3D Transforms
CSS3 allows you to format your elements using 3D transforms.
In this chapter you will learn about some of the 3D transform methods:
- rotateX()
- rotateY()
Click on the elements below, to see the difference between a 2D transform and a 3D transform:
2D rotate
3D rotate
Browser Support
| Property | Browser Support | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| transform | |||||
Internet Explorer and Opera does not yet support 3D transforms (They support only 2D transforms).
Firefox requires the prefix -moz-.
Chrome and Safari requires the prefix -webkit-.
The rotateX() Method
With the rotateX() method, the element rotates around its X-axis at a given degree.
Example
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<style type="text/css">
div
{
width:100px;
height:75px;
background-color:red;
border:1px solid black;
}
div#div2
{
transform:rotateX(120deg);
-webkit-transform:rotateX(120deg); /* Safari and Chrome */
-moz-transform:rotateX(120deg); /* Firefox */
}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<p><b>Note:</b> Internet Explorer and Opera does not support the rotateX method.</p>
<div>Hello. This is a DIV element.</div>
<div id="div2">Hello. This is a DIV element.</div>
</body>
</html>
Try it yourself in Notepad or Dreamweaver by coping and pasting the code above.
The rotateY() Method
With the rotateY() method, the element rotates around its Y-axis at a given degree.
Example
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<style type="text/css">
div
{
width:100px;
height:75px;
background-color:red;
border:1px solid black;
}
div#div2
{
transform:rotateY(130deg);
-webkit-transform:rotateY(130deg); /* Safari and Chrome */
-moz-transform:rotateY(130deg); /* Firefox */
}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<p><b>Note:</b> Internet Explorer and Opera does not support the rotateY method.</p>
<div>Hello. This is a DIV element.</div>
<div id="div2">Hello. This is a DIV element.</div>
</body>
</html>
Try it yourself in Notepad or Dreamweaver by coping and pasting the code above.
Transform Properties
The following table lists all the transform properties:
| Property | Description | CSS |
|---|---|---|
| transform | Applies a 2D or 3D transformation to an element | 3 |
| transform-origin | Allows you to change the position on transformed elements | 3 |
| transform-style | Specifies how nested elements are rendered in 3D space | 3 |
| perspective | Specifies the perspective on how 3D elements are viewed | 3 |
| perspective-origin | Specifies the bottom position of 3D elements | 3 |
| backface-visibility | Defines whether or not an element should be visible when not facing the screen | 3 |
3D Transform Methods
| Function | Description |
|---|---|
| matrix3d (n,n,n,n,n,n,n,n,n,n,n,n,n,n,n,n) | Defines a 3D transformation, using a 4x4 matrix of 16 values |
| translate3d(x,y,z) | Defines a 3D translation |
| translateX(x) | Defines a 3D translation, using only the value for the X-axis |
| translateY(y) | Defines a 3D translation, using only the value for the Y-axis |
| translateZ(z) | Defines a 3D translation, using only the value for the Z-axis |
| scale3d(x,y,z) | Defines a 3D scale transformation |
| scaleX(x) | Defines a 3D scale transformation by giving a value for the X-axis |
| scaleY(y) | Defines a 3D scale transformation by giving a value for the Y-axis |
| scaleZ(z) | Defines a 3D scale transformation by giving a value for the Z-axis |
| rotate3d(x,y,z,angle) | Defines a 3D rotation |
| rotateX(angle) | Defines a 3D rotation along the X-axis |
| rotateY(angle) | Defines a 3D rotation along the Y-axis |
| rotateZ(angle) | Defines a 3D rotation along the Z-axis |
| perspective(n) | Defines a perspective view for a 3D transformed element |
