3D Viewer Y-Z Rotation Error?

It seems to me that the y- and z-axis rotation icons in the top toolbar of the 3D viewer are interchanged. They do not rotate the view of the model around the expected axes.

Works correct for me under windows.

Starting point (z axis points out of screen):

rotate around z clockwise once:

Ok, I understand the logic now. Partially what seems confusing to me is that the x-y-z axes don’t seem to conform to the right hand rule (as illustrated in this figure): image

Rotations as such are correct except the pictograms for Y and Z need to be swapped.

  • The Y pictogram shows the circling arrow around Z
    and likewise
  • the Z pictogram shows the circling arrow around Y.

Are you sure?
The picture with the blue arrow and the z on it rotates around z for me.
The green one with y written in it rotates around y.
(5.1.4)

Yep, sure as. They do rotate correctly,

However, have a close look at the circling arrows for Y and Z.
Their placement does not agree with the actual correct rotation.

Edit: more so like attached

They icons use KiCad coordinate system (Y downwards) while the actual 3D view uses normal coordinate system :slight_smile:

Otherwise they are correct.

And the icons shown by @jos would better fit how the 3d view is oriented when first opening it. (z axis pointing out)

I think @jos has a good point.

@eelik I don’t think it matters if Y is up or down and this is not really to do with the +ve down issue - the Y vector is in the same orientation i.e. vertically up and down the screen - but the icon shows it ‘coming out’ of the screen towards the user.

As the board is initially loaded, X is correct but the ‘Y’ icon looks like it should be rotation about ‘Z’ and the ‘Z’ icon looks like it is rotation about ‘Y’. The actual direction of rotation is correct according to the letter but not according to the icon.

21

It matters because now the icons are incorrect no matter what the orientation of the original view is. They are wrong compared to the used coordinate system.

But the fix is the same anyways - swap the letters Y and Z in the icons. And the colors. And then swap the buttons, or button names and texts, or C++ functions… I feel dizzy from all this rotating.

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I’d say that dizziness results from cognitive dissonance between what is shown versus that what actually happens.

Either way. Those Y, Z vector icon arrangements are inconsistend with respect to action.

I think there is ambiguity with the rotation icons, and this is partially due to their design. They don’t make clear where the board is located, and the result is that it is not clear at a glance what will happen when using the buttons. I’ve mocked up a set of buttons that I think would be helpful. They clearly show the board laying flat in the X-Y plane with the Z axis pointing perpendicularly away from the front of the board. The X-Y plane is oriented to correspond to how the user is viewing the board on their screen when they initially invoke the 3D Viewer program.

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