Why left is right and right is left ?

[huguesacker]

Hi,

Why the view selector (upper right of the screen) is inverted between left and right ?

If I design an object, Top and Bottom and Front and Back are correct. But Left and Right are inverted...

When clicking on Left, we access the Right of the object and vice-versa. Other directions are correct though.

Very confusing.

Hugo

[chrisplyler]

The view cube labels follow the standard projected view convention.

But I'll humbly submit that this convention is stupid. We shouldn't call the left side of car the right-hand view just because it folds out onto the right side of the 2D drawing sheet.

In architectural construction drawings, we don't call the West Elevation View the East Elevation View, regardless of where we place those views on a sheet.

[laughingcreek]

how would this idea extend to the context of an assembly.  take the example of a car from earlier.  if you had 2 cars, facing the opposite direction from each other.

anatomy cross-section views are labeled this way.  cross section views are labeled according to the direction your viewing from. 

[Anonymous]

Well, as you have two cars facing each other, your view cube is also just as wrong as my model cube.

[etfrench · Accepted solution]

Does it really matter what word is printed on each side of the cube? Is the view going to change if you use a different word?

[chrisplyler]

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@laughingcreek wrote:

anatomy cross-section views are labeled this way.  cross section views are labeled according to the direction your viewing from. 

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Sure. So are architectural views. So SHOULD be the car in F360. If you got the front of the car facing the front of the view cube, and the top of the car facing the top of the view cube, then the left side of the car should be facing the left side of the view cube...all of these from the perspective of someone who is sitting inside the car.

I realize that isn't the convention...but it is logical and consistent...and the convention is not.

[laughingcreek]

I meant anatomical views are set up like the view cube, not like architecture elevations.

But that's not the point. Neither is an example with a single car.  What about an assembly with 2 cars, facing opposite directions?

[chrisplyler]

Two cars is not "an assembly." Or, if it is, you mentally designate one side of "it" to be the front.

[huguesacker · Accepted solution]

I totally agree. Fusion should be Design Centric (or Assembly Centric). Fusion should change some conventions, like the "view cube", which should be called "Assembly" or something. Better: it could even be a reduced model of the design, starting with a cube (why not), and then add some limited contour of the design, so that we see exactly how the design object is represented (are we facing front of the object, or left of the object...).

Or, simply, leave the cube like this, and authorize the designer, in "Preference", to put the label, or the image he wants to put. 

By the way, like this, if we use one day, reality augmented googles, we could work from the interior of the design, so the notion will keep all its sense. Because, calling Left the right of the interior of the object has NO sense at all.

[chrisplyler]

Well, I've only agreed that the convention is dumb.

But I've never thought it was something bothersome enough to ask them to change it. I don't give a crap what labels are on the cube. It could be a completely unlabeled cube for all I care. I can see its orientation related to my model at all times, and I can click on it as required to turn the model the way I want it turned. It just isn't a problem.

[shurugal]

A bit of a late joiner to this discussion, but this thread is the top result for a Google search of "why are left and right backwards in Fusion 360?"

Having read through the thread, I understand the drafting-table "projected cube view" convention - and I also think it is completely stupid.

I believe I read up above that all Autodesk products do this?  I can confirm, 100%, that Mayas 8 and 8.5 did not do this, because I spent two years in high school on a course in that product.

The projected cube notation might make sense if you have a draftsman whose spatial reasoning skills are so poor that he cannot understand "the left side of the object is shown on the right side of this page, because that's how a cube unrwaps", but it's flat-out backwards to anyone who is capable of thinking three-dimensionally.

To answer the inevitable "why do you care what the label says?" questions: coming from a background in programs in which the view name tells you the side of the object you are looking at, this interrupts my workflow by having me stumble and second-guess myself. 

To reply to the inevitable "why can't you just shut up and deal with it" response: forgive me for being OCD about calling things what they are.

[etfrench]

Why would you want to call the side on the right the left side or vice versa?  Simply look at the screen and determine the label on the cube that says Right is actually on the right side.  It's not difficult 😎

[huguesacker]

It is not because it is difficult to understand, it is because the view cube is "paper-centric", and not "object-centric", or "design-centric"; which it should be ! As simple than that. The new 3d method of thinking/designing should (at least), authorize the author of the design to custom the appearence of this view cube. Another possibility could be that the view cube be replaced by a small view of your (very simplified) design. Example: if I design a car, then a small car replaces the view cube. Indeed, the name "view cube", should be re-named, as "design view" (for example). It could also be possible, to propose to the user, a collection of 3d sprites, that the user chooses, depending of his preferences. But the best would be a simplified view of the object that he is designing. 😀 (If the design is at the beginning, and not yet "volumic", then, put a cube until the design has a volume). 

But you see the idea, I am sure.

[shurugal]

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@etfrench wrote:

Why would you want to call the side on the right the left side or vice versa?  Simply look at the screen and determine the label on the cube that says Right is actually on the right side.  It's not difficult 😎

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In which case, the sides that say "front" and "back" are now incorrect.

[etfrench]

You're just looking at it the wrong way 🙄 The view cube is screen centric, not model centric.  You can change the label on any face to be what you want on the model as long as what you want is "Top", "Front", "Bottom", "Left", or "Right".

[kshea9RNL8]

Personally, I could care less about screen centric or model centric, what I do care about is a work space that is intuitive and not confusing, the way it is is not intuitive, still not a big deal.

[Phil.E]

Hi,

This is always a lively conversation. Just to be clear, the view cube is in most Autodesk applications, at least all that include 3D modeling. It is a shared component across all applications.

Fusion has custom views. Have you tried creating your own named views?

[kshea9RNL8]

I for one do use that, be nice to be able to delete the stock views if not used, the browser gets strung out quite a bit as is.

[bmxvert777]

Im modeling a prototype and using the dimensions as a guide. So when I use the front plain, it displays the right side of the gun on the left plain, but its *NAMED* the RIGHT PLAIN. How is this possible? I saw your unfolding a glass box diagram, it made no sense as the left and right were still incorrect. When you look at the photo I added you will understand as the image you see is the left side of the gun but the cube in the upper corner says "Front-Right" angle.

How can you stand in front of a automobile next to the drivers side and say you are looking at the right (passenger) side? Low doorways in the programming office? So do I just ignore the right and left labels on the Viewing Cube when it comes the printing or cnc production?

[etfrench]

It depends on how you're viewing it.  Left or right can be on either side depending on your viewpoint.  If you want them reversed, simply change the view cube's orientation.

[Drewpan]

Hi,

Interesting discussion. When you are modelling it seems to be just a semantic - who cares what is written

on the cube as long as you can use the cube to navigate to see what you want to. I think this comes down

to what happens when you turn the 3D model into a 2D engineering drawing. There are two major ways to

view a 2D drawing - 1st angle projection and 3rd angle projection. One is common in Europe and one is

common in the USA. The reason they exist is mainly because of those tricky teaser drawings that change

when you focus on a different part and the whole thing is different. They are a holdover from the original

days of drafting and it makes a huge difference to some drawings to know are you looking from the front

and projecting everything or looking from the back and projecting everything. This is why all Standard

drawings have what projection you are using so you can work this out.

As was pointed out in an earlier post to this thread, it is about the projection you are using. It is only really

important when putting it all on paper.

Cheers

Andrew