# Quaternion mode for glyph orientation
**URL:** https://discourse.paraview.org/t/quaternion-mode-for-glyph-orientation/14682
**Category:** ParaView Support
**Created:** [May 21, 2024, 7:19am UTC](https://discourse.paraview.org/t/quaternion-mode-for-glyph-orientation/14682 "2024-05-21T07:19:31Z")
**Posts on this page:** 5
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@brzezink](https://discourse.paraview.org/u/brzezink)
#### Post date: [May 21, 2024, 7:19am UTC](https://discourse.paraview.org/t/quaternion-mode-for-glyph-orientation/14682/1 "2024-05-21T07:19:31Z")
Hello,
I am using Paraview 5.12.0 (I also tried 5.11.0) on Ubuntu 23.10 (mantic). I want to orient 3D Glyphs directly by using quaternions. I have found in the release notes that it should be possible:
[https://www.paraview.org/Wiki/ParaView\_Release\_Notes#Orienting\_by\_quaternion\_in\_3D\_Glyph\_representation](https://www.paraview.org/Wiki/ParaView_Release_Notes#Orienting_by_quaternion_in_3D_Glyph_representation)
I have created an array of 4D vectors based on information provided in this discussion: [Help with exporting quaternion data in vtu file](https://discourse.paraview.org/t/help-with-exporting-quaternion-data-in-vtu-file/5173)
However, I cannot use it as an orientation array (only 3D arrays are detected). I cannot find any option to use the ‘Quaternion mode’.
The release notes mentioned above state that there was ’ a choice between direction vector or angles around three axes’. I think that I could also use angles, but how can I ‘tell’ Paraview which option I want to use?
Cheers,
Karol
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### Author:  [@mwestphal](https://discourse.paraview.org/u/mwestphal)
#### Post date: [May 21, 2024, 9:59am UTC](https://discourse.paraview.org/t/quaternion-mode-for-glyph-orientation/14682/2 "2024-05-21T09:59:44Z")
HI @brzezink
This is working fine here with a 4 components array:
Data:
[a.vtp](https://discourse.paraview.org/uploads/short-url/mnB3mq2eoBDTWUG0vv1yTriKi7M.vtp) (18.2 KB)
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### Author:  [@brzezink](https://discourse.paraview.org/u/brzezink)
#### Post date: [May 21, 2024, 11:18am UTC](https://discourse.paraview.org/t/quaternion-mode-for-glyph-orientation/14682/3 "2024-05-21T11:18:47Z")
Hello @mwestphal,
Thank you for your answer. Could you please share how you set up this visualisation? Maybe I am missing something straightforward, but I have not been able to find a solution for a while.
Here is how it looks when I try to use Quaternion for orientation:
Only “normals” can be accepted as orientation arrays from your dataset.
Cheers,
Karol
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### Author:  [@mwestphal](https://discourse.paraview.org/u/mwestphal)
#### Post date: [May 21, 2024, 11:44am UTC](https://discourse.paraview.org/t/quaternion-mode-for-glyph-orientation/14682/4 "2024-05-21T11:44:26Z")
You are using the Glyph filter instead of using the 3DGlyphs representation.
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### Author:  [@brzezink](https://discourse.paraview.org/u/brzezink)
#### Post date: [May 21, 2024, 12:00pm UTC](https://discourse.paraview.org/t/quaternion-mode-for-glyph-orientation/14682/5 "2024-05-21T12:00:10Z")
Sorry for posting such a basic problem and thank you for help in solving it!