Is the Z-axis height? Or is it depth ( forward/backward direction)?

Im working with Blender, but recently started 3D CAD with SolidWorks as well, so I am confused. (Z axis in Blender is height, SolidWorks is depth)
Let me know your thoughts!

 

I guess it depends on the program. In some, Z depicts the height of something while in other, usually Z is the depth. I think that even Unity or Unreal Engine uses Z-axis for depth

 

For me its always been depth when referring to 3D images, im guessing some people make the Z axis height as they will do a 2D sketch using X and Y relative axis while looking from the top down, then proceed to build up from there

For people who have a preference it usually comes down to how you view yourself building a project, if it is from left to right or bottom to top

 

It's pretty common in game design to have z as the height axis. One exception i can think of is minecraft where y is the height axis.
But in beam it is indeed Z which is the height axis, just like in Blender.

It's also common to have y+ being forward and x being side to side which is how beam vehicles are setup.

 

I always assumed Y was normally vertical because that's how it was in Minecraft lol

 

Yea. It doesn't really matter which letter corresponds to which direction.
But I think the reason why Z is often the height axis is that you want to combine the first two coordinates (x and y) because they are used in a 2D context and assign them to the two dimensions which are most similar to eachother. Then put the odd one out on the depth.
Using Z for a horizontal axis would make more sense in like a side scroller game or fighting game.

Ultimately it doesn't really matter, and Z have become the most common choice for height.

 

Thank you guys. As a side note, it seems that height is on the Z axis for architectural design and on the Y axis for mechanical design.