Block appears rotated (8°) when inserted – despite being created straight

[ivosten]

Hi,

I’m using QCAD Professional 3.32.2 (Qt6, macOS 12.7, Apple Silicon) – Swedish language version.

I created a window block in a new drawing, with units set to millimeters. The geometry was drawn manually with no rotation. The base point was set to the bottom-left corner. In the block file, the object shows 0° rotation, and all angles are correct (checked with Info > Angle).

However, when I insert the block into another drawing (also in mm), it consistently appears rotated by about 8°, even though:
• Insertion angle is set to 0°
• Drawing units match (mm)
• I’ve restarted QCAD and used clean files
• I’ve confirmed the block looks horizontal and unrotated when saved

This happens even when I create a new drawing, draw a fresh symbol, and save directly from that file.
I’ve attached both block and target drawings, as well as screenshots showing the issue.

Any help or insights appreciated!

Thanks in advance!

[CVH]

Hi, and welcome to the QCAD forum.

I can't replicate such behavior using 3.32.2 on Win, the language or unit should not matter.
One can not set a specific base point of a Block definition, that is the drawing origin when editing the Block in question.

Further, one can not copy a Block definition to another file.
But you can copy/paste a Block Reference (=entity) to another file and that would first duplicate the Block definition content in the other file.
The Block content is identical for the same drawing units but the Block Reference may be rotated on pasting.

Few things to verify:
- Select and edit Block (BE) and verify if the content is drawn horizontally.
-> Back to main drawing (EM)
- Select Block Reference and see Property Editor .. Specific Properties .. Angle
- For copy/paste between files have a look at the Paste options on the Options Toolbar.

If the angle of the Block Reference is zero then it was inserted without rotation.
Otherwise the 'Rotation' angle of BI or PS was not zero.

BI_OptionToolbar.png (4.36 KiB) Viewed 42589 times

PS_OptionToolbar.png (4.55 KiB) Viewed 42589 times

Unless there are stacked blocks and your Block Reference was inserted in a Block other than Model_Space, itself rotated on Model_Space.

If all fails then please attach an example file so we can help you more efficiently.

Regards,
CVH

[ivosten]

First, thank you CVH for your detailed reply and warm welcome!

I spent several days troubleshooting why blocks inserted from the Library Browser appeared rotated (about 8°), even when they were drawn and saved correctly in millimeters. I checked all settings, restarted QCAD, tested block creation in fresh files, reviewed tutorials, and verified angles using the Info tools.

The strange thing was:
Even QCAD’s built-in library blocks (like doors) were rotated when inserted.
But blocks inserted from within the same drawing or copy/pasted between drawings were fine.

⸻

What finally resolved it:
In Preferences > Widgets > Library Browser, I changed the view mode from “Symbols” to “List”.
After that, all blocks (including built-in ones) inserted correctly, with no rotation.

I don’t know why this change fixed it, but I wanted to share the exact steps, in case it helps someone else on macOS.

Thanks again!

Best regards,

QCAD Pro 3.32.2, Qt6, macOS 12.7 (Swedish version)

[CVH]

Hi,

The Library Browser was not mentioned in the initial post.
Inserting a Library Item is a different code part compared with inserting a Block Reference.
Its options on the Options Toolbar are similar as those of BI (See above) except at least the first icon, the tool icon.

ItemInsert_OptionToolbar.png (4.35 KiB) Viewed 42113 times

The tool options including 'Rotation' are stored under a different section in the config file and are thus not related.
- Under [InsertBlockItem] for the Library Browser
- Under [InsertBlock] for BI

I can insert a Block Reference with rotation zero and insert a Library Item with a different angle.
These options are stored persistent between usage for both methods.

Changing the listing method for the Library Browser should not have an influence.
Again, I can not replicate this.

When the Library Browser widget is displayed as floating it can obscure the Options Toolbar.
I still presume that this 'Rotation' angle was not zero.

Regards,
CVH

[HJ Seef]

Same issue with unexpected rotated blocks.

[CVH]

@ HJ Seef

Same issue with unexpected rotated blocks.

For inserting a Library item as a Block the angle is not automatically "nilled".
Tool options typically store their last used state persistent.
Please include a screen capture of or see the Options Toolbar on inserting a Library Item.
See above reply where the angle for inserting was set to 30 degrees.

These values like many others are rounded if not a neat value.
Near zero may be presented as zero.
It may even that a small change is not accounted for (Property Editor).
Then change the value to for example 5 degrees before setting it to zero degrees.

QCAD does not invent rotation angles for: Insert Block, Insert Library Item, Paste and so on.
Tool options are defaults values to start with and once they are changed they are user defined.
Only a few tools revert to default options when initiated.

In any case: Including example files would allow us to help you more efficiently.
Also see above forum rules in red.
The limitation is that we might not have the same persistent stored tool options and don't know yours if omitted.
Then please include that in your problem report e.g.:

Same issue with unexpected rotated blocks when inserted at zero degrees.

Regards,
CVH