scaleX1

ScaleX1 is a term used in computer graphics and user interface animation to denote a horizontal scale factor of 1. It represents a case where the horizontal dimension is not altered by the scaling operation, while other transformations may still apply.

In two-dimensional affine transformations, scaling changes coordinates by factors along the x and y axes. A unit scale in the x-direction (scaleX = 1) means x-coordinates are left unchanged, whereas the vertical scale (scaleY) may vary. When used alone, scaleX1 produces no horizontal distortion; if combined with a nonunit vertical scale, the shape can be stretched or compressed vertically without changing width.

Common usage appears in software that supports 2D transforms. In CSS, the transform function scaleX(n) multiplies the element’s width by n; scaleX(1) leaves the width unchanged, though other transforms such as translation or rotation may still apply. In SVG and Canvas, scale operations are implemented through transformation matrices or context scaling functions, such as transform="scale(1, s)" or context.scale(1, s), where the x-factor remains 1.

In code, scaleX1 may be used as a named constant or parameter representing the reference horizontal unit, often contrasted with other values like scaleX0.5 or scaleX2 to indicate half or double width. It is not a standardized property itself; its meaning depends on the surrounding transformation framework.

See also: scaleX, scale, transformation matrix, affine transformation, CSS transform, Canvas context.scale, SVG transform.