Allow users to set direction for X and Y axes
Several versions ago Adobe decided to flip Y-axis, so origin now is placed TOP-left instead of BOTTOM-left, as it was before.
They say it was done for compatibility with Photoshop and InDesign, which both have y-axis going down.
I think that breaking people's workflow, deciding only ONE direction is right, was wrong.
InDesign is a publishing software, it works with a flow. I don't know anybody who reads from bottom to up (RTL — yes). When you move an object there, you don't move it up, you move it backwards
Photoshop is raster graphics editor, it works with a readable grid of pixels, which are written from top left (we see it every time when images load slow in browsers). Using Photoshop since version 5 I never experienced any trouble with axis going down, because it just never mattered! I retouch photos mostly. People, who uses it for drawing web-design (!) are still OK, because web pages go down. Anyway, PS even hasn't precise move dialogue controls.
And of course, the fact y-axises go one direction, is just a coincidence (when there is only two variants for y-axis to go — it's highly occasional) — because these two programs care for different fields.
But Illustrator is about vectors.
Y-axis goes up in Cartesian coordinate system.
We move objects up meaning up here.
It was a consistency for the sake of consistency.
It was convenient for devs and not end users.
It was a mistake to do.
Adobe should have asked users to vote about denying common sense.
And Adobe should never ever ever had not given users ability to flip it.
In fact, there IS a way to make y-axis to go down, as it was before: you have to manually set flags in prefs file:
/isRulerIn4thQuad 0
/isRulerOriginTopLeft 0
BUT it causes Move dialogue to be broken (I also have this bug reported). And since there is such an ability and I can flip it in Prefs file — I will fight for an ability to work fully (the worse thing Adobe can do now — is to kill this opportunity).
I don't ask for ruler origin to be changed to bottom left by DEFAULT, NO, Adobe already had given us an opportunity to change this by editing flags! The ideal outcome would be just a switch in Preferences within AI (and a bugfix for Move dialogue that is set upon existing and approved behaviour).
I know quite a lot of highly valuable people from Adobe forums who still votes for y-axis go up:
CarlosCanto (he even wrote a script to undo your unexpected making, https://forums.adobe.com/message/3859338)
JETalmage (you should have seen this post back in 2009! https://forums.adobe.com/thread/497089)
Jacob Bugge and all other people who agree with them in comments.
Nobody among my colleagues I know personally likes this. And only two of them having spoken about it at forums. Imagine how many just cry silently.
Xara allows to flip axes.
Canvas allows to.
Inkscape seems to be able too.
Affinity can't, but YET.
Please.
AdminEgor Chistyakov
(Admin, Adobe Illustrator)
shared this idea
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Ben Aha commented
please, for the love of God, stop torturing your users.
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Jack Wiesenberg
commented
Egor, I agree with you 100%. You should be able to change this in the Preference settings.
I create artwork for the flat glass industry.
Everything in this industry is based on measurements being taken from bottom to top, left to right.
Please listen to us Adobe. -
Flipping the axis via Prefs file leads to error with the Move dialog:
https://illustrator.uservoice.com/forums/601447-illustrator-desktop-bugs/suggestions/32428041-move-dialogue-is-broken-when-y-axis-is-flipped
Please vote for this issue too. -
Jason, unfortunately, it solves only one half of the problem. While the zero indeed goes to the left bottom corner of the artboard, the vertical axis still goes down and not up. The true solution to this would be having an option in Preferences in UI, but it's hidden deep in the Prefs file (and have one issue when toggled).
(Edited by admin) -
Jason Edmunds
commented
With rulers visible, left-click in the square where both rulers meet in the corner of the screen (circled in the attached pic). Hold the mouse button down and drag out of the corner to position the zero point as required then release the button, it will snap to the artboard.
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Jack Wiesenberg
commented
All the designs we create are based on measurements starting from the bottom of the artboard. It would be very useful to be able to set the default ruler 0 point to be the bottom left side of the window instead of the top as it always is now.
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Jim Fuite
commented
I am a math and physics guy using Illustrator to design shingle patterns for my house. A Cartesian coordinate option please.
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Geoff
commented
I'm using Illustrator for a cabinet making design project. Having the y axis on a negative scale is hideous.
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RY
commented
You don't work in print much do you.
Make both options available but let the user select which they want to be the default in illustrator's preferences.
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Duplicate of this https://illustrator.uservoice.com/forums/333657-illustrator-feature-requests/suggestions/31602175-set-quadrant-on-the-xy-axis-to-be-positive-numbers
and more solid this: https://illustrator.uservoice.com/forums/333657-illustrator-feature-requests/suggestions/32428157-allow-users-to-set-direction-for-x-and-y-axises
Please vote for both! And you have my vote, of course. -
James
commented
Those in graphics design generally use this method of working from the upper left and going positive down and to the right. Previous versions of Illustrator allowed it to go the opposite direction (the company I work for has Illustrator versions going back to CS2, and I think possible AI8). Out computers use multiple different versions, mainly because as long as we save it as an AI8 file we can get what information we need from it with some other in house built programs. It just sucks when we go from one computer to another and have to flip how we think about the Y-Axis. Would rather have that be a preference, as you say
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James
commented
Those in graphics design generally use this method of working from the upper left and going positive down and to the right. Previous versions of Illustrator allowed it to go the opposite direction (the company I work for has Illustrator versions going back to CS2, and I think possible AI8). Out computers use multiple different versions, mainly because as long as we save it as an AI8 file we can get what information we need from it with some other in house built programs. It just sucks when we go from one computer to another and have to flip how we think about the Y-Axis. Would rather have that be a preference, as you say
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Phil
commented
Align Illustrator with the rest of the world by making the default Y direction positive numbers above the Y "zero" point - in my case zero is set to the very center of the Artboard.
And also make this a preference item across CC apps. I still don't see how it's an advantage in InDesign and Photoshop.
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Phil
commented
Two years later and it's still BELOW the Y -axis 0. This is different from all the other CAD, CAM, 3D programs I use. I don't see how it's an advantage in InDesign either.
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James
commented
Please add this back
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Barron
commented
This feature would be invaluable to me. I did the plist flip many moons ago after Adobe inverted it, and now there is no way to undo it, and successive move commands on the y axis result in a reversal of movement ie: first movement set to negative will be negative, a successive move command in the pos direction of the identical distance will still result in a negative movement. Now there is no way to fix this without tossing my plist which of course is not an option as I have been nursing it for 15yrs+
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Oh yeah. I'm with you in this war.
Do you know about half-working workaround with editing 'isRuler' flags in Preferences file? -
RY
commented
Given option in preferences where you can select which quadrant on the XY axis you wish to have as positive numbers.
As someone who uses InDesign the most coming to illustrator Is always disorienting because even when you move the axis to the upper left-hand corner the quadrant of the XY axis on the artboard coordinates are in the negative digits.
