You can change the orientation of rotation in Blender primarily using the Transform Orientation panel in the 3D Viewport. This allows you to define the coordinate system along which transformations (including rotations) are applied.
Understanding Transform Orientations
Transform orientations define the axes used for translating, rotating, and scaling objects. By default, Blender uses the "Global" orientation, which aligns with the world axes. However, you can change this to suit your workflow.
Changing the Transform Orientation
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Locate the Transform Orientation Panel: This panel is found in the header of the 3D Viewport. It's a dropdown menu that likely defaults to "Global."
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Choose a Predefined Orientation: The dropdown offers several built-in options:
- Global: Aligns to the world coordinate system (X, Y, Z).
- Local: Aligns to the object's own coordinate system. This orientation rotates with the object.
- Normal: Uses the average normal direction of the selected faces (useful in Edit Mode).
- Gimbal: Similar to Local but avoids gimbal lock during rotation.
- View: Aligns to the current 3D Viewport's camera perspective.
- Cursor: Aligns to the 3D Cursor's orientation.
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Create a Custom Orientation:
- Using an Object: Select the object whose orientation you want to use. In the Transform Orientation panel, click the "+" button to create a new orientation based on the selected object. The new orientation will be named after the selected object by default.
- Using an Edge, Face, or Vertex: In Edit Mode, select an edge, face, or three vertices that define a plane. Click the "+" button to create a custom orientation based on that selection. Blender will attempt to create an orientation based on your selection and name it "Edge," "Face," or "Vertex," respectively.
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Using the 3D Cursor: Rotate the 3D Cursor to your desired rotation orientation using Shift+Right Mouse Click to place it, then use the Rotation manipulator to precisely orient it, and set the transform orientation to cursor.
Using the Transform Orientation
Once you've selected or created a Transform Orientation, any rotation you perform (using the Rotate tool, the R key, or the Transform panel) will be relative to the selected coordinate system.
Examples
- Rotating an object along its local Z-axis: Select the object, change the Transform Orientation to "Local," and then rotate the object along the Z-axis.
- Rotating an object relative to a face: In Edit Mode, select a face, create a custom orientation from the face, and then rotate the object. The rotation will now be aligned with the selected face.
Renaming and Removing Custom Orientations
You can rename and remove custom orientations through the Transform Orientation panel by clicking the little arrow to open the settings panel and then clicking the rename or delete buttons respectively.
By mastering transform orientations, you can achieve precise control over object manipulation in Blender and streamline your workflow.
