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# NSAffineTransform

A graphics coordinate transformation.

```
class NSAffineTransform
```

## Overview

In Swift, this object bridges to [`AffineTransform`](/documentation/Foundation/AffineTransform); use [`NSAffineTransform`](/documentation/Foundation/NSAffineTransform) when you need reference semantics or other Foundation-specific behavior.

A transformation specifies how points in one coordinate system are transformed to points in another coordinate system. An affine transformation is a special type of transformation that preserves parallel lines in a path but does not necessarily preserve lengths or angles. Scaling, rotation, and translation are the most commonly used manipulations supported by affine transforms, but shearing is also possible.

> Note:
> In OS X 10.3 and earlier the ``doc://com.apple.foundation/documentation/Foundation/NSAffineTransform`` class was declared and implemented entirely in the Application Kit framework. As of macOS 10.4 the ``doc://com.apple.foundation/documentation/Foundation/NSAffineTransform`` class has been split across the Foundation and Application Kit frameworks.

Methods for applying affine transformations to the current graphics context and a method for applying an affine transformation to an <doc://com.apple.documentation/documentation/AppKit/NSBezierPath> object are described in NSAffineTransform Additions Reference in the Application Kit.

> Important:
> The Swift overlay to the Foundation framework provides the ``doc://com.apple.foundation/documentation/Foundation/AffineTransform`` structure, which bridges to the ``doc://com.apple.foundation/documentation/Foundation/NSAffineTransform`` class. For more information about value types, see <doc://com.apple.documentation/documentation/Swift/working-with-foundation-types>.

## Topics

### Creating an Affine Transform

[`transform`](/documentation/Foundation/NSAffineTransform/transform)

Creates a new affine transform initialized to the identity matrix.

[`init()`](/documentation/Foundation/NSAffineTransform/init())

Initializes an affine transform matrix to the identity matrix.

[`init(transform:)`](/documentation/Foundation/NSAffineTransform/init(transform:))

Initializes the receiver’s matrix using another transform object.

### Accumulating Transformations

[`rotate(byDegrees:)`](/documentation/Foundation/NSAffineTransform/rotate(byDegrees:))

Applies a rotation factor (measured in degrees) to the receiver’s transformation matrix.

[`rotate(byRadians:)`](/documentation/Foundation/NSAffineTransform/rotate(byRadians:))

Applies a rotation factor (measured in radians) to the receiver’s transformation matrix.

[`scale(by:)`](/documentation/Foundation/NSAffineTransform/scale(by:))

Applies the specified scaling factor along both x and y axes to the receiver’s transformation matrix.

[`scaleX(by:yBy:)`](/documentation/Foundation/NSAffineTransform/scaleX(by:yBy:))

Applies scaling factors to each axis of the receiver’s transformation matrix.

[`translateX(by:yBy:)`](/documentation/Foundation/NSAffineTransform/translateX(by:yBy:))

Applies the specified translation factors to the receiver’s transformation matrix.

[`append(_:)`](/documentation/Foundation/NSAffineTransform/append(_:))

Appends the specified matrix to the receiver’s matrix.

[`prepend(_:)`](/documentation/Foundation/NSAffineTransform/prepend(_:))

Prepends the specified matrix to the receiver’s matrix.

[`invert()`](/documentation/Foundation/NSAffineTransform/invert())

Replaces the receiver’s matrix with its inverse matrix.

### Transforming Data and Objects

[`transform(_:)`](/documentation/Foundation/NSAffineTransform/transform(_:)-41p16)

Applies the receiver’s transform to the specified point and returns the result.

[`transform(_:)`](/documentation/Foundation/NSAffineTransform/transform(_:)-5r6ol)

Applies the receiver’s transform to the specified size and returns the results.

[`transform(_:)`](/documentation/Foundation/NSAffineTransform/transform(_:)-6z1xo)

Creates and returns a new Bézier path object with each point in the given path transformed by the receiver.

### Accessing the Transformation Matrix

[`transformStruct`](/documentation/Foundation/NSAffineTransform/transformStruct)

The matrix coefficients stored as the transformation matrix.

[`NSAffineTransformStruct`](/documentation/Foundation/NSAffineTransformStruct)

A structure that defines the three-by-three matrix that performs an affine transform between two coordinate systems.

### Setting and Building the Current Transformation Matrix

[`set()`](/documentation/Foundation/NSAffineTransform/set())

Sets the current transformation matrix to the receiver’s transformation matrix.

[`concat()`](/documentation/Foundation/NSAffineTransform/concat())

Appends the receiver’s matrix to the current transformation matrix stored in the current graphics context, replacing the current transformation matrix with the result.


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