An Axis object manages a single physical axis on a motion controller. It represents a reference line in a coordinate system. The controller calculates an axis's command position every sample based on the motion commanded by the Motion Supervisor. The Axis object contains command, actual, and error position data, plus status.

An Axis can have one or more Filters associated with it and each Filter can have one or more Motors associated with it. The Filter and Motor objects ensure the Axis command path is followed and that the control signals get to the correct motor. Complex mechanical systems with two (or more) motors can be mapped to a single axis of motion, abstracting the details of the physical hardware and making motion software much easier to develop.

For simple systems, there is a one to one relationship between the Axis, Filter and Motor objects.