ALIGN TOOL HAS LOST IT'S MIND and mine

This is my first attempt at a post so please forgive me if this ends up in the wrong place.

I have had this ALIGN issue happen sporadically several times now and each time I thought I was losing my mind. I am 62, so when these glitches happen, I question my own matrix first.

The “align” tool will either not be available on a body selection (edge, face, hole, etc.) and or the first selection is allowed but no ability to select anything on the second body to align to. I have about 4 weeks of work into this project and not having the use of the “align” tool has become unbearable. Yes there are workarounds, and I have figured out a few of those, but this is an issue I want resolved.

I have obviously closed and reopened my project, the program, and my computer, and nothing changes, align tool still dysfunctional on this main project. I can back out of the project to the home page/program desktop (not sure that’s the correct term) and open a new project and the align tool works as expected, then reopening my main project and align tool is still disfunctional on my
actual currect main models.

As a test, I can create a new project with test models/bodies and do all the same manipulations on those newer less complex bodies and the align tool functions as expected. I’ve also tried importing those newer externally created bodies into the current main project and the align tool works as expected on them.

I am relatively new to Shapr3d with only about 9 months or about 1000-1200 hours of actual hands on time. Im also relatively new to CAD design in general, prior to Shap3d I have about 40 hours between Solidworks to start and a few of the open CADs like FreeCAD etc., just trying things out before Shapr3d. I originally started using Shapr3d just as the transition from the original Windows version started (late 2023) then into the BETA. I have to say it’s been a real learning experience going through all that till now with virtually no previous experience and I became acutely aware of what the word “BUG” means. I have very little hair left.

I mainly use the program directly, and only on occasion jump into the parametric history side of things to maybe suppress or delete a bunch of fillets or on occasion change a hole size but again mostly used directly.

The recent alignment task that I’m trying to do is two bodies with like diameter holes which have had no changes done to them, no diameter changes and no fillets, original directly modeled holes from extruded sketches or holes extuded into bodies from sketches. Again IF Shapr3d will even let me select the edge or the bore on a hole of the first body (body I want to move), it usually won’t let me select a edge or bore on the second body, only the whole body will highlight. And if it does select anything by chance it will say it needs to be the same feature as selected on the first body, which it is, but still won’t allow the alignment process.

Another note is, on the second body it won’t let me select the outer edge of a hole but WILL let me select the inner edge of a through hole???

Another thought, can “projecting” a bodies surface onto a plane to use as a sketch cause the align feature not to recognize the hole or edges of a body extrude from that projected sketch?

Something has happened to some of the main project bodies that prevents features on them from even bringing up the align tool option.

Hope all the above makes sense to someone out there because I can’t figure it out???

Saved Shapr3d file size is about 32,000 KB.

Thanks
Hopelessly Lost in Idaho

Hi

If you could screenshot each of the model you want to align lot of us can help with individual issues that you have.

If you have issues with simple features not aligning or lot of features. Or if its a bug.

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See sttached video. Is this what you are looking for? You can use translate then align…

Recently figured out you can pull out arrows on the Align Tool too.

With variable now 2 parts will perfectly stay aligned even when you change dimensions through the variable.

Also when you change the variable the gap stays the same distance.

1 Like

The variables have taken Shapr to a new level as a tool for design.
It was on my top five want list, along with Sketch Corner fillet, and Mirror.