diff --git a/clutter/cogl/cogl-matrix.h b/clutter/cogl/cogl-matrix.h
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..44444691e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/clutter/cogl/cogl-matrix.h
@@ -0,0 +1,102 @@
+#ifndef __COGL_MATRIX_H
+#define __COGL_MATRIX_H
+
+/* Note: This is ordered according to how OpenGL expects to get 4x4 matrices */
+typedef struct {
+    /* column 0 */
+    float xx;
+    float yx;
+    float zx;
+    float wx;
+
+    /* column 1 */
+    float xy;
+    float yy;
+    float zy;
+    float wy;
+
+    /* column 2 */
+    float xz;
+    float yz;
+    float zz;
+    float wz;
+
+    /* column 3 */
+    float xw;
+    float yw;
+    float zw;
+    float ww;
+
+    /* Note: we may want to extend this later with private flags
+     * and a cache of the inverse transform matrix. */
+} CoglMatrix;
+
+/**
+ * cogl_matrix_init_identity:
+ * @matrix: A 4x4 transformation matrix
+ *
+ * Resets matrix to the identity matrix
+ */
+void cogl_matrix_init_identity (CoglMatrix *matrix);
+
+/**
+ * cogl_matrix_multiply:
+ * @result: The address of a 4x4 matrix to store the result in
+ * @a: A 4x4 transformation matrix
+ * @b: A 4x4 transformation matrix
+ *
+ * This function multiples the two supplied matricies together and stores
+ * the result in 'result'
+ */
+void cogl_matrix_multiply (CoglMatrix *result,
+			   const CoglMatrix *a,
+			   const CoglMatrix *b);
+
+/**
+ * cogl_matrix_rotate:
+ * @matrix: A 4x4 transformation matrix
+ * @angle: The angle you want to rotate in degrees
+ * @x: X component of your rotation vector
+ * @y: Y component of your rotation vector
+ * @z: Z component of your rotation vector
+ *
+ * This function multiples your matrix with a rotation matrix that applies
+ * a rotation of angle degrees around the specified 3D vector.
+ */
+void cogl_matrix_rotate (CoglMatrix *matrix,
+			 float angle,
+			 float x,
+			 float y,
+			 float z);
+
+/* cogl_matrix_translate:
+ * @matrix: A 4x4 transformation matrix
+ * @x: The X translation you want to apply
+ * @y: The Y translation you want to apply
+ * @z: The Z translation you want to apply
+ *
+ * This function multiples your matrix with a transform matrix that translates
+ * along the X, Y and Z axis.
+ */
+void cogl_matrix_translate (CoglMatrix *matrix,
+			    float x,
+			    float y,
+			    float z);
+
+/**
+ * cogl_matrix_scale:
+ * @matrix: A 4x4 transformation matrix
+ * @sx: The X scale factor
+ * @sy: The Y scale factor
+ * @sz: The Z scale factor
+ *
+ * This function multiples your matrix with a transform matrix that scales
+ * along the X, Y and Z axis.
+ */
+void cogl_matrix_scale (CoglMatrix *matrix,
+			float sx,
+			float sy,
+			float sz);
+
+#endif /* __COGL_MATRIX_H */
+
diff --git a/clutter/cogl/common/Makefile.am b/clutter/cogl/common/Makefile.am
index db0f0b42d..755001e1f 100644
--- a/clutter/cogl/common/Makefile.am
+++ b/clutter/cogl/common/Makefile.am
@@ -29,4 +29,5 @@ libclutter_cogl_common_la_SOURCES = 	\
 	cogl-clip-stack.c               \
         cogl-fixed.c                    \
         cogl-color.c			\
-	cogl-mesh.c
+	cogl-mesh.c			\
+	cogl-matrix.c
diff --git a/clutter/cogl/common/cogl-matrix.c b/clutter/cogl/common/cogl-matrix.c
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..8786da570
--- /dev/null
+++ b/clutter/cogl/common/cogl-matrix.c
@@ -0,0 +1,138 @@
+#include <cogl-matrix.h>
+
+#include <glib.h>
+#include <math.h>
+
+void
+cogl_matrix_init_identity (CoglMatrix *matrix)
+{
+  matrix->xx = 1; matrix->xy = 0; matrix->xz = 0; matrix->xw = 0;
+  matrix->yx = 0; matrix->yy = 1; matrix->yz = 0; matrix->yw = 0;
+  matrix->zx = 0; matrix->zy = 0; matrix->zz = 1; matrix->zw = 0;
+  matrix->wx = 0; matrix->wy = 0; matrix->wz = 0; matrix->ww = 1;
+}
+
+void
+cogl_matrix_multiply (CoglMatrix *result,
+		      const CoglMatrix *a,
+		      const CoglMatrix *b)
+{
+  CoglMatrix r;
+
+  /* row 0 */
+  r.xx = a->xx * b->xx + a->xy * b->yx + a->xz * b->zx + a->xw * b->wx;
+  r.xy = a->xx * b->xy + a->xy * b->yy + a->xz * b->zy + a->xw * b->wy;
+  r.xz = a->xx * b->xz + a->xy * b->yz + a->xz * b->zz + a->xw * b->wz;
+  r.xw = a->xx * b->xw + a->xy * b->yw + a->xz * b->zw + a->xw * b->ww;
+
+  /* row 1 */
+  r.yx = a->yx * b->xx + a->yy * b->yx + a->yz * b->zx + a->yw * b->wx;
+  r.yy = a->yx * b->xy + a->yy * b->yy + a->yz * b->zy + a->yw * b->wy;
+  r.yz = a->yx * b->xz + a->yy * b->yz + a->yz * b->zz + a->yw * b->wz;
+  r.yw = a->yx * b->xw + a->yy * b->yw + a->yz * b->zw + a->yw * b->ww;
+
+  /* row 2 */
+  r.zx = a->zx * b->xx + a->zy * b->yx + a->zz * b->zx + a->zw * b->wx;
+  r.zy = a->zx * b->xy + a->zy * b->yy + a->zz * b->zy + a->zw * b->wy;
+  r.zz = a->zx * b->xz + a->zy * b->yz + a->zz * b->zz + a->zw * b->wz;
+  r.zw = a->zx * b->xw + a->zy * b->yw + a->zz * b->zw + a->zw * b->ww;
+
+  /* row 3 */
+  r.wx = a->wx * b->xx + a->wy * b->yx + a->wz * b->zx + a->ww * b->wx;
+  r.wy = a->wx * b->xy + a->wy * b->yy + a->wz * b->zy + a->ww * b->wy;
+  r.wz = a->wx * b->xz + a->wy * b->yz + a->wz * b->zz + a->ww * b->wz;
+  r.ww = a->wx * b->xw + a->wy * b->yw + a->wz * b->zw + a->ww * b->ww;
+  
+  /* The idea was that having this unrolled; it might be easier for the
+   * compiler to vectorize, but that's probably not true. Mesa does it
+   * using a single for (i=0; i<4; i++) approach, may that's better...
+   */
+
+  *result = r;
+}
+
+/**
+ * cogl_3dmatrix_rotate:
+ * matrix: A 3D Affine transformation matrix
+ * angle: The angle in degrees you want to rotate by
+ * x: The X component of your rotation vector
+ * y: The Y component of your rotation vector
+ * z: The Z component of your rotation vector
+ *
+ * The matrix is multiplied with a rotation matrix representing a rotation
+ * of angle degress around the vector (x,y,z)
+ */
+void
+cogl_matrix_rotate (CoglMatrix *matrix,
+		    float angle,
+		    float x,
+		    float y,
+		    float z)
+{
+  CoglMatrix rotation;
+  CoglMatrix result;
+  angle *= G_PI / 180.0f;
+  float c = cosf (angle);
+  float s = sinf (angle);
+  
+  rotation.xx = x * x * (1.0f - c) + c;
+  rotation.yx = y * x * (1.0f - c) + z * s;
+  rotation.zx = x * z * (1.0f - c) - y * s;
+  rotation.wx = 0.0f;
+
+  rotation.xy = x * y * (1.0f - c) - z * s;
+  rotation.yy = y * y * (1.0f - c) + c;
+  rotation.zy = y * z * (1.0f - c) + x * s;
+  rotation.wy = 0.0f;
+
+  rotation.xz = x * z * (1.0f - c) + y * s;
+  rotation.yz = y * z * (1.0f - c) - x * s;
+  rotation.zz = z * z * (1.0f - c) + c;
+  rotation.wz = 0.0f;
+
+  rotation.xw = 0.0f;
+  rotation.yw = 0.0f;
+  rotation.zw = 0.0f;
+  rotation.ww = 1.0f;
+  
+  cogl_matrix_multiply (&result, matrix, &rotation);
+  *matrix = result;
+}
+
+void
+cogl_matrix_translate (CoglMatrix *matrix,
+		       float x,
+		       float y,
+		       float z)
+{
+  matrix->xw = matrix->xx * x + matrix->xy * y + matrix->xz * z + matrix->xw;
+  matrix->yw = matrix->yx * x + matrix->yy * y + matrix->yz * z + matrix->yw;
+  matrix->zw = matrix->zx * x + matrix->zy * y + matrix->zz * z + matrix->zw;
+  matrix->ww = matrix->wx * x + matrix->wy * y + matrix->wz * z + matrix->ww;
+}
+
+void
+cogl_matrix_scale (CoglMatrix *matrix,
+		   float sx,
+		   float sy,
+		   float sz)
+{
+  matrix->xx *= sx; matrix->xy *= sy; matrix->xz *= sz;
+  matrix->yx *= sx; matrix->yy *= sy; matrix->yz *= sz;
+  matrix->zx *= sx; matrix->zy *= sy; matrix->zz *= sz;
+  matrix->wx *= sx; matrix->wy *= sy; matrix->wz *= sz;
+}
+
+#if 0
+gboolean
+cogl_matrix_invert (CoglMatrix *matrix)
+{
+  /* TODO */
+  /* Note: It might be nice to also use the flag based tricks that mesa does
+   * to alow it to track the type of transformations a matrix represents
+   * so it can use various assumptions to optimise the inversion.
+   */
+}
+#endif
+
+
diff --git a/clutter/cogl/common/cogl-matrix.h b/clutter/cogl/common/cogl-matrix.h
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..2f6874fae
--- /dev/null
+++ b/clutter/cogl/common/cogl-matrix.h
@@ -0,0 +1,57 @@
+#ifndef __COGL_MATRIX_H
+#define __COGL_MATRIX_H
+
+/* Note: This is ordered according to how OpenGL expects to get 4x4 matrices */
+typedef struct {
+    /* column 0 */
+    float xx;
+    float yx;
+    float zx;
+    float wx;
+
+    /* column 1 */
+    float xy;
+    float yy;
+    float zy;
+    float wy;
+
+    /* column 2 */
+    float xz;
+    float yz;
+    float zz;
+    float wz;
+
+    /* column 3 */
+    float xw;
+    float yw;
+    float zw;
+    float ww;
+
+    /* Note: we may want to extend this later with private flags
+     * and a cache of the inverse transform matrix. */
+} CoglMatrix;
+
+void cogl_matrix_init_identity (CoglMatrix *matrix);
+
+void cogl_matrix_multiply (CoglMatrix *result,
+			   const CoglMatrix *a,
+			   const CoglMatrix *b);
+
+void cogl_matrix_rotate (CoglMatrix *matrix,
+			 float angle,
+			 float x,
+			 float y,
+			 float z);
+
+void cogl_matrix_translate (CoglMatrix *matrix,
+			    float x,
+			    float y,
+			    float z);
+
+void cogl_matrix_scale (CoglMatrix *matrix,
+			float sx,
+			float sy,
+			float sz);
+
+#endif /* __COGL_MATRIX_H */
+