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Let's remove quaternions from every 3D engine (2018)

marctenbosch.com Books & learning Tutorials & guides Mathematics & science Candidate
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Resurfaced independently across 3 calendar years, with breakout response in 2 of them.

submissions
4
submitters
4
observed span
2020–2025
peak thread · 326 comments
627 pts
latest 20+ return · 2025-04-16
39 pts

Submission timeline

2007–2026

One slot for every year since HN launched. Height is that year's peak points; orange marks a 100+ point or 50+ comment breakout. Select a bar to open its strongest thread.

First comments on top threads

HN comment order

> As a side note, Geometric Algebra contains more than just Rotors, and is a very useful tool to have in one's toolbox. I worked in a game engine where a pair of mathy programmers fell in love with Geometric Algebra, and use this same argument that quarternions ought to be replaced to overhaul all of the math code in the engine using Geometric Algebra. The character rigging system removed matrices and used GA instead. This caused several large problems…

dahart·627-point thread·

100% agree that bivectors are an easier to way to think about quaternions with less magical hand-waving. However, I have an opinion that feels important which I like to post whenever geometric algebra comes up: Just because multivectors are intuitively superior doesn't mean GA is a solved pedagogical solution to rotations. It is itself very strange and unintuitive. In particular there is no satisfying explanation for what the geometric product means that I'm aware of (and I have read more-or-less…

ajkjk·145-point thread·

The first top-level comment from each of the four biggest threads, in HN’s own order. Excerpts are shortened; open a comment for full context.

Breakout years
2

100+ points or 50+ comments

Total points
819

reference only — not used in Hall rules or ranking

Total comments
367

reference only — not used in Hall rules or ranking

Every submission

DateTitle as submittedByPointsComments
2020-01-31Let's remove quaternions from every 3D engine (2018)First breakout · Best threadlelf627326
2021-06-02Let's remove Quaternions from every 3D EngineTeeMassive80
2021-12-10Let's remove Quaternions from every 3D Engine (2018)kilovoltaire14538
2025-04-16An interactive introduction to rotors from geometric algebra (2018)Latest 20+ point returnkjeetgill393