Align Frames

A frame-to-frame alignment makes note of the transformation required to go from one coordinate frame (the source frame) to another (the destination frame), and then applies that transformation to selected object.

An interesting characteristic about coordinate frames is that they store complete information on position and orientation. As a result, they can be used to keep a record of an object’s position. As an extension to that idea, two different coordinate frames store a positional and rotational delta (a transformation). Frame to frame transformations take advantage of this fact. If you plan on applying a transformation to an object, you can store the object’s initial position by creating a coordinate frame at its location. If, after moving the object, you change your mind and would like to put it back to its original position, you can create a frame on the object’s current position, then use a frame-to-frame transformation to move the object back to its original location.