Which way is it spinning?
Created on: October 17th, 2007
Which way is it spinning?
A 3d wireframe of a doorknob flattened to 2d and spun 360 clockwise. It appears to spin both directions and flip-flop depending on the part of the image your concentrate on.

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October 17th, 2007
(0)
And yes, it is actually spinning a full 360. It is not bouncing back and forth. If you don't believe me, compare with these 2 images: http://home.comcast.net/~linasach/knobspin2.gif (Culled backface version) http://home.comcast.net/~linasach/knobspin3.gif (Heavily extruded version)
October 18th, 2007
(3)
Ah, thats interesting! At first I saw it spinning anti-clockwise, then suddenly it changed direction - I thought it was a cheat, that it actually HAD physically changed direction... then I realised that it hadn't and it was all in my head... then my head a'splode....
October 18th, 2007
(0)
wich way is it spinning really?
October 19th, 2007
(0)
It's spinning right.
October 19th, 2007
(0)
lol, knob spin.
October 17th, 2007
(0)
woah
October 17th, 2007
(0)
Neat illusion, bonus points for making it yourself.
October 17th, 2007
(3)
it don't stop.
October 17th, 2007
(0)
right.
October 17th, 2007
(2)
Its ridin in the direction of the spinnaz'
October 17th, 2007
(0)
after you see it both ways, it flips and doesnt do full rotations
October 17th, 2007
(0)
pretty neat
October 17th, 2007
(-6)
[ comment (and 4 replies) is below rating threshold and has been hidden ]
(-6)
I can make it spin either direction at will, suck my dick idiot
October 17th, 2007
(0)
it looks like it is going from right to left. i don't see the both way thing.
October 17th, 2007
(0)
I'm seeing the same thing. I just see it going if you are looking from above and counter clockwize if you are looking from below (that is the same direction).
October 17th, 2007
(0)
http://content.ytmnd.com/content/8/a/7/8a75dc44aa7cee9a976750e9093d3153.mp3
October 17th, 2007
(0)
Only rotates in one direction for me... The knob only goes counter-clockwise. Does that make me smarter or stupider?
October 17th, 2007
(0)
dumber, lol. I noticed if you blink strongly it goes in the opposite direction then what you see it as.
October 17th, 2007
(0)
Try staring at a particular point on the model. For example, stare at the tip of the knob at appears to bounce back-and-forth. Stare at the edge the base and it spins either way.
October 17th, 2007
(0)
Look dead on, then focus attention to the left, then focus attention to the right. Also just about every time I blink it would work.
October 17th, 2007
(0)
more like you're the knob
October 17th, 2007
(0)
lawlsuit for motion sickness and unsolicited hypnotism... neat otherwise
October 17th, 2007
(0)
Always goes clockwise.
October 17th, 2007
(2)
I take that back. Awesome.
October 17th, 2007
(0)
It's supposed to show you what side of your brain you rely on most. Mine switches alot :(
October 17th, 2007
(0)
the tune reminds me of barry manilow's copacabana
October 17th, 2007
(0)
Actually I was practicing on a different picture so I was able to switch directions. But it was clockwise to at first. GJ
October 17th, 2007
(0)
x.x; I had to restart it to get my eyes to focus on the other direction of rotation.
October 17th, 2007
(0)
wth hell it switches direction half way through!!
October 17th, 2007
(0)
<-
October 17th, 2007
(0)
really cool
October 17th, 2007
(0)
hell yeah
October 17th, 2007
(0)
5 for the use of wire frame. is that a cauldron of death?
October 17th, 2007
(0)
Exclude my last comment, I now realize is makes no sense at all, not to mention i didn't even give you 5.
October 17th, 2007
(0)
Are ya'll saying the rotation flips directions, or are you saying that the horizontal spin changes directions. For me all I'm seeing with the horizontal spin is a single motion toward the left. But the knob seems to spin either direction if you were 'turning the knob' like trying to open a door. Not sure what's so special about it either. Any wireframe image will do it if it's on a spin. Hooray basic 3d modeling though I guess.
October 17th, 2007
(0)
Ya know .. I had to blink and look away a few times but yeah i saw it twirl both directions at one point or another
October 17th, 2007
(0)
both ways
October 17th, 2007
(0)
RAWR!
October 17th, 2007
(0)
Right.
October 17th, 2007
(-3)
All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy
October 17th, 2007
(0)
...dinero es yo?
October 17th, 2007
(1)
also http://www.news.com.au/common/imagedata/0,,5687820,00.gif
October 19th, 2007
(0)
It's funny you link that .gif. I saw that gif and I got really annoyed that illusion sucked. If you look at the visual clues, it only spins one way. So I created this to show the same, but actually have it be an illusion which way it spins. That .gif spawned this ytmnd.
October 17th, 2007
(1)
clockwise. but my brain made it so.
October 17th, 2007
(0)
How lovely.
October 17th, 2007
(0)
to the left
October 17th, 2007
(0)
Excellent.
October 17th, 2007
(0)
Clearly not spinning.
October 17th, 2007
(0)
left
October 17th, 2007
(0)
It's like that drug trip when I was on that drug trip. And the music helps. =)
October 17th, 2007
(0)
awesome
October 17th, 2007
(0)
I use the right side of my brain, er wait, which one is the creative side?
October 18th, 2007
(0)
it's easier to see both directions with this (doorknob?) than that one with the girl.
October 18th, 2007
(0)
Only goes one way for me, i tried focusing on different parts.
October 18th, 2007
(0)
crazy if its true
October 18th, 2007
(0)
First it was clockwise, then I thought about it for a minute, and it began spinning the other way. Then I changed my focus a little, and when I re-focused on th image it was spinning both ways at the same time. I'm a f*cking genius!
October 18th, 2007
(0)
I don't see the spinning.
October 18th, 2007
(0)
i can make it turn either way in my head... all i do is stare at it for 3 seconds, blink for 1, and it seems to change rotation.
October 18th, 2007
(0)
The correct answer is "it spins either way at any given time, depending on the perspective". If you study the image long enough, you will come to the realization that when the picture stops at each point just like the frame above in the preview, you have no way of telling if the round knob portion or whether the flat disk portion is in front or in back, because it is a wire frame. There is no reference of depth to act as a guide to tell your eyes what is in front. Therefore whatever your brain happens
October 18th, 2007
(0)
to decide is in front first, decides how the object is rotating, clockwise or counter clockwise. A very cool effect. 5'd.
October 18th, 2007
(0)
It's not rotating. Its bouncing between a position of 0 degrees and 180 degrees and 0 degrees and so on.
October 18th, 2007
(0)
trippy. 8 stars. everyonehaseights.ytmnd.com
October 18th, 2007
(0)
8
October 18th, 2007
(0)
It's fun when you get good at it. you can decide which side you want it to spin or you can keep it bouncing back and forth.
October 18th, 2007
(0)
i saw jesus
October 18th, 2007
(0)
this site caused me to have weird dreams about YTMND last night.
October 18th, 2007
(0)
:)
October 18th, 2007
(0)
Concentrating on the bottom, then imagining it spinning the other way before looking up makes it do it for me.
October 18th, 2007
(0)
Interesting. I've stared at this thing for so long, I can only see it bouncing back and forth. It's almost maddening in a way.
October 18th, 2007
(0)
I have the same thing.
October 18th, 2007
(0)
I found that whenever i right click on the image and then make the menu go away it flip flops. Ugh this thing makes me think to hard.
October 18th, 2007
(0)
it's actually pretty crazy when you examine it frame by frame. when you look at it closely, you see that it in fact isn't spinning at all, it's simply moving right to left to right while pivoting. really great effect, the best part about it is that once your mind gets it moving on one track and it all the sudden changes, it's really hard to "blink" out of it. very cool.
October 18th, 2007
(0)
counterclockwise?
October 18th, 2007
(0)
It's Schrodinger's doorknob.
October 18th, 2007
(0)
Well, i found that if you don't focus on the dot it's easier to get it to swap directions. try looking at the base of the knob as it reaches a perpendicular angle and try to make it switch.
October 18th, 2007
(0)
if you initially see it counter-clockwise, you live with Satan
October 18th, 2007
(0)
The key is perception I found, at first it was spinning and spinning then I fogused on the dot at the head of the bulb part and using that as a keypoint I was able to at will decide the direction that it spins in. It is in reality only bouncing back in forth as its a 2D image, how ever your perception of this event determins if it is spinning and what direction.If anything in your life teaches you this fact it is this,the image you see in your mind is not the image you see with your eyes, the cake is a lie!
October 18th, 2007
(0)
hax
October 19th, 2007
(0)
glad im high while watching this
October 19th, 2007
(0)
It starts out spinning clockwise but I looked away then back and it was going Counter-Clockwise......MIND F*&K! 5'd for self made mind F*&K
October 19th, 2007
(0)
LOL, KNOB SPIN!
October 19th, 2007
(0)
yeah i get it, it should ask if it's only spinning or spinning and the knob is turning
October 19th, 2007
(0)
it spins both ways causse the gif changes half way though. it's not an optical illusion.
October 19th, 2007
(0)
It doesn't change. Compare with the .gifs: http://home.comcast.net/~linasach/knobspin2.gif (Culled backface version) http://home.comcast.net/~linasach/knobspin3.gif (Heavily extruded version)
October 19th, 2007
(0)
Weird... I only could interpret this as going clockwise.
October 19th, 2007
(0)
neither, it's moving back and forth.
October 25th, 2007
(0)
AHHHHH! keyword number three is valid
October 28th, 2007
(0)
Holy crap O.o
March 27th, 2008
(0)
Strange, I can only picture it moving one way.
May 19th, 2008
(0)
Random information: I saw this effect recently with one of those airport radars from a distance
June 20th, 2010
(0)
I don't know if it's just me, but either part I concentrate on, it's spinning the same way.