Something I need to ventilate to the EGOSOFT team

[jlehtone]

There are basically two approaches to rotation.

One is that we have fixed axes (of rotation) and angles around those axes. The order of rotation operations is fixed.
Usually there are max three angles and we need to store only the angles for object, because axes are known implicitly.
X4 modules had previously only one angle. X2/X3 stations had two angles.
There are, however, more than one way to select the axes. They could be in "world frame of reference", or "object's reference".
Furthermore, some angle combinations have "gimbal lock", where there are three angles, but just two can reach the same total rotation.

The other way is to have one arbitrary axis and angle. More rotations can be appended, but they simply update the axis and angle.
Such rotation can be "free", not bound to "X-axis" or "Y-axis". The math operations are a bit different. (Been there, done that, got it wrong many times.)

If you have only one fixed axis to rotate about, then one angle is awesome. If you do use free rotation, then you need four floats (three for axis, and one for angle).

[Mr.Killer]

I took a break from X4 and wanted to cool down for a while, but yesterday I started it up again, went to stationbuilding this time and found myself stuck in the same rotation problem.
If you put a smartphone on a table, try to move it or rotate it with just one finger, that plane of movement is what I need with support modules, instead it rotates like it floats in space. I can not get it right anymore. Why is there noone out there who has this same problem?

You are rotating around the axis your camera is facing. So if you want to rotate a module like as if it was on a table, do this:

1. rotate camera so you look straight "down", aka now the axis around which you rotate is now the up-down axis, aka you rotate the module as if it was on a table
2. select module you want to rotate
2. hold right mouse button and rotate it

It is a but awkward that the rotation axis is tied to the camera orientation. Personally I'd rather have a rotation gizmo like all 3d modelling applications have, such as this, where we can rotate a module regardless of our camera orientation, but considering we were not able to rotate modules at all around the other two axis before I'd gladly take the current solution until an improvement can be made.

I am so glad you made a good point here(the image you provided talks so much sense while we struggle and struggle...), I have been breaking my brains how to tell and explain this here, but you totally understand. Now it is up to EGOSOFT to implement a better rotation system for items in stationbuilding that is really needed.

[Zalzany]

I took a break from X4 and wanted to cool down for a while, but yesterday I started it up again, went to stationbuilding this time and found myself stuck in the same rotation problem.
If you put a smartphone on a table, try to move it or rotate it with just one finger, that plane of movement is what I need with support modules, instead it rotates like it floats in space. I can not get it right anymore. Why is there noone out there who has this same problem?

You are rotating around the axis your camera is facing. So if you want to rotate a module like as if it was on a table, do this:

1. rotate camera so you look straight "down", aka now the axis around which you rotate is now the up-down axis, aka you rotate the module as if it was on a table
2. select module you want to rotate
2. hold right mouse button and rotate it

It is a but awkward that the rotation axis is tied to the camera orientation. Personally I'd rather have a rotation gizmo like all 3d modelling applications have, such as this, where we can rotate a module regardless of our camera orientation, but considering we were not able to rotate modules at all around the other two axis before I'd gladly take the current solution until an improvement can be made.

I am so glad you made a good point here(the image you provided talks so much sense while we struggle and struggle...), I have been breaking my brains how to tell and explain this here, but you totally understand. Now it is up to EGOSOFT to implement a better rotation system for items in stationbuilding that is really needed.

It works fine I don't think you have full grasp on english its ok, but your rotate based on camera angle. Its annoying it could be a million times better yes, I don't get why I can't just alt right click to fip them upside dow, and right click to spin them but they did this way. Once you get use to it it works fine, just annoying still. But Egosoft is not the kind of company to fix whats not broken saddly, I love the game but yes I do wish many many days Electronic Arts or Parodox would challange X for this rather unique tiny genre that is pretty much this game and what Starpoint Gemini Warlords lol.

[Mr.Killer]

Well, they managed because of this 'not broken part' of the game to stop me from playing it. That is what happened. And if they throw this on the "Deutsche Gründlichkeit!" they need a dictionary, asap!

I am out! Not gonna deal with this shi...