// called on the parent object
  // Should be synchronized so that the user thread does not modify the
  // OrientedShape3D params while computing the transform
  synchronized void updateOrientedTransform(Canvas3D canvas, int viewIndex) {
    double angle = 0.0;
    double sign;
    boolean status;

    Transform3D orientedxform = getOrientedTransform(viewIndex);
    //  get viewplatforms's location in virutal world
    if (mode == OrientedShape3D.ROTATE_ABOUT_AXIS) { // rotate about axis
      canvas.getCenterEyeInImagePlate(viewPosition);
      canvas.getImagePlateToVworld(xform); // xform is imagePlateToLocal
      xform.transform(viewPosition);

      // get billboard's transform
      xform.set(getCurrentLocalToVworld());
      xform.invert(); // xform is now vWorldToLocal

      // transform the eye position into the billboard's coordinate system
      xform.transform(viewPosition);

      // eyeVec is a vector from the local origin to the eye pt in local
      eyeVec.set(viewPosition);
      eyeVec.normalize();

      // project the eye into the rotation plane
      status = projectToPlane(eyeVec, nAxis);

      if (status) {
        // project the z axis into the rotation plane
        zAxis.x = 0.0;
        zAxis.y = 0.0;
        zAxis.z = 1.0;
        status = projectToPlane(zAxis, nAxis);
      }
      if (status) {

        // compute the sign of the angle by checking if the cross product
        // of the two vectors is in the same direction as the normal axis
        vector.cross(eyeVec, zAxis);
        if (vector.dot(nAxis) > 0.0) {
          sign = 1.0;
        } else {
          sign = -1.0;
        }

        // compute the angle between the projected eye vector and the
        // projected z

        double dot = eyeVec.dot(zAxis);
        if (dot > 1.0f) {
          dot = 1.0f;
        } else if (dot < -1.0f) {
          dot = -1.0f;
        }

        angle = sign * Math.acos(dot);

        // use -angle because xform is to *undo* rotation by angle
        aa.x = nAxis.x;
        aa.y = nAxis.y;
        aa.z = nAxis.z;
        aa.angle = -angle;
        orientedxform.set(aa);
      } else {
        orientedxform.setIdentity();
      }

    } else if (mode == OrientedShape3D.ROTATE_ABOUT_POINT) { // rotate about point
      // Need to rotate Z axis to point to eye, and Y axis to be
      // parallel to view platform Y axis, rotating around rotation pt

      // get the eye point
      canvas.getCenterEyeInImagePlate(viewPosition);

      // derive the yUp point
      yUpPoint.set(viewPosition);
      yUpPoint.y += 0.01; // one cm in Physical space

      // transform the points to the Billboard's space
      canvas.getImagePlateToVworld(xform); // xform is ImagePlateToVworld
      xform.transform(viewPosition);
      xform.transform(yUpPoint);

      // get billboard's transform
      xform.set(getCurrentLocalToVworld());
      xform.invert(); // xform is vWorldToLocal

      // transfom points to local coord sys
      xform.transform(viewPosition);
      xform.transform(yUpPoint);

      // Make a vector from viewPostion to 0,0,0 in the BB coord sys
      eyeVec.set(viewPosition);
      eyeVec.normalize();

      // create a yUp vector
      yUp.set(yUpPoint);
      yUp.sub(viewPosition);
      yUp.normalize();

      // find the plane to rotate z
      zAxis.x = 0.0;
      zAxis.y = 0.0;
      zAxis.z = 1.0;

      // rotation axis is cross product of eyeVec and zAxis
      vector.cross(eyeVec, zAxis); // vector is cross product

      // if cross product is non-zero, vector is rotation axis and
      // rotation angle is acos(eyeVec.dot(zAxis)));
      double length = vector.length();
      if (length > 0.0001) {
        double dot = eyeVec.dot(zAxis);
        if (dot > 1.0f) {
          dot = 1.0f;
        } else if (dot < -1.0f) {
          dot = -1.0f;
        }
        angle = Math.acos(dot);
        aa.x = vector.x;
        aa.y = vector.y;
        aa.z = vector.z;
        aa.angle = -angle;
        zRotate.set(aa);
      } else {
        // no rotation needed, set to identity (scale = 1.0)
        zRotate.set(1.0);
      }

      // Transform the yAxis by zRotate
      yAxis.x = 0.0;
      yAxis.y = 1.0;
      yAxis.z = 0.0;
      zRotate.transform(yAxis);

      // project the yAxis onto the plane perp to the eyeVec
      status = projectToPlane(yAxis, eyeVec);

      if (status) {
        // project the yUp onto the plane perp to the eyeVec
        status = projectToPlane(yUp, eyeVec);
      }

      if (status) {
        // rotation angle is acos(yUp.dot(yAxis));
        double dot = yUp.dot(yAxis);

        // Fix numerical error, otherwise acos return NULL
        if (dot > 1.0f) {
          dot = 1.0f;
        } else if (dot < -1.0f) {
          dot = -1.0f;
        }

        angle = Math.acos(dot);

        // check the sign by looking a the cross product vs the eyeVec
        vector.cross(yUp, yAxis); // vector is cross product
        if (eyeVec.dot(vector) < 0) {
          angle *= -1;
        }
        aa.x = eyeVec.x;
        aa.y = eyeVec.y;
        aa.z = eyeVec.z;
        aa.angle = -angle;
        xform.set(aa); // xform is now yRotate

        // rotate around the rotation point
        vector.x = rotationPoint.x;
        vector.y = rotationPoint.y;
        vector.z = rotationPoint.z; // vector to translate to RP
        orientedxform.set(vector); // translate to RP
        orientedxform.mul(xform); // yRotate
        orientedxform.mul(zRotate); // zRotate
        vector.scale(-1.0); // vector to translate back
        xform.set(vector); // xform to translate back
        orientedxform.mul(xform); // translate back
      } else {
        orientedxform.setIdentity();
      }
    }
    // Scale invariant computation
    if (constantScale) {
      // Back Xform a unit vector to local world coords
      canvas.getInverseVworldProjection(left_xform, right_xform);

      // the two endpts of the vector have to be transformed
      // individually because the Xform is not affine
      im_vec[0].set(0.0, 0.0, 0.0, 1.0);
      im_vec[1].set(1.0, 0.0, 0.0, 1.0);
      left_xform.transform(im_vec[0]);
      left_xform.transform(im_vec[1]);

      left_xform.set(getCurrentLocalToVworld());
      left_xform.invert();
      left_xform.transform(im_vec[0]);
      left_xform.transform(im_vec[1]);
      lvec.set(im_vec[1]);
      lvec.sub(im_vec[0]);

      // We simply need the direction of this vector
      lvec.normalize();
      im_vec[0].set(0.0, 0.0, 0.0, 1.0);
      im_vec[1].set(lvec);
      im_vec[1].w = 1.0;

      // Forward Xfrom to clip coords
      left_xform.set(getCurrentLocalToVworld());
      left_xform.transform(im_vec[0]);
      left_xform.transform(im_vec[1]);

      canvas.getVworldProjection(left_xform, right_xform);
      left_xform.transform(im_vec[0]);
      left_xform.transform(im_vec[1]);

      // Perspective division
      im_vec[0].x /= im_vec[0].w;
      im_vec[0].y /= im_vec[0].w;
      im_vec[0].z /= im_vec[0].w;

      im_vec[1].x /= im_vec[1].w;
      im_vec[1].y /= im_vec[1].w;
      im_vec[1].z /= im_vec[1].w;

      lvec.set(im_vec[1]);
      lvec.sub(im_vec[0]);

      // Use the length of this vector to determine the scaling
      // factor
      double scale = 1 / lvec.length();

      // Convert to meters
      scale *= scaleFactor * canvas.getPhysicalWidth() / 2;

      // Scale object so that it appears the same size
      scaleXform.setScale(scale);
      orientedxform.mul(scaleXform);
    }
  }