Summary

In case you missed it the first time, let me say it again: quaternions are an advanced mathematical construct. Though I am sure, by now, you appreciate this statement. They are also extremely powerful, and this chapter has but scratched the surface of all the applications for which they can be applied. Hamilton wasn’t even thinking of 3D graphics rotations when he defined them, but thankfully for us, they exist and remove the inherent issue of compounding Euler angle rotations.

If you’ve reached the end of this chapter and still don’t feel comfortable employing quaternion mathematics, you won’t be alone. In fact, I hesitated to include this chapter as a full comprehension of quaternions requires background knowledge in complex numbers, pure mathematics, and division algebra that we don’t have the scope in this book to include. And if you don’t feel comfortable yet working them, then the simple solution is, don’t. Euler angles...