---
title: "Define normal direction"
slug: "cyclone-3dr-definenormaldirection"
updated: 2026-09-07T11:51:23Z
published: 2026-09-07T11:51:23Z
canonical: "rcdocs.leica-geosystems.com/cyclone-3dr-definenormaldirection"
---

> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://rcdocs.leica-geosystems.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Define normal direction

Several commands inside the software need a direction to work. In this case a vertical ribbon is displayed next to the dialog box. This ribbon can be used to define a direction in many different ways:

| ![X.svg](https://cdn.document360.io/820e11db-8ed5-45ae-ac86-f6b77dcb2aa7/Images/Documentation/X.svg) | Use X axis as normal direction |
| --- | --- |
| ![Y.svg](https://cdn.document360.io/820e11db-8ed5-45ae-ac86-f6b77dcb2aa7/Images/Documentation/Y.svg) | Use Y axis as normal direction |
| ![Z.svg](https://cdn.document360.io/820e11db-8ed5-45ae-ac86-f6b77dcb2aa7/Images/Documentation/Z.svg) | Use Z axis as normal direction |
| ![1Point.svg](https://cdn.document360.io/820e11db-8ed5-45ae-ac86-f6b77dcb2aa7/Images/Documentation/1Point.svg) | Click one point; the normal direction will be the vector defined by the origin of the coordinate system and the clicked point |
| ![2Points.svg](https://cdn.document360.io/820e11db-8ed5-45ae-ac86-f6b77dcb2aa7/Images/Documentation/2Points.svg) | Click two points to define the vector and use the vector as normal direction |
| ![3Points.svg](https://cdn.document360.io/820e11db-8ed5-45ae-ac86-f6b77dcb2aa7/Images/Documentation/3Points.svg) | Click three points to define a plane and use the plane normal as normal direction |
| ![LocalNormal.svg](https://cdn.document360.io/820e11db-8ed5-45ae-ac86-f6b77dcb2aa7/Images/Documentation/LocalNormal.svg) | Click an object and use the local normal of the object as normal direction |
| ![Direction.svg](https://cdn.document360.io/820e11db-8ed5-45ae-ac86-f6b77dcb2aa7/Images/Documentation/Direction.svg) | Click an object and use the direction of the object as normal direction (main axis for a cylinder) |
| ![ScreenNormal.svg](https://cdn.document360.io/820e11db-8ed5-45ae-ac86-f6b77dcb2aa7/Images/Documentation/ScreenNormal.svg) | Use the screen normal as normal direction |
| ![ExtractPlane.svg](https://cdn.document360.io/820e11db-8ed5-45ae-ac86-f6b77dcb2aa7/Images/Documentation/ExtractPlane.svg) | Click a point to extract a local plane and use the plane normal as normal direction |
| ![BestPlane.svg](https://cdn.document360.io/820e11db-8ed5-45ae-ac86-f6b77dcb2aa7/Images/Documentation/BestPlane.svg) | Click an object to compute a best plane and use the plane normal as normal direction |
| ![Verticality.svg](https://cdn.document360.io/820e11db-8ed5-45ae-ac86-f6b77dcb2aa7/Images/Documentation/Verticality.svg) | Click an object to compute a vertical best plane and use the plane normal as normal direction |
| ![](https://cdn.document360.io/820e11db-8ed5-45ae-ac86-f6b77dcb2aa7/Images/Documentation/ChangeSign.svg) | Reverse the normal direction |