Skip to main content

CSS rotate3d() Function – How to Rotate Elements in 3D

rotate3d() transforms an element by rotating it three-dimensionally around the x-, y-, and z-axis.

Illustration of the 3D Cartesian coordinate system

A three-dimensional Cartesian coordinate system showing the X-, Y-, and Z-axis

Syntax of the CSS rotate3d() Function​

rotate3d() accepts four arguments. Here is the syntax:

element {
  transform: rotate3d(x, y, z, angle);
}

Note the following:

  • The x, y, and z arguments are numbers specifying the x-, y-, and z-coordinates.
  • The coordinates are the axis around which the element will rotate.
  • The angle argument specifies the element's angle of rotation.
  • angle can be in degree, gradian, radian, or turn.
  • An angle argument consists of a number followed by the unit you wish to use—for instance, 45deg.

Examples of the CSS rotate3d() Function​

Below are some examples of how the CSS rotate3d() function works.

Buy CSS Grid book

How to do a 70-degree rotation around the Z-axis​

img {
  transform: rotate3d(0, 0, 1, 70deg);
  width: 80%;
}

Try it on StackBlitz

The snippet above used the rotate3d() function to specify a seventy-degree (70⁰) rotation for the image around the Z-axis.

How to do a 70-degree rotation around the X-, Y-, and Z-axis​

img {
  transform: rotate3d(1, 1, 1, 70deg);
  width: 80%;
}

Try it on StackBlitz

The snippet above used the rotate3d() function to specify a seventy-degree (70⁰) rotation for the image around the x-, y-, and z-axis.

Overview​

This article discussed what a CSS rotate3d() function is. We also used examples to see how it works.