easy align?
Posted: Thu Apr 14, 2016 10:54 pm
Is there a _quick_ easy way to align the boundaries of entities/blocks?
For example:
a) the top of some block to the top of another entity?
I ask because I am used to thinking along the lines of: a) make an object (oops "block"), and then b) position it relative to some aspect of the rest of the drawing.
For example:
a) align the horizontal center line of a horizontal round-end-rectangle to 1/8" below the edge of a rectangle, (can you do it in 3 clicks?)
b) a horizontal pair of circles at some oddball separation (can be a made a block) aligned to the lateral center of an existing rectangle,
c) align the centers of a bunch of selected objects to an existing vertical line.
The program I'm used to using had a nice little tool where you selected the object to be moved, and then selected the tool entry for say "align to left" and then you clicked on the object to which you wanted to align the left edge of the selected object to the left edge of the target object. With that one little tool (an an occasional reference line) you could quickly do alignment operations in just a few clicks.
Also: is there an easy way to constrain a mouse guided drag-move of an object to just the dominant X or Y motion as I point to a reference point on some other object?
So for example: I have a circle to the left and below of a rectangle, and I want to drag it's center up to be even with the top of the rectangle _without_ moving the circle laterally. What is the quickest way achieve this? (Do I have to draw two perpendicular lines from each object's reference point, and drag to that new intersection?)
AH! - Self-answered. I found that you can. After you initiate a "move" command and select the object to drag it, the tool palette changes to present a lot of snap options.... Click on the the icon-tile that has a red vertical and horizontal line through the middle of a black circle, and then your drag motion will follow the dominant displacement as you tag on various reference points that may be off to the side of the circle. (Slowly getting accustomed to the paradigm of this program that once you have initiated a click-drag of some object, you may still be able to alter the tool behavior by clicking on other tool menu selections. )
Thanks!
For example:
a) the top of some block to the top of another entity?
I ask because I am used to thinking along the lines of: a) make an object (oops "block"), and then b) position it relative to some aspect of the rest of the drawing.
For example:
a) align the horizontal center line of a horizontal round-end-rectangle to 1/8" below the edge of a rectangle, (can you do it in 3 clicks?)
b) a horizontal pair of circles at some oddball separation (can be a made a block) aligned to the lateral center of an existing rectangle,
c) align the centers of a bunch of selected objects to an existing vertical line.
The program I'm used to using had a nice little tool where you selected the object to be moved, and then selected the tool entry for say "align to left" and then you clicked on the object to which you wanted to align the left edge of the selected object to the left edge of the target object. With that one little tool (an an occasional reference line) you could quickly do alignment operations in just a few clicks.
Also: is there an easy way to constrain a mouse guided drag-move of an object to just the dominant X or Y motion as I point to a reference point on some other object?
So for example: I have a circle to the left and below of a rectangle, and I want to drag it's center up to be even with the top of the rectangle _without_ moving the circle laterally. What is the quickest way achieve this? (Do I have to draw two perpendicular lines from each object's reference point, and drag to that new intersection?)
AH! - Self-answered. I found that you can. After you initiate a "move" command and select the object to drag it, the tool palette changes to present a lot of snap options.... Click on the the icon-tile that has a red vertical and horizontal line through the middle of a black circle, and then your drag motion will follow the dominant displacement as you tag on various reference points that may be off to the side of the circle. (Slowly getting accustomed to the paradigm of this program that once you have initiated a click-drag of some object, you may still be able to alter the tool behavior by clicking on other tool menu selections. )
Thanks!