I write modelling software that allows arbitrary scale/rotate/translate about
any fixed point and along any axis. So yes, I do use the matrixTransform node.
> The Translate-Rotate-Scale nodes are just for simple positioning of objects
> in a world, and I still say that:
>
> [vertex] x [scale] x [rotate] x [translate]
>
> (where vertex is a homogeneous coordinate, and the rest are 4x4 matrices)
>
> is the only sensible way to do this.
OK. I'll give an example where it is not the best way to do it.
This is to spesad the word, not an attempt to say you're wrong. ;-)
Lets say you want to arrange 6 spheres around a circle of some radius, say
5. By far the easiest way to do this is to translate and then rotate. ie
[vertex] x [translate] x [rotate].
That way you don't need to calculate the locations of the center of each
sphere, it just falls out of the rotation.
Steve.