2] = z;
vxData[3] = cx-dim;
vxData[4] = cy+dim;
vxData[5] = z;
vxData[6] = cx+dim;
vxData[7] = cy+dim;
vxData[8] = z;
vxData[9] = cx+dim;
vxData[10] = cy-dim;
vxData[11] = z;
Since I am using OGLES 2.0 I pass the MVP as a uniform to my vertex shader, then simply apply the transformation to the current vertex position:
uniform mat4 mvp;
attribute vec3 vpos;
void main()
{
gl_Position = mvp * vec4(vpos, 1.0);
}
For now I have simplified my MVP to just be the P matrix. There are two projection matrices listed in the code shown below. The first is the standard perspective projection matrix, and the second is an explicit-value projection matrix I found online.
CGRect screenBounds = [[UIScreen mainScreen] bounds];
const CGFloat screenWidth = screenBounds.size.width;
const CGFloat screenHeight = screenBounds.size.height;
const GLfloat n = 0.01f;
const GLfloat f = 100.0f;
const GLfloat fov = 60.0f * 2.0f * M_PI / 360.0f;
const GLfloat a = screenWidth/screenHeight;
const GLfloat d = 1.0f / tanf(fov/2.0f);
// Standard perspective projection.
GLKMatrix4 projectionMx = GLKMatrix4Make(d/a, 0.0f, 0.0f, 0.0f,
0.0f, d, 0.0f, 0.0f,
0.0f, 0.0f, (n+f)/(n-f), -1.0f,
0.0f, 0.0f, (2*n*f)/(n-f), 0.0f);
// The one I found online.
GLKMatrix4 projectionMx = GLKMatrix4Make(2.0f/screenWidth,0.0f,0.0f,0.0f,
0.0f,2.0f/-screenHeight,0.0f,0.0f,
0.0f,0.0f,1.0f,0.0f,
-1.0f,1.0f,0.0f,1.0f);
When using the explicit value matrix, the square renders exactly as desired in the centre of the screen with correct dimension. When using the perspective projection matrix, nothing is displayed on-screen. I've done printouts of the position values generated for screen centre (screenWidth/2, screenHeight/2, 0) by the perspective projection matrix and they're enormous. The explicit value matrix correctly produces zero.
I think the explicit value matrix is an orthographic projection matrix - is that right? My frustration is that I can't work out why my perspective projection matrix fails to work.
I'd be tremendously grateful if someone could help me with this problem. Many thanks.
UPDATE For Christian Rau:
#define Zn 0.0f
#define Zf 100.0f
#define PRIMITIVE_Z 1.0f
//...
CGRect screenBounds = [[UIScreen mainScreen] bounds];
const CGFloat screenWidth = screenBounds.size.width;
const CGFloat screenHeight = screenBounds.size.height;
//...
glUseProgram(program);
//...
glViewport(0.0f, 0.0f, screenBounds.size.width, screenBounds.size.height);
//...
const CGFloat cx = screenWidth/2.0f;
const CGFloat cy = screenHeight/2.0f;
const CGFloat z = PRIMITIVE_Z;
const CGFloat dim = 50.0f;
vxData[0] = cx-dim;
vxData[1] = cy-dim;
vxData[2] = z;
vxData[3] = cx-dim;
vxData[4] = cy+dim;
vxData[5] = z;
vxData[6] = cx+dim;
vxData[7] = cy+dim;
vxData[8] = z;
vxData[9] = cx+dim;
vxData[10] = cy-dim;
vxData[11] = z;
//...
const GLfloat n = Zn;
const GLfloat f = Zf;
const GLfloat fov = 60.0f * 2.0f * M_PI / 360.0f;
const GLfloat a = screenWidth/screenHeight;
const GLfloat d = 1.0f / tanf(fov/2.0f);
GLKMatrix4 projectionMx = GLKMatrix4Make(d/a, 0.0f, 0.0f, 0.0f,
0.0f, d, 0.0f, 0.0f,
0.0f, 0.0f, (n+f)/(n-f), -1.0f,
0.0f, 0.0f, (2*n*f)/(n-f), 0.0f);
//...
// ** Here is the matrix you recommended, Christian:
GLKMatrix4 ts = GLKMatrix4Make(2.0f/screenWidth, 0.0f, 0.0f, -1.0f,
0.0f, 2.0f/screenHeight, 0.0f, -1.0f,
0.0f, 0.0f, 1.0f, 0.0f,
0.0f, 0.0f, 0.0f, 1.0f);
GLKMatrix4 mvp = GLKMatrix4Multiply(projectionMx, ts);
UPDATE 2
The new MVP code:
GLKMatrix4 ts = GLKMatrix4Make(2.0f/screenWidth, 0.0f, 0.0f, -1.0f,
0.0f, 2.0f/-screenHeight, 0.0f, 1.0f,
0.0f, 0.0f, 1.0f, 0.0f,
0.0f, 0.0f, 0.0f, 1.0f);
// Using Apple perspective, view matrix generators
// (I can solve bugs in my own implementation later..!)
GLKMatrix4 _p = GLKMatrix4MakePerspective(60.0f * 2.0f * M_PI / 360.0f,
screenWidth / screenHeight,
Zn, Zf);
GLKMatrix4 _mv = GLKMatrix4MakeLookAt(0.0f, 0.0f, 1.0f,
0.0f, 0.0f, -1.0f,
0.0f, 1.0f, 0.0f);
GLKMatrix4 _mvp = GLKMatrix4Multiply(_p, _mv);
GLKMatrix4 mvp = GLKMatrix4Multiply(_mvp, ts);
Still nothing visible at the screen centre, and the transformed x,y coordinates of the screen centre are not zero.
UPDATE 3
Using the transpose of ts instead in the above code works! But the square no longer appears square; it appears to now have aspect ratio screenHeight/screenWidth i.e. it has a longer dimension parallel to the (short) screen width, and a shorter dimension parallel to the (long) screen height.
I'd very much like to know (a) why the transpose is required and whether it is a valid fix, (b) how to correctly rectify the non-square dimension, and (c) how this additional matrix transpose(ts) that we use fits into the transformation chain of Viewport * Projection * View * Model * Point .
For (c): I understand what the matrix does, i.e. the explanation by Christian Rau as to how we transform to range [-1, 1]. But is it correct to include this additional work as a separate transformation matrix, or should some part of our MVP chain be doing this work instead?
Sincere thanks go to Christian Rau for his valuable contribution thus far.
UPDATE 4
My question about "how ts fits in" is silly isn't it - the whole point is the matrix is only needed because I'm choosing to use screen coordinates for my vertices; if I were to use coordinates in world space from the start then this work wouldn't be needed!
Thanks Christian for all your help, it's been invaluable :) Problem solved.
