When you import a 3D model, the way it happens to be oriented in the file decides which way it faces the wire — and that has a big effect on how well the cut comes out. The Rotate part panel (in the status column on the left of the tool) lets you re-orient the model in clean 90° steps until it sits the way you want.
The six buttons
There are three rows — X axis, Y axis, Z axis — each with a +90° and a −90° button. Each click turns the model a quarter-turn about that axis. The steps are exact, so you can click around as much as you like and the model snaps back to a perfect right angle every time, with no drift.
| Axis | Spins the model… |
|---|---|
| X | nose over tail (tips it forward / back) |
| Y | like a turntable (yaw, left / right) |
| Z | rolls it sideways (clockwise / anticlockwise from the front) |
What happens when you click
Each press rotates the model's starting position, then cncfoam.com re-slices the silhouettes and rebuilds the cut automatically, so the 3D preview updates straight away. You are changing the orientation the part is cut in, not just the camera — the camera you move by dragging in the 3D view.
Why you would use it
- Align the long axis to the spin axis. The visual-hull cut is sharpest when the model rotates around its longest, most-detailed axis. If your model imported lying down but should stand up, a single X or Z press fixes it.
- Put the flat / important face where you want it. Rotate so the base sits on the bottom of the block, or the detailed side faces the first cut.
- Fix exporter quirks. Many programs export with Z-up while cncfoam.com works Y-up; one 90° press about X usually sets that right.
Notes
- The buttons act on the most recently imported STL/OBJ. Load a model first — until then they show a hint.
- Re-slicing re-runs the carve; on very high angle counts give it a moment (the work runs in the background so the tool stays responsive).
- For flat 2D profiles there is no 3D orientation to set — in-plane spin lives in the OBJECT bar's ROTATE field instead.