Crystal Orientations

Explains how to define crystal orientations, how to switch between different convention and how to compute crystallographic equivalent orientations.

On this page ...
Defining a crystal orientation
Bunge Euler angle convention
Matthies Euler angle convention
Axis angle parametrisation
Miller indice
Four vectors defining a rotation
Defining an orientation by a 3 times 3 matrix
Predefined orientations
Random orientations
Coordinate transformations
Symmetric equivalence
Conversion into Euler angles, matrix, quaternion or Rodrigues vector
Plotting Orientations
in Euler angle space
in axis angle space
in (inverse) pole figures
in sections of the orientations space

In texture analysis crystal orientations are used to describe the alignment of the crystals within the specimen. A crystal orientation is defined as the rotation that maps the specimen coordinate system onto the crystal coordinate system.

The class orientation is inherited from the class rotation and allow to work with orientation in MTEX.

Defining a crystal orientation

In order to define a crystal orientation one has to define crystal and specimen symmetry first.

cs = crystalSymmetry('cubic');
ss = specimenSymmetry('orthorhombic');

Now a crystal orientation is defined in the same way as a rotation. A well known possibility is so called Euler angles. Here two conventions are commonly used:

Bunge Euler angle convention

Here an arbitrary rotation is determined by three consecutive rotations in the sample reference frame. The first is about the z-axis, the second about the x-axis, and the third again about the z-axis. Hence, one needs three angles to define an orientation by Euler angles. In the literature these angles are known as "triplet of Euler angles" or simply "Euler angles" and you can find many definitions for them according to different authors.

o = orientation.byEuler(30*degree,50*degree,10*degree,cs,ss)
 
o = orientation  
  size: 1 x 1
  crystal symmetry : m-3m
  specimen symmetry: mmm
 
  Bunge Euler angles in degree
  phi1  Phi phi2 Inv.
    30   50   10    0
 

Matthies Euler angle convention

In contrast to the Bunge convention here the three rotations are taken about the z-axis, the y-axis, and the z-axis.

o = orientation.byEuler(30*degree,50*degree,10*degree,'ZYZ',cs,ss)
 
o = orientation  
  size: 1 x 1
  crystal symmetry : m-3m
  specimen symmetry: mmm
 
  Bunge Euler angles in degree
  phi1  Phi phi2 Inv.
   120   50  280    0
 

Axis angle parametrisation

Another possibility to specify an rotation is to give its rotational axis and its rotational angle.

o = orientation.byAxisAngle(xvector,30*degree,cs,ss)
 
o = orientation  
  size: 1 x 1
  crystal symmetry : m-3m
  specimen symmetry: mmm
 
  Bunge Euler angles in degree
  phi1  Phi phi2 Inv.
     0   30    0    0
 

Miller indice

There is also a Miller indice convention for defining crystal orientations.

o = orientation.byMiller([1 0 0],[0 1 1],cs,ss)
 
o = orientation  
  size: 1 x 1
  crystal symmetry : m-3m
  specimen symmetry: mmm
 
  Bunge Euler angles in degree
  phi1  Phi phi2 Inv.
   135   90   90    0
 

Four vectors defining a rotation

Given four vectors u1, v1, u2, v2 there is a unique rotations q such that q u1 = v1 and q u2 = v2.

o = orientation.map(xvector,yvector,zvector,zvector,cs,ss)
 
o = orientation  
  size: 1 x 1
  crystal symmetry : m-3m
  specimen symmetry: mmm
 
  Bunge Euler angles in degree
  phi1  Phi phi2 Inv.
    90    0    0    0
 

Defining an orientation by a 3 times 3 matrix

o = orientation.byMatrix(eye(3),cs,ss)
 
o = orientation  
  size: 1 x 1
  crystal symmetry : m-3m
  specimen symmetry: mmm
 
  Bunge Euler angles in degree
  phi1  Phi phi2 Inv.
     0    0    0    0
 

Predefined orientations

Below you find a list of orientations predefined in MTEX:

% the cube or identical orientation
orientation.id(cs,ss);
orientation.cube(cs,ss);

% brass orientations
orientation.brass(cs,ss);
orientation.brass2(cs,ss);

% copper orientations
orientation.copper(cs,ss);
orientation.copper2(cs,ss);

% other cube orientations
orientation.cubeND22(cs,ss);
orientation.cubeND45(cs,ss);
orientation.cubeRD(cs,ss);

orientation.goss(cs,ss);
orientation.invGoss(cs,ss);

orientation.PLage(cs,ss);
orientation.PLage2(cs,ss);
orientation.QLage(cs,ss);
orientation.QLage2(cs,ss);
orientation.QLage3(cs,ss);
orientation.QLage4(cs,ss);

orientation.SR(cs,ss);
orientation.SR2(cs,ss);
orientation.SR3(cs,ss);
orientation.SR4(cs,ss);

Note that you may define a list of orientations by using the same syntax as for the matlab commands ones, zeros, ..

orientation.id(100,1,cs,ss)
 
ans = orientation  
  size: 100 x 1
  crystal symmetry : m-3m
  specimen symmetry: mmm
 

Random orientations

You may generate random orientations with

ori = orientation.rand(1000,cs,ss)
 
ori = orientation  
  size: 1000 x 1
  crystal symmetry : m-3m
  specimen symmetry: mmm
 

Coordinate transformations

Orientations are essentially coordinate transformations that transform a direction (tensor, slip system ...) given by crystal coordinates into the same object given in specimen coordinates.

As an example consider the crystal direction

h = Miller(1,0,0,cs)
 
h = Miller  
 size: 1 x 1
 symmetry: m-3m
  h 1
  k 0
  l 0

and the orientation

o = orientation.byEuler(90*degree,90*degree,0*degree,cs,ss)
 
o = orientation  
  size: 1 x 1
  crystal symmetry : m-3m
  specimen symmetry: mmm
 
  Bunge Euler angles in degree
  phi1  Phi phi2 Inv.
    90   90    0    0
 

Then in specimen coordinates the direction h has the coordinates

r = o * h
 
r = vector3d  
 size: 1 x 1
  x y z
  0 1 0

Conversely, we can go back from specimen coordinates to crystal coordinates by multiplying with the inverse orientation

inv(o) * r
 
ans = Miller  
 size: 1 x 1
 symmetry: m-3m
  h 1
  k 0
  l 0

Assume next that the specimen is rotated about the X-axis about 60 degree. We may define this rotation by

rot = rotation.byEuler(0,60*degree,0);

Then a given orientation

o = orientation.byEuler(90*degree,0,0,cs);

translates into a orientation with respect to the rotated specimen coordinate system by multiplying it with the rotation

o1 = rot * o
 
o1 = orientation  
  size: 1 x 1
  crystal symmetry : m-3m
  specimen symmetry: 1
 
  Bunge Euler angles in degree
  phi1  Phi phi2 Inv.
     0   60   90    0
 

Symmetric equivalence

Crystal orientations always appear as a class of symmetrically equivalent orientations which are physicaly not distinguishable. For a given orientation o the complete list of all symmetrically equivalent orientations is given by the command symmetrise

symmetrise(o)
 
ans = orientation  
  size: 48 x 1
  crystal symmetry : m-3m
  specimen symmetry: 1
 

Alternatively the list can be computed by multiplying with the specimen and the crystal symmetry from the left and from the right.

ss * o * cs
Warning: Symmetry missmatch! 
 
ans = orientation  
  size: 8 x 48
  crystal symmetry : m-3m
  specimen symmetry: mmm
 

Conversion into Euler angles, matrix, quaternion or Rodrigues vector

There are methods to transform quaternion in almost any other parameterization of rotations as they are:

% as Euler angles
o1.phi1, o1.Phi, o1.phi2

% as quaternion
quaternion(o1)

% as matrix
o1.matrix

% as Rodrigues vector
o1.Rodrigues
ans =
   2.2204e-16
ans =
    1.0472
ans =
    1.5708
 
ans = Quaternion  
  size: 1 x 1
         a         b         c         d
  0.612372  0.353553 -0.353553  0.612372
ans =
   -0.0000   -1.0000    0.0000
    0.5000   -0.0000   -0.8660
    0.8660   -0.0000    0.5000
 
ans = vector3d  
 size: 1 x 1
        x        y        z
  0.57735 -0.57735        1

Plotting Orientations

in Euler angle space

By default the function plot plots orientations in the three dimensional Bunge Euler angle space

ori = orientation.rand(100,cs);
plot(ori)

Note that the orientations are automatically projected into the fundamental region. In the case of cubic symmetry this means that the Euler angles and are restricted to 90 degrees. If the orientations should be plotted at their specified Euler angles the option ignoreFundamentalRegion has to be used.

plot(ori,'ignoreFundamentalRegion')

in axis angle space

Alternatively, orientations can be plotted in the three dimensional axis angle space.

plot(ori,'AxisAngle','markerEdgeColor',[0 0 0.8],'markerSize',8)

Note again that the orientations are automatically projected into its fundamental region. Again, this can be switched off with the option ignoreFundamentalRegion.

plot(ori,'axisAngle','ignoreFundamentalRegion','markerEdgeColor',[0 0 0.8],'markerSize',8)

% visualize the fundamental region
hold on
oR = fundamentalRegion(ori.CS,ori.SS)
plot(oR,'color',[1 0.5 0.5]),
hold off
 
oR = orientationRegion  
 
 crystal symmetry:  432
 max angle: 62.7994°
 face normales: 14
 vertices: 24
 

in (inverse) pole figures

% a pole figure plot
plotPDF(ori,Miller({1,0,0},{1,1,1},ori.CS))

an inverse pole figure plot

plotIPDF(ori,[vector3d.X,vector3d.Z])

in sections of the orientations space

% as phi2 sections
plotSection(ori,'phi2')