About the coordinate system

The coordinate system specifies the position of every object within the global workspace. The coordinate system contains the X, Y, and Z axes, which meet in the centre of the workspace, at a position called the origin.

All models are created within the global workspace. Every position in a model is specified as three coordinates. For example, a position of 9,5,3 means 9 along the X axis, 5 along the Y axis and 3 along the Z axis. These coordinates are shown in the image below:

X = 9

Y = 5

Z = 3

Position 9,5,3

You create a model while working entirely within the global workspace, selecting the default drawing plane (also known as the principal plane) and entering coordinate values when necessary.

Models can contain many angled faces and it is often easier to specify coordinates relative to a face rather than to the model as a whole. You can do this using workplanes, shown in the image below:

Dimensional axes X,Y,Z

Origin