Changing a matrix from right-handed to left-handed

Question

I would like to change a 4x4 matrix from a right handed system where:
x is left and right, y is front and back and z is up and down

to a left-handed system where:
x is left and right, z is front and back and y is up and down.

For a vector it's easy, just swap the y and z values, but how do you do it for a matrix?

Answer 1

I have been working on converting the Unity SteamVR_Utils.RigidTransform to ROS geometry_msgs/Pose and needed to convert Unity left handed coordinate system to the ROS right handed coordinate system.

This was the code I ended up writing to convert coordinate systems.

var device = SteamVR_Controller.Input(index);
// Modify the unity controller to be in the same coordinate system as ROS.
Vector3 ros_position = new Vector3(
    device.transform.pos.z,
    -1 * device.transform.pos.x,
    device.transform.pos.y);
Quaternion ros_orientation = new Quaternion(
    -1 * device.transform.rot.z,
    device.transform.rot.x,
    -1 * device.transform.rot.y,
    device.transform.rot.w);

Originally I tried using the matrix example from @bleater, but I couldn't seem to get it to work. Would love to know if I made a mistake somewhere.

HmdMatrix44_t m = device.transform.ToHmdMatrix44();
HmdMatrix44_t m2 = new HmdMatrix44_t();
m2.m = new float[16];
// left -> right
m2.m[0] = m.m[0]; m2.m[1] = m.m[2]; m2.m[2] = m.m[1]; m2.m[3] = m.m[3];
m2.m[4] = m.m[8]; m2.m[5] = m.m[10]; m2.m[6] = m.m[9]; m2.m[7] = m.m[7];
m2.m[8] = m.m[4]; m2.m[9] = m.m[6]; m2.m[10] = m.m[5]; m2.m[11] = m.m[11];
m2.m[12] = m.m[12]; m2.m[13] = m.m[14]; m2.m[14] = m.m[13]; m2.m[15] = m.m[15];

SteamVR_Utils.RigidTransform rt = new SteamVR_Utils.RigidTransform(m2);

Vector3 ros_position = new Vector3(
    rt.pos.x,
    rt.pos.y,
    rt.pos.z);
Quaternion ros_orientation = new Quaternion(
    rt.rot.x,
    rt.rot.y,
    rt.rot.z,
    rt.rot.w);