Axesaltitude

Axesaltitude is a term used in discussions of coordinate systems and 3D modeling to describe the component of a point’s position along a designated axis, typically the vertical or “up” axis of a local coordinate frame. It is not a universally standardized term, but in contexts where objects or sensors are oriented with their own axes, axesaltitude helps express height relative to that local frame rather than the global reference.

In practice, axesaltitude is the projection of a position vector onto a chosen axis. If O is the origin of a local frame and u is the unit vector along the axis of interest (often the up or z-axis of that frame), axesaltitude can be computed as the dot product of (P − O) with u. When the chosen axis aligns with the global vertical, axesaltitude reduces to the conventional notion of altitude.

Applications for axesaltitude appear in robotics, graphics, and geospatial workflows where objects are rotated or translated relative to a local frame. For example, in computer graphics, axesaltitude may describe how high a point is along an object’s local up direction, which can differ from world-aligned altitude. In robotics, it can express height relative to a robot’s own coordinate system, aiding control and sensing tasks.

Because the term is not universally standardized, definitions and methods for computing axesaltitude can vary by field or project. Practitioners typically specify the axis and reference frame explicitly when using the concept. See also altitude, axis, coordinate system, and projection.