Is it just me or does the Z axis rotate in the opposite direction as X and Y?

Development Character & Animation
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1

Rotation (in the transform section of the details panel) has an X, Y, and Z value.

If you look down the X axis (in the +X direction), increasing the X rotation by a marginal amount will rotate the object clockwise (counter-clockwise if you look from the +X / down the -X).

Similarly, if you look down the Y axis, it will rotate the object clockwise.

However, if you look down the Z axis, the object will rotate counter-clockwise, exactly the opposite as the X and the Y.

Is this how it is supposed to be? Or do I have some setting on that makes it this way? Is there a specific reason for this? I ask because what I am trying to do requires a lot of trig and for me to do a lot of rotations in my head and it is going to be a slight annoyance to have to always remember that the Z axis rotation for some reason is different from the others. I am coming from unity where all the rotations were the in the same direction (all counter-clockwise).

2

I see what you mean :slight_smile:

Also, if you move on each axis individually, and reset in between, everything’s fine.

But if you rotate on one axis ( past 90 ), then rotate on another, you’ll start to see all kinds of crazy values in the rotation details.

It’s because Cartesian notation isn’t enough to describe what’s happening fully.

If you’re programming the rotation, the answer boils down to one of three things

  1. Only ‘add’ local rotation to an axis ( don’t try and ‘set’ )

or

  1. You can use ‘set’, but then always nodes with rotator inputs, and don’t split the inputs ( then the nodes will deal with it for you )

or

  1. Use Quaternions