# Align is useful...when you know how to use it!

**URL:** <https://discourse.shapr3d.com/t/align-is-useful-when-you-know-how-to-use-it/30489>\
**Category:** Modeling Questions\
**Created:** [February 22, 2024, 9:12pm UTC](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/t/align-is-useful-when-you-know-how-to-use-it/30489 "2024-02-22T21:12:44Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 20\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![jcclow](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex002/user_avatar/discourse.shapr3d.com/jcclow/32/23888_2.png) [@jcclow](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/u/jcclow)\
**Post date:** [February 22, 2024, 9:12pm UTC](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/t/align-is-useful-when-you-know-how-to-use-it/30489/1 "2024-02-22T21:12:44Z")

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I can’t believe I’m posting this because I despise the `Align` tool…as @Peter_Gy and other Shapr3D staff members are aware 😉

I think I finally figured out the secret to the `Align` tool…use it with a `Construction Plane`! Check out this video I just made. It has worked perfectly every time I align to a `Construction Plane`. I think this might have to do with the fact that a `Construction Plane` doesn’t have end or midpoints, so the `Align` is “agnostic” to a snapping location preference, but I’m not a Shapr3D programmer, so I’m hypothesizing at best.

Regardless…this made me happy.

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**Author:** ![justin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/3ab097/32.png) [@justin](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/u/justin)\
**Post date:** [February 22, 2024, 9:24pm UTC](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/t/align-is-useful-when-you-know-how-to-use-it/30489/2 "2024-02-22T21:24:27Z")

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Good to know!

Wouldn’t snapping to a point have worked for your use case here, though?

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**Author:** ![jcclow](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex002/user_avatar/discourse.shapr3d.com/jcclow/32/23888_2.png) [@jcclow](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/u/jcclow)\
**Post date:** [February 22, 2024, 9:30pm UTC](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/t/align-is-useful-when-you-know-how-to-use-it/30489/3 "2024-02-22T21:30:09Z")

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According to your video, yes…but I like the `Translate` tool even less than the `Align` tool 🤣

My video was to show that there is a way to bend the `Align` tool to your wishes, because until today, I had never found a use for it.

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**Author:** ![justin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/3ab097/32.png) [@justin](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/u/justin)\
**Post date:** [February 22, 2024, 9:35pm UTC](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/t/align-is-useful-when-you-know-how-to-use-it/30489/4 "2024-02-22T21:35:30Z")

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Oh, that was actually in the align tool, lol. It’s just the translate-y way of doing it, I guess. 🙂

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**Author:** ![Cjacob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/51bf81/32.png) [@Cjacob](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/u/Cjacob)\
**Post date:** [February 22, 2024, 10:33pm UTC](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/t/align-is-useful-when-you-know-how-to-use-it/30489/5 "2024-02-22T22:33:14Z")

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Nice catch jcclow, thank you.

I noted you “clicked” the lower side of the construction plane and the alignment of your block ended up at the top of the construction plane. Is this by default?

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**Author:** ![justin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/3ab097/32.png) [@justin](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/u/justin)\
**Post date:** [February 23, 2024, 12:56am UTC](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/t/align-is-useful-when-you-know-how-to-use-it/30489/6 "2024-02-23T00:56:03Z")

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My assumption was that it just moved to the nearest point on the plane. Definitely not sure if that’s correct or not, though.

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**Author:** ![TigerMike](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex002/user_avatar/discourse.shapr3d.com/tigermike/32/32650_2.png) [@TigerMike](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/u/TigerMike)\
**Post date:** [February 23, 2024, 1:37am UTC](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/t/align-is-useful-when-you-know-how-to-use-it/30489/7 "2024-02-23T01:37:38Z")

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What happens when your source body is higher up or down lower?  
It won’t align correctly using the construction plane. Try it.

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**Author:** ![jcclow](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex002/user_avatar/discourse.shapr3d.com/jcclow/32/23888_2.png) [@jcclow](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/u/jcclow)\
**Post date:** [February 23, 2024, 2:23am UTC](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/t/align-is-useful-when-you-know-how-to-use-it/30489/8 "2024-02-23T02:23:35Z")

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Dammit @TigerMike don’t burst my bubble 😆

I’m trying to make `Align` useful, because it falls short of the align command in every other piece of design software I’ve used…no offense Shapr3D team.

…but I will test it when I get to work tomorrow, as I don’t have Shapr3D installed on the new PC I just built at home.

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**Author:** ![jcclow](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex002/user_avatar/discourse.shapr3d.com/jcclow/32/23888_2.png) [@jcclow](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/u/jcclow)\
**Post date:** [February 23, 2024, 2:24am UTC](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/t/align-is-useful-when-you-know-how-to-use-it/30489/9 "2024-02-23T02:24:54Z")

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It doesn’t matter where you click. I just clicked there because there was no way to accidentally click on anything else.

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**Author:** ![TigerMike](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex002/user_avatar/discourse.shapr3d.com/tigermike/32/32650_2.png) [@TigerMike](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/u/TigerMike)\
**Post date:** [February 23, 2024, 3:56am UTC](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/t/align-is-useful-when-you-know-how-to-use-it/30489/10 "2024-02-23T03:56:06Z")

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No reason to test tomorrow. Here it is.

The 2nd video shows a way to align (no const plane) using a sketch plane on the body where you want to align. Note: the height of my source body is 4mm high. I offset a line 4mm down from the top of the destination body.

  
And lastly, sorry…

 ![burstBubble](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex002/uploads/shapr3d/original/3X/3/f/3f0a83103657c82fb98ec32defc56cdb90d8e757.jpeg)

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**Author:** ![Xdrakosha](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex002/user_avatar/discourse.shapr3d.com/xdrakosha/32/24881_2.png) [@Xdrakosha](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/u/Xdrakosha)\
**Post date:** [February 23, 2024, 8:30am UTC](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/t/align-is-useful-when-you-know-how-to-use-it/30489/11 "2024-02-23T08:30:17Z")

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I think it’s much easier to use it this way:

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**Author:** ![jcclow](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex002/user_avatar/discourse.shapr3d.com/jcclow/32/23888_2.png) [@jcclow](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/u/jcclow)\
**Post date:** [February 23, 2024, 2:44pm UTC](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/t/align-is-useful-when-you-know-how-to-use-it/30489/12 "2024-02-23T14:44:19Z")

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Hey Mike…now that I’m at work…you are correct.

What is really frustrating about the second video is that the line is now there forever because if you delete it, the second object moves back to its original location, no matter if you align face to face or edge to edge. This also only works if the object aligning edges/faces are the same size; if they aren’t, it aligns them to the center point of both objects. At least using a construction plane with dissimilar sized objects, they don’t snap center point to center point, but you do have to perform multiple align commands.

And now I’m back to despising the `Align` tool.

How would you align the two corners in the following images?

 ![Align Page 001](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex002/uploads/shapr3d/original/3X/c/0/c0c8be50338551907b102e8cfa746c5841e50825.jpeg)

 ![Align Page 002](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex002/uploads/shapr3d/original/3X/f/8/f853f887e2df0ae85ea9a4ef5c0b26bd76d26484.jpeg)

The answer…there is no easy way without adding a bunch of additional geometry.

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**Author:** ![TigerMike](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex002/user_avatar/discourse.shapr3d.com/tigermike/32/32650_2.png) [@TigerMike](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/u/TigerMike)\
**Post date:** [February 23, 2024, 3:15pm UTC](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/t/align-is-useful-when-you-know-how-to-use-it/30489/13 "2024-02-23T15:15:00Z")

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First, you can remove the sketch line after doing the align. Both bodies stay connected.  
Second, do exactly what @Xdrakosha did. Do the Align edge to edge.  
Align is a great tool.

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**Author:** ![jcclow](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex002/user_avatar/discourse.shapr3d.com/jcclow/32/23888_2.png) [@jcclow](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/u/jcclow)\
**Post date:** [February 23, 2024, 3:55pm UTC](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/t/align-is-useful-when-you-know-how-to-use-it/30489/14 "2024-02-23T15:55:11Z")

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That only works when the bodies are the exact same size. There is no way to use `Align` to join the corners without adding unnecessary geometry.

`Translate` will do it, but `Align` will not.

I’m almost at my Loom limit 😐

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**Author:** ![Xdrakosha](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex002/user_avatar/discourse.shapr3d.com/xdrakosha/32/24881_2.png) [@Xdrakosha](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/u/Xdrakosha)\
**Post date:** [February 23, 2024, 4:03pm UTC](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/t/align-is-useful-when-you-know-how-to-use-it/30489/15 "2024-02-23T16:03:58Z")

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> [@jcclow](#):
>
> There is no way to use `Align` to join the corners without adding unnecessary geometry.

Still the align tool

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**Author:** ![TigerMike](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex002/user_avatar/discourse.shapr3d.com/tigermike/32/32650_2.png) [@TigerMike](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/u/TigerMike)\
**Post date:** [February 23, 2024, 4:04pm UTC](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/t/align-is-useful-when-you-know-how-to-use-it/30489/16 "2024-02-23T16:04:04Z")

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Then use the predecessor to the **Align** tool…the **Translate** tool.

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**Author:** ![Xdrakosha](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex002/user_avatar/discourse.shapr3d.com/xdrakosha/32/24881_2.png) [@Xdrakosha](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/u/Xdrakosha)\
**Post date:** [February 23, 2024, 4:13pm UTC](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/t/align-is-useful-when-you-know-how-to-use-it/30489/17 "2024-02-23T16:13:35Z")

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> [@TigerMike](#):
>
> Then use the predecessor to the **Align** tool…the **Translate** tool.

Align tool gives more control. You can literally see visually where it will go and how it will snap.

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**Author:** ![TigerMike](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex002/user_avatar/discourse.shapr3d.com/tigermike/32/32650_2.png) [@TigerMike](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/u/TigerMike)\
**Post date:** [February 23, 2024, 4:19pm UTC](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/t/align-is-useful-when-you-know-how-to-use-it/30489/18 "2024-02-23T16:19:56Z")

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I use the Align tool first and foremost. Both tools have their place.

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**Author:** ![jcclow](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex002/user_avatar/discourse.shapr3d.com/jcclow/32/23888_2.png) [@jcclow](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/u/jcclow)\
**Post date:** [February 23, 2024, 4:22pm UTC](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/t/align-is-useful-when-you-know-how-to-use-it/30489/19 "2024-02-23T16:22:11Z")

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OK, did not know you could actually select the points using the align tool. I like learning something new everyday in the program.

They really need to update the [YouTube video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pnTBpf1DAeY&list=PLi4l3wxwkqyx5bjK8XqUe6cWe9zFtyf0N&t=3s) for Align to touch on these instances. Noobs, or me (lol), would have a rough time figuring this out.

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**Author:** ![Xdrakosha](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex002/user_avatar/discourse.shapr3d.com/xdrakosha/32/24881_2.png) [@Xdrakosha](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/u/Xdrakosha)\
**Post date:** [February 23, 2024, 6:28pm UTC](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/t/align-is-useful-when-you-know-how-to-use-it/30489/20 "2024-02-23T18:28:59Z")

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> [@jcclow](#):
>
> They really need to update

They did.

[![](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex002/uploads/shapr3d/original/3X/8/f/8ff42567a4e569d8ad24b426dd17fd4ae18eb2d5.jpeg "Mastering the Align Tool | Shapr3D Step-by-Step") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rgchH4bWLoQ&t=998s)

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