What is math.gl?
math.gl is a suite of JavaScript libraries designed for high-precision mathematical computations, particularly in the context of computer graphics and geospatial applications. It provides a range of utilities for vector and matrix operations, geospatial transformations, and more.
What are math.gl's main functionalities?
Vector Operations
math.gl provides a comprehensive set of vector operations. This example demonstrates how to create vectors and perform addition.
const {Vector3} = require('math.gl');
const v1 = new Vector3(1, 2, 3);
const v2 = new Vector3(4, 5, 6);
const v3 = v1.add(v2);
console.log(v3); // Vector3 { x: 5, y: 7, z: 9 }
Matrix Operations
math.gl supports various matrix operations. This example shows how to create identity and translation matrices and multiply them.
const {Matrix4} = require('math.gl');
const m1 = new Matrix4().identity();
const m2 = new Matrix4().translate([1, 2, 3]);
const m3 = m1.multiplyRight(m2);
console.log(m3); // Matrix4 { elements: [1, 0, 0, 1, 0, 1, 0, 2, 0, 0, 1, 3, 0, 0, 0, 1] }
Geospatial Transformations
math.gl includes utilities for geospatial transformations. This example demonstrates converting cartographic coordinates to Cartesian coordinates using an ellipsoid model.
const {Ellipsoid} = require('math.gl/geospatial');
const ellipsoid = new Ellipsoid(6378137.0, 6356752.314245);
const cartesian = ellipsoid.cartographicToCartesian([0.1, 0.1, 0]);
console.log(cartesian); // Vector3 { x: 6378137.0, y: 11131.949079327358, z: 11131.949079327358 }
Other packages similar to math.gl
gl-matrix
gl-matrix is a high-performance matrix and vector library for WebGL. It is highly optimized for speed and provides similar functionalities for vector and matrix operations. However, it lacks the geospatial transformation utilities found in math.gl.
three.js
three.js is a popular 3D library that includes a math module for vector and matrix operations. While it is more comprehensive in terms of 3D rendering capabilities, its math utilities are not as specialized for high-precision or geospatial computations as math.gl.
turf
Turf is a geospatial analysis library for JavaScript. It provides a wide range of geospatial functions, including transformations and calculations. While it is more focused on geospatial analysis, it does not offer the same level of general-purpose vector and matrix operations as math.gl.
math.gl
math.gl is a suite of math modules for 3D applications.
This module contains classes for vectors and matrices etc.
For documentation please visit the website.