9

Aligning Objects 9
Aligning objects by the center, bottom, or top of their b o unding
boxes
Source and Target Objects
Alignment involves two entities: one is the source
object or selection set, where the process begins;
the other is the target object, where t he select ion
process ends.
Source object—Object or objects you want to move
into alignment with another object. You select one
or more s ource objects to beg in the alig nment
process.
Target object—Object used to define the alignment.
You select the target object during the alignment
process. It c annot be selected beforehand.
After select ing the source, choose Tools menu
>AlignorclicktheAlignbuttonontheMain
toolbar, and then select the ta rget object.
Next, the Align dialog appears. For discussion of
the Align options, see Align (page 1–462).
Setting a Coordinate Sy stem
The effects of alignment depend on the current
reference coordinate system, such as View, World,
or Local. You should decide which system you
want to use before beginning alignment.
Ref erence Coordina te Sys tem—Determines the
axes used for positional a lignment and the size of
the bounding box for maximum and minimum
positions.
To align objects using a ctive grid axes:
• Choose Grid as the reference coordinate system
from the list on the toolbar.
To a lign two objects us ing their own a xes:
• Choose Lo c a l as the reference coordinate
system. Alignment is then strictly b etween the
two objects. Object bounding b oxes determine
maximum and minimum positions.
As a reminder to you during the align ment process,
the current reference coordinate system appears in
parentheses following the Align Position label in
the Align Selection dialog.
Basics of Aligning Objects
Alignment controls are on a single dialog. As you
make a setting, the object b eing a ligned moves
immediately to the new position. This lets you
experiment with alignment until you get what you
want. Settings can be made in any order.
You can also work step-by-step, by applying
position choices, for example, before deciding
on final orientation. You can cancel at an y time,
returning the scene to its original state. You can
also undo any a lignment and start over.