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Hey Blenderheads,

Just a quick question from my side. Been using blender for almost a year, loving it, learning new stuff each day, fantastic. Just one design flaw in my opinion. Because of my mathematical mind set, it is difficult to grasp the idea of the Y axis pointing away from you when you are in front view. Imagine a scientific graph, X-axis is in the frontal plane, parallel to the horizon, that's OK, but the Y axis is pointing up, while in blender it is not and Z-axis is pointed towards you while again in Blender it is not. I tried to make the switch in my head by using CTRL-7 as front view, if you catch my drift, but it won't work cause subsequently my NUM-PAD left, right up and down are wrong and I can't seem to get proper views (and sometimes, eg if you're rigging, you definitely need correct orthographic front and side view). So the only solution to this problem is either just accepting my defeat and reconfiguring my head or reconfiguring blenders world axises. Is there a way to do this, blenders axis reconfiguration I mean? Research revealed there isn't, I just want to make sure.

Kind Regards and keep up the wonderful work

Hewi

Heh, Blender axis configuration is exactly according maths:

Take a piece of paper, draw your x-axis and y-axis. Put it on the ground. z-axis will now go up from your paper. This is what you'll see in top view.

This is also how I learned xyz in school math. That z and y are 'flat' on the paper when using 3-axis system, only was to cope with the fact tha paper is 2D. Switching from 2D xy to 3D xyz system I personally still held the mental image as guideline.

So, in maths too, z-axis is up in the world, just like Blender. I think you need to step a bit backwards from your math paper, think a little while about it and see what I mean.

And no, there is no way to reconfigure what is the up-axis. From above follows that in your case, there is actually no difference between the axis system.

Maybe quick way to help you understand what happens, and to show Blender uses the same system as maths: rotate your 3dview with the mouse so that the z-axis more or less points upwards and the x-axis is pointing from the origo to the lower left corner of the 3dview. Looking familiar now?

See

/Nathan

Except the x is now pointing down making the up view the -x ...

Hello Blender Aficionado’s,

Most importantly, thanks for the quick reply.

Eventually it boils down to the fact that I cannot wrap my head round the idea that front view is top view and visa-versa. You are absolutely right to say that in top view, axis are aligned correctly But can you imagine starting to model in top view assuming it is front? e.g. Open up a factory settings blender scene, you’ll be in top view. Grab the default cube and … delete it (quote TP8000cfv). Add Suzanne and she’ll be facing you in top view with all axis aligned correctly BUT if you go to side view, Suzanne will be laying on her back (just a liiiiitle bit kinky come to think about it, hope they will not block the content ) and there is no way you’ll be able to, in side-view, rotate the mesh so she’ll be facing left or right. This is to me the main issue actually; it’s just too difficult to always have to turn the view in my head.

Intermezzo: I’m sorry to be incapable of entering pics or images, can’t find a way to turn html code on in this dialog box, topic for next investigation

Put it differently, in math front view (which is top view for Blender), the Blender grid will be in the front plane, the ‘floor’ will contain X and Z axis, and no grid. In blender front view, the ‘floor’ contains grid, X and Y axis. Htat's the main difference.

Eventually I just want to ask if you agree to end this discussion. Whether I like the axis the way they are or not, we can’t reconfigure them anyway. And I don’t seem to be able to comprehend the twisting of axis in my head, which is design flaw from my part I’d say.

Wishing you happy Blender Rendering,

Hewi