Aligning and distributing objects
Aligning and distributing objects in the screen plane
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Command |
Path |
Shortcut |
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Align/Distribute |
Modify > Align Context menu |
Ctrl+= (Windows) Cmd+= (Mac) |
The Align/Distribute command aligns and distributes multiple objects based upon the vertical and horizontal axes, relative to the screen.
To align/distribute objects:
Select the objects to be aligned/distributed.
Select the command.
Alternatively, right-click on the object to serve as the alignment reference. The alignment reference is locked into place, and the other selected objects are aligned relative to it. Select Align/Distribute from the context menu. The most common align and distribute commands display on a flyout context menu. Select the desired command, or select Align/Distribute to open the Align/Distribute Objects dialog box.
The Align/Distribute Objects dialog box opens.
Select the alignment/distribution criteria. Objects are only moved along the horizontal and vertical axes.
Click to show/hide the parameters.Click to show/hide the parameters.
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Parameter |
Description |
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Align |
Aligns objects along the horizontal or vertical axis |
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Distribute |
Distributes objects along the horizontal or vertical axis |
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Horizontal |
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Left |
Align/distribute by the left side of the selected objects |
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Center |
Align/distribute by the centers of the selected objects |
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Insertion Point |
Align/distribute by the insertion points of the selected plug-in objects and/or symbols. If the selection contains objects without insertion points, they are aligned by their geometric centers. |
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Right |
Align/distribute by the right side of the selected objects |
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Spacing |
Distribute the spacing equally between the left and right sides of adjacent objects |
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Vertical |
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Top |
Align/distribute by the top of the selected objects |
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Center |
Align/distribute by the centers of the selected objects |
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Insertion Point |
Align/distribute by the insertion points of the selected plug-in objects and/or symbols. If the selection contains objects without insertion points, they are aligned by their geometric centers. |
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Bottom |
Align/distribute by the bottom of the selected objects |
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Spacing |
Distribute the spacing equally between tops and bottoms of adjacent objects |
The program aligns/distributes the selected objects.
Loci and locked objects are special objects and behave differently when present during an alignment/distribution operation.
If a locus point is one of the selected objects, all objects are aligned relative to that locus. If there are multiple loci in the selection, then the loci are aligned/distributed like any other object.
Locked objects in a selection do not move. Other objects are aligned/distributed relative to the locked objects.
