Object Space and World Space

Object space is the coordinate system unique to each object in your scene. It tracks the location of everything applied to an object. The location of object vertices, the placement of modifiers, mapping coordinates, and materials are all defined in object space.

As mentioned in Modifier Types Defined, each object has its own local center and coordinate system as defined by the location and orientation of the object’s pivot point. The local center and coordinate system of an object combine to define its object space.

When you choose Use Pivot Point Centers from the toolbar or Use Pivot Points from the Modifier List, you are telling the program to use the Object Space origin of one or more selected objects as the center of a transform or modifier effect.

When you choose Local from the Reference Coordinate System list (on the main toolbar), you tell the program to use a selected object’s object space for the orientation of the active coordinate axes.

World space is the universal coordinate system used to track objects in the scene. When you look at the home grid in the viewports, you see the world-space coordinate system. World space is constant and immovable.

All objects in your scene are located in world space by their position, rotation, and scale (their transforms).

Space warps also operate in world space. A space warp defines an area in world space that is affected by the space warp’s parameters. Any object that is bound to the space warp is affected as it moves through the space warp’s area of world space.