Pivots (Edit Axis)
A pivot is the point of a model, group or part that stays fixed. Rotating or scaling the object — and Number Inputs that resize it — keep that point in place. Choosing a pivot never moves anything.
Why pivots matter
| You want | Set the pivot on |
|---|---|
| A side panel to grow to the left when Width increases | its right face |
| A tabletop to grow equally on both sides | its center |
| A part to stay put at one corner while it resizes | that corner, e.g. bottom-front-right |
| A whole cabinet to grow to the right | the left face of the group (or model) that contains every part |
Open Edit Axis
- 1Go to Objects mode.
- 2Select a model, a group or a part in the Objects list.
- 3In the Properties panel, open the Edit Axis tab. The card at the top shows the object's name, whether it is a model, group or part, and its size in the units of your 3D file.
Choose a pivot
| Option | What it does |
|---|---|
| Bounding-box center | The middle of the object's box. |
| Imported origin | The origin from your 3D file — what every object uses until you choose a pivot. |
| X · width / Y · height / Z · depth | Each row sets one axis: left / center / right, bottom / center / top, back / center / front. Three rows together give a corner such as bottom-front-right. |
| Snap to geometry | Vertex, Edge midpoint or Face center: point at the model (a cyan marker previews the spot), click to pick, Esc to stop. |
| Exact point | Type X, Y and Z in the object's own axes and model units. Enter applies, Esc cancels. |
Apply, Cancel, Reset and Undo
| Action | Result |
|---|---|
| Choose a pivot | Shown as Not applied, with an amber gizmo. Nothing moves. |
| Apply | Saves the pivot (purple gizmo). The project saves automatically. |
| Cancel | Drops the new choice and keeps the saved pivot. |
| Reset to imported origin | Removes the pivot — the object goes back to using the origin from the 3D file. |
| Undo / Redo | Ctrl+Z / Cmd+Z reverts an applied pivot in one step; Ctrl+Shift+Z / Cmd+Shift+Z or Ctrl+Y brings it back. |
Preview before you apply
Preview scaling scales the object about the pivot you chose — pick an axis (X, Y, Z, XZ or XYZ) and drag the factor. The pivot marker stays in place while the object grows. Under Number Inputs, every Number Input that resizes this object is listed with a slider in its real units, so you can see exactly what a shopper will see; Settings opens it in Options mode. Previews are temporary: they are never saved, and Stop ends them.
How Number Inputs use pivots
| Part behavior | Resizes about |
|---|---|
| Scale (stretches) | the part's own pivot, else the pivot of the group or model it is in, else its origin from the 3D file |
| Fixed (handles, hinges, legs) | keeps its size and moves with the edge — its position scales from the pivot of its group or model |
A 100 cm panel set to 150 cm:
| Pivot | Result |
|---|---|
| Right face | The right edge stays where it is; the panel grows 50 cm to the left. |
| Center | It grows 25 cm on each side. |
| Bottom-front-right corner | That corner stays put. |
| None | It grows around its origin from the 3D file — the behaviour before pivots existed. |
In Options mode, each part in a Number Input’s Part Behavior list shows which pivot it stretches or moves about. Click its target icon to open Edit Axis on that part.
Rotating and scaling by hand
In the Transform tab, the line Rotates and scales about: … names the pivot. Typing a rotation or scale, or dragging the gizmo, keeps that point fixed; Edit pivot jumps to Edit Axis.
With the AI Assistant
Ask in plain words, for example:
- “Keep this panel’s right edge fixed when Width increases.”
- “Make this tabletop expand equally on both sides.”
- “Anchor this part at its bottom-front-right corner.”
The assistant checks which object you mean (it asks if two objects share a name, or whether you mean a turned object’s own sides or the sides you see), previews the result, applies it and confirms what was saved. A change to more than five objects at once waits for your approval in AI Changes, and every change can be undone. AI apps connected through AI Connections (MCP) use the same tools.
Where pivots apply
Preview, the published Share view and website embeds use the same pivots as the editor. A project without pivots looks and resizes exactly as before. Pivots are kept when you duplicate a project or create one from a template. Replacing a model with a new version clears its pivots, because its parts may have changed — set them again.
Troubleshooting
| Problem | What to do |
|---|---|
| A part grows the wrong way | Open its Edit Axis: the Pivot card says which pivot its Number Inputs use. Set the pivot on the part, or on the group that contains it. |
| A handle or leg doesn't follow the edge | In the Number Input, keep it in the parts list and set it to Fixed; it moves from its group's or model's pivot. |
| Apply is greyed out | The object or a group above it has a scale of 0 on some axis. Fix the scale in the Transform tab. |
| "An earlier version of Edit Axis recorded a pivot here" | That older setting no longer applies after a reload. Choose a pivot again, or dismiss the notice. |
| "Saved pivots belong to parts that aren't in this version" | Those parts are missing from the loaded model file. The pivots are kept in case they come back; Remove deletes them. |