this post was submitted on 01 Dec 2025
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A collection of some classic Lemmy memes for your enjoyment

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[–] rescue_toaster@lemmy.zip 77 points 3 weeks ago (3 children)

Top one is incorrect. Z needs to point outwards.

[–] AllYourSmurf@lemmy.world 57 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

There are three kinds of people…

[–] pennomi@lemmy.world 114 points 3 weeks ago (23 children)
[–] lime@feddit.nu 28 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

unreal georg is an anomaly and should not be counted

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[–] cepelinas@sopuli.xyz 15 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

Z up all the way because my 3d printer but why is Minecraft y-up D:

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[–] ICastFist@programming.dev 8 points 3 weeks ago

Dwarf Fortress goes with Blender and the others

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[–] saltesc@lemmy.world 16 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago) (7 children)

I know Z as upward. X and Y were always on the base plane representing length and width. Z comes in being all like, "Now we're being 3D!"

So wherever the "floor" is, represented with gridlines, boundary, canvas, etc. that's where they live. That is Flatland where there is no up or down. It is 2D where most of my work is. If you try tell me Y is Z, I'd ask "wtf is a Z?"

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[–] Teepo@sh.itjust.works 40 points 3 weeks ago (4 children)

The top one is wrong because it violates the right hand rule.

[–] NigelFrobisher@aussie.zone 8 points 3 weeks ago (2 children)

What about the left hand rule?

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[–] etuomaala@sopuli.xyz 38 points 3 weeks ago (5 children)

I legit had no idea anybody actually used the upper system until now. I had to read the comments just to see whether the upper system was just some sort of joke. I am horrified.

[–] drcobaltjedi@programming.dev 20 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago) (1 children)

It depends on how you view 2D->3D.

If you're thinking of a side scroller like the original Super Mario, Y is up/down and X is left/right making the new dimention Z being forward/backward.

However if you think of 2D space like the first LoZ, then Y is North/South and X is East/West making Z up/down

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[–] ChairmanMeow@programming.dev 15 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

Almost the entirety of computer graphics uses the z coordinate for depth afaik.

Even Minecraft does it.

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[–] JigglySackles@lemmy.world 32 points 3 weeks ago (10 children)

Z is elevation. Any real world application, z goes up down. 3D applications SHOULD use it for elevation. I despise that many do not. It's so fucking confusing. 2D, sure y go brrr. But once that 3rd dimension is added, y needs to take several seats and quit trying to take on dimensions it doesn't have any right to.

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[–] Bazell@lemmy.zip 31 points 3 weeks ago (2 children)
[–] tetris11@feddit.uk 12 points 3 weeks ago

damn Australians

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[–] mr_account@lemmy.world 30 points 3 weeks ago (2 children)

One of my friends and I used to always have this debate because of our different backgrounds. I got used to +Y being up because of doing physics for several years and seeing side-on diagrams that needed to account for gravity. My friend has a background in geology, so he's used to top-down surveying maps where +Z is up. It all depends on your perspective.

But my way is right. We need to have standards, people.

[–] RememberTheApollo_@lemmy.world 26 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

Thanks to 3D printing Z is firmly “up” in my brain even if the modeler I use does it differently.

[–] driving_crooner@lemmy.eco.br 16 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

If 2d, Y up, if 3d Z up.

I always tough as inputs down, answer up. And usually, x is the variable y the result, or xy the variables and z the result

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[–] Tattorack@lemmy.world 22 points 3 weeks ago (4 children)

Yeah... As a Blender 3D artist, Z axis has been baked into my brain as the up/down axis.

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[–] L0rdMathias@sh.itjust.works 19 points 3 weeks ago (5 children)

Z is always depth. Both are correct but define different perspectives. Top is looking across the landscape from an arbitrary floating perspective, bottom is looking down with anchored mapping to the surface.

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[–] simbico@lemmy.zip 19 points 3 weeks ago (2 children)

In 2D Y is up, in 3D Z is up.
X is always red🤷‍♂️

[–] WhiskyTangoFoxtrot@lemmy.world 11 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

On Nintendo X is up. On Xbox X is left. On Playstation X is down.

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[–] 4am@lemmy.zip 11 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

I’m from a computer graphics background.

Y is down. z is depth. Fight me.

[–] simbico@lemmy.zip 11 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

You're on, just send the coords!

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[–] loie@lemmy.world 18 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

In my brain Z is Up, Z is Height. In my job I have to deal with both all the time which is quite annoying.

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[–] olafurp@lemmy.world 17 points 3 weeks ago (3 children)

In a 2D game Y is up. Going from 2D to 3D would make sense to add another dimension forward to account for depth.

However if you start with a map of a 3D surface then North is Y and East is X you'd add Z to account for elevation like everybody making maps would.

I guess it depends on how you look at it.

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[–] KSPAtlas@sopuli.xyz 14 points 3 weeks ago (3 children)

y-up ftw

It's easier when writing 3d renderers cause the x and y coordinates of the 3d points eventually become the x and y coordinates of the 2d points on screen and it's easier to keep track of

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[–] mvirts@lemmy.world 14 points 3 weeks ago

Don't forget the handedness of each coordinate system!

[–] Wirlocke@lemmy.blahaj.zone 14 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

X is up, there now no one is happy.

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[–] KingGimpicus@sh.itjust.works 12 points 3 weeks ago (2 children)

The second fellow is a machinist, like me.

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[–] khepri@lemmy.world 11 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

Z is depth, full stop, and I have my fists raised, Queensbury-style, to anyone who contends otherwise.

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[–] Redex68@lemmy.world 11 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

I'll leave this here for context (bottom right is the only sane one)

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[–] PearOfJudes@lemmy.ml 11 points 3 weeks ago
[–] t0fr@lemmy.ca 10 points 3 weeks ago (5 children)

There are clearly more than two. In the top image that z-axis is pointing in the wrong direction.

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[–] Brosplosion@lemmy.zip 9 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago)

Neither of these are right. X is forward, Y is to the right and Z is down.

Source: https://iansguides.com/tutorials/aircraft-coordinate-system-and-anatomy/

[–] socsa@piefed.social 9 points 3 weeks ago

<i,j,k> vector master race.

[–] dondelelcaro@lemmy.world 9 points 3 weeks ago

Unless you're into magnetic resonance and use rotating frames: rotating frames in magenetic resonance

[–] mad_lentil@lemmy.ca 9 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

Above and below the page/plane is the z-axis.

But some people "hold" the page up in front of them, or down on the table.

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[–] kn0wmad1c@programming.dev 9 points 3 weeks ago (2 children)

I'm the bottom person. X and Y need to be on the same plane.

[–] jacksilver@lemmy.world 8 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

Technically, regardless of dimensions, x and y always make/share a plane.

But I agree with you, I always imagine Z as jutting out from the plane x and y make.

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[–] swagmoney@lemmy.ca 8 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

ah yes the correct way and the Minecraft way

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I am the latter, because if I draw a X-Y plane and lay it on the ground, it aligns with that XYZ reference frame.

[–] Spacehooks@reddthat.com 8 points 3 weeks ago (7 children)

Weird didn't everyone learn XY on paper on a desk first? All they did was add z axis to that original concept for elevation which gives us the bottom image.

Top image is like if I held paper straight parallel to my face.

[–] homura1650@lemmy.world 10 points 3 weeks ago

When working in 2 dimensions with gravity, it is common to treat Y as up. E.g, 2d video games, physics problems, computer screens.

[–] squaresinger@lemmy.world 8 points 3 weeks ago (2 children)

That's basically what it comes down to: Is your XY plane a piece of paper that you look at from the top, or is it the pixel coordinates of the screen you are looking through?

That's why X is usually not contested, because it's the same on a piece of paper that you view top-down and on a screen that you view from the front.

Y is then one of the two potential axies for either a top-down or a side-scrolling view, and Z is the remaining axis.

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