diff --git a/js/highlighter/Highlighter.js b/js/highlighter/Highlighter.js
index c6e143f8fc81ca840dc4767d43bdd523d6567300..1b7d7320bfc09bbfd8079870b60e4ed6f2472212 100644
--- a/js/highlighter/Highlighter.js
+++ b/js/highlighter/Highlighter.js
@@ -218,7 +218,7 @@ define(['underscore', 'backbone', 'threeModel', 'appState', 'lattice', 'cell', '
             }
             if (shouldAdd){
                 if (!this.isVisible() || !this.highlightedObject) return;
-                lattice.addCellAtIndex(this._getNextCellIndex());
+                lattice.addCellAtIndex(this._getNextCellIndex(), {quaternion: appState.get("currentDesignOrientation")});
             } else {
                 if (!this.highlightedObject) return;
                 if (!(this.highlightedObject instanceof DMACell)) return;
diff --git a/js/lattice/LatticeBase.js b/js/lattice/LatticeBase.js
index 4cd149ff29120fa7f21f840062bc128bbdab2b5a..acac68f654224c388339fb16e2e856cd3e2935de 100644
--- a/js/lattice/LatticeBase.js
+++ b/js/lattice/LatticeBase.js
@@ -96,6 +96,7 @@ define(['underscore', 'backbone', 'appState', 'globals', 'plist', 'three', 'thre
                 for (var y=range.min.y;y<=range.max.y;y++){
                     for (var z=range.min.z;z<=range.max.z;z++){
                         var index = new THREE.Vector3(x, y, z);
+                        var quaternion = null;
                         if (clone){
                             var relIndex = index.clone().sub(range.min);
                             var cloneSize = clone.get("size");
@@ -105,8 +106,9 @@ define(['underscore', 'backbone', 'appState', 'globals', 'plist', 'three', 'thre
                             var cell = clone.cellAtIndex(relIndex);
                             if (!cell) continue;
                             materialID = cell.getMaterialID();
+                            quaternion = cell.getOrientation();
                         }
-                        this._addCellAtIndex(index, {materialID: materialID}, true);
+                        this._addCellAtIndex(index, {materialID: materialID, quaternion: quaternion}, true);
                     }
                 }
             }
diff --git a/js/menus/contextMenu/CellContextMenu.js b/js/menus/contextMenu/CellContextMenu.js
index 387a5558a26e6bc883b0ba56fe98e6c7557ce162..84279066530542ead1e8c244c2426731299e97e3 100644
--- a/js/menus/contextMenu/CellContextMenu.js
+++ b/js/menus/contextMenu/CellContextMenu.js
@@ -65,6 +65,7 @@ define(['jquery', 'underscore', 'backbone', 'text!menus/contextMenu/CellContextM
             else if (axis == "z") this.cell.rotateZ();
             else console.warn("unknown axis " + axis);
             cellAxesVis.setRotation(this.cell.getRotation());
+            appState.set("currentDesignOrientation", this.cell.getOrientation());
             three.render();
         },
 
diff --git a/js/models/AppState.js b/js/models/AppState.js
index cbb76e9788eae36fa1b6b16b0ef63ccf979a0691..27ca583d18130330c0efaf006e952d4842965b9a 100644
--- a/js/models/AppState.js
+++ b/js/models/AppState.js
@@ -34,6 +34,7 @@ define(['underscore', 'backbone', 'threeModel', 'three', 'plist', 'materialsPlis
             deleteMode: false,
             extrudeMode: false,
             cellMode: "cell",//cell, hide
+            currentDesignOrientation: null,//current rotation set for placing parts
 
             realisticColorScheme: false,
             materialType: null,