Blockrotation

Blockrotation refers to the operation of rotating blocks within a spatial arrangement. In computing and design, a block can be a rectangular prism, a square tile, or a voxel. Blockrotation changes the orientation of the block while typically preserving its size, and often its position relative to a chosen origin. It is used in both two-dimensional grid contexts and three-dimensional modeling to alter how blocks fit together or interact with their environment.

In two-dimensional contexts, rotation usually occurs around the block’s center or a specified pivot, transforming its footprint on a grid and possibly changing how it connects to neighboring blocks. In three dimensions, rotation is described by a rotation matrix or a quaternion, turning the block around a chosen axis and changing which faces are oriented toward specific directions. Rotation may be constrained to discrete angles in grid-based systems or allowed to vary continuously in rendering pipelines.

Implementation typically requires distinguishing local coordinates (block-relative) from world coordinates, selecting a pivot point, and applying the transformation. For grid-aligned environments, rotations are often snapped to a limited set of angles to preserve alignment with the lattice; for smooth visualization, continuous angles may be used, accompanied by updates to collision geometry and bounding volumes.

Applications include puzzle mechanics where players rotate blocks to unlock paths or connect components, voxel-based editors that reorient objects, and procedural generation that uses rotation to improve fit or variation. Blockrotation also presents challenges such as handling non-uniform anchors, preventing block overlap, and maintaining coherent physics or collision behavior near other geometry.

See also: rotation, rotation matrix, quaternion, affine transformation, voxel.