Coordinates
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Note:'Global' or 'absolute' coordinates refer to the coordinates of the world. All other coordinate systems are 'local' to an entity.
Note:In world, +X is east and +Y is north. In MDLs, +X is north and +Y is west.
Note:The compass shown when the nav_show_compass console variable is toggled shows x axis is east and y axis is south. This doesn't make any sense, because in reality, turning left from north will turn to west instead of east.
Tip:There can be multiple origins within the same entity: its own origin, the origin of its model, etc. Each origin defines its own local coordinate system relative to its parent.
Coordinates are used to describe locations. Each one is a group of "ordinate" numbers which taken together can be plotted on a grid, one ordinate per dimension.
Coordinates in Source are (X,Y,Z)
, where X is forward/East, Y is left/North, and Z is up. (0,0,1)
is a point one unit directly above the origin.
Source is using right handed coordinate system.
Coordinates are often stored alongside a set of rotation angles.



Origin
The origin of an object is the point at which its local coordinates are (0,0,0)
. It is the mathematical centre from which local coordinates are relative. It is rarely the centre of the visible object, however.
