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Barrel rotation
Introduction
Barrel rotation is very easy to understand. It's just a rotation of the pen along its long axis - it is when the pen spins.
The photos below represent an untilted pen. The orange circle will indicate the barrel rotation.
Below are diagrams showing both tilt and barrel rotation. Tilt and barrel rotation are independent. People often confuse them, so it's useful to compare a tilted pen with barrel rotation.
The green circle shows the tilt azimuth. The purple circle shows the tilt altitude.
In the diagram below, barrel rotation is indicated by the arrows that go around the long axis of the pen (as indicated by the dotted line).
This video demonstrates tilt. I highly recommend you watch it.
Benefits of barrel rotation
Barrel rotation is intended to help brushes mimic traditional media, where rotating the brush around its long axis rotates the brush on the canvas.
Popularity
I don't think barrel rotation is widely used, but absolutely some people have an art style that requires it. And for them, barrel rotation is critical.
Pens that support barrel rotation
Barrel rotation is a very rare feature on pens. I know of only three pens that support it.
Wacom Art Pen (KP-701E)
Wacom 6D Art Pen (ZP-600)
Apple Pencil Pro
Huawei M Pencil Pro
Keep in mind that these pens only work with specific tablets. You cannot buy these pens and assume they will work with the tablet you have.
Will barrel rotation ever be adopted more widely?
We don't know. We don't have any information about other brands adopting barrel rotation.
