3D positions and transformations exist within coordinate systems called spaces. Action has three spaces:
-
World space is the coordinate system for the entire scene. Its origin is at the center of the scene. The grid you can display from the Grid menu is in the world space.
-
Object space is the coordinate system from an object's point of view. The origin of object space is at the object's manipulator, and its axes rotate with the object.
- Camera space is the coordinate system from the camera's point of view. The origin of object space is at the object's manipulator. The manipulator's XY plane is always the plane of the camera, and the Z-axis always points to the camera. Camera space makes it easy to change X, Y positions, and rotate in Z, no matter where you are looking at.
To change space, do one of the following:
- Use the
Space Selection box button in the Viewport.
- Cycle through all three spaces using the keyboard shortcut
W.
The numeric fields displayed in an Object's menu always use the World space. Transformations using an object's manipulator in Object or Camera space are converted into World space coordinates in the object's menu.