# Align tool one axis options

**URL:** <https://discourse.shapr3d.com/t/align-tool-one-axis-options/38319>\
**Category:** Feature requests\
**Created:** [June 10, 2025, 1:32am UTC](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/t/align-tool-one-axis-options/38319 "2025-06-10T01:32:49Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 20\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Casper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Casper](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/u/Casper)\
**Post date:** [June 10, 2025, 1:32am UTC](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/t/align-tool-one-axis-options/38319/1 "2025-06-10T01:32:49Z")

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By having the one axis align tool option will reduce a multi step process down to a two step process.

The majority of times I use the move tool combined with the measure tool to achieve the results that the align tool would give if you could be limited to one axis of movement.

What I am hoping to see from this option is the ability to select two face and have them align in a single direction. So first face you select will be moved to the second face without centering the body moving to the target body.

I see a lot of people asking for this feature during my search, but I didn’t see a feature request so I thought I would give it a shot.

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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:** [June 10, 2025, 4:08am UTC](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/t/align-tool-one-axis-options/38319/2 "2025-06-10T04:08:35Z")

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Can you show an example from your work where you have to use move tool with measurements?

I’m just thinking about translate tool which solves a lot of situations where align tool can’t.

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**Author:** ![Casper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Casper](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/u/Casper)\
**Post date:** [June 10, 2025, 10:18am UTC](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/t/align-tool-one-axis-options/38319/3 "2025-06-10T10:18:04Z")

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No problem, when I get a chance I’ll take screenshots.

As the method goes it pretty simple, I get the distance between two parallel edges or faces, I pin that measurement, I then switch to the move tool where I click the directional arrow and I enter the distance give by the measure tool. The pinned measurement will turn to zero and I remove the pin.

I do this because I quite often find when aligning two body’s by hand to be difficult. I recently created a project for myself for a new workbench that mix’s traditional style with MFT style. I work in inch’s and MFT is metric. Switching between metric and inch was easy and great, but aligning two bodies of two different measurements type proved difficult, and my method was the only practice solution.

with all do respect, I do not like the translate tool, I find it cumbersome to use, and I don’t understand the point of it. Also traditionally the align function or tool has had similar options as the one I’m asking in other programs.

Thank you for your time

— Sean Theophil

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<div class="post-metadata">

**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:** [June 10, 2025, 1:01pm UTC](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/t/align-tool-one-axis-options/38319/4 "2025-06-10T13:01:30Z")

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> [@Casper](#):
>
> with all do respect, I do not like the translate tool, I find it cumbersome to use, and I don’t understand the point of it. Also traditionally the align function or tool has had similar options as the one I’m asking in other programs.

I’m not saying your request is meaningless — on the contrary, I’d also like to see such an improvement in the Align tool. However, in my experience, the Translate tool works differently from Align, and it’s actually better suited for the kind of tasks you described.

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**Author:** ![BKE](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex002/user_avatar/discourse.shapr3d.com/bke/32/31690_2.png) [@BKE](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/u/BKE)\
**Post date:** [June 10, 2025, 1:20pm UTC](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/t/align-tool-one-axis-options/38319/5 "2025-06-10T13:20:48Z")

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> [@Casper](#):
>
> to achieve the results that the align tool would give if you could be limited to one axis of movement.

> [@How to align tight at one axis?](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/t/how-to-align-tight-at-one-axis/37103):
>
> When exporting to STL it is imperative that all items (that should) fit together as one unit. In a more complex project, it is even needed to union everything, or the STL can be completely beyond repair. As an example, in one project I have hundreds of screws and nuts. All just ‘markers’. Placing them by-eye will under the building phase is visually OK for rendering, but not for STL. It is possible to do all screw heads and ‘nuts longer’ so the by-eye erro…

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Casper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Casper](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/u/Casper)\
**Post date:** [June 11, 2025, 2:08am UTC](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/t/align-tool-one-axis-options/38319/6 "2025-06-11T02:08:43Z")

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I have screen shot that you want show how I align to body to gather using the measurement tool combined with the move tool

First step select to face of the object and pin the distance between them using the measurement tool

 ![Screenshot 2025-06-10 at 10.02.09 PM.png](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex002/uploads/shapr3d/original/3X/7/2/72065187f62b4e211b07a5c5a044f3f7cf0a2a7b.jpeg)

Second step select the body you wan to me and enter the distance into the move tool

 ![Screenshot 2025-06-10 at 10.02.20 PM.png](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex002/uploads/shapr3d/original/3X/b/d/bd63cc20f808c21c7e0821e5316bba5706b9816c.jpeg)

Last step select the pin

 ![Screenshot 2025-06-10 at 10.02.46 PM.png](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex002/uploads/shapr3d/original/3X/6/d/6d76ccc4b43c1656fbbb3836383e4e01279a85c5.jpeg)

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<div class="post-metadata">

**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:** [June 11, 2025, 3:20am UTC](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/t/align-tool-one-axis-options/38319/7 "2025-06-11T03:20:02Z")

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> [@Casper](#):
>
> I have screen shot that you want show how I align to body to gather using the measurement tool combined with the move tool

Perhaps I didn’t phrase it quite right — my point wasn’t about how you personally use the Move tool, but rather about seeing a situation where aligning objects wouldn’t be possible otherwise. From the screenshot you shared, this doesn’t appear to be the case.

In other words, what I’m looking for is a situation where the requested feature would actually be useful as you see it.

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![SCALEMODEL](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/77aa72/32.png) [@SCALEMODEL](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/u/SCALEMODEL)\
**Post date:** [June 11, 2025, 2:23pm UTC](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/t/align-tool-one-axis-options/38319/8 "2025-06-11T14:23:46Z")

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If the end goal is the last screenshot why not use the Align tool and snap it to that face? You can go further by adding variables and control the gap with variables.

I saw another 1 axis request question and I’m kinda wondering how that would work.

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![SCALEMODEL](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/77aa72/32.png) [@SCALEMODEL](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/u/SCALEMODEL)\
**Post date:** [June 11, 2025, 4:25pm UTC](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/t/align-tool-one-axis-options/38319/9 "2025-06-11T16:25:47Z")

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Actually I understand what this request is now, during that other 1 axis experiments.

 ![image](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex002/uploads/shapr3d/original/3X/8/7/87f8c84085dc76e45a1faac0d2ea8cc83f99f438.jpeg)

Align or Translate will move, even rotate to align to the face.

 ![image](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex002/uploads/shapr3d/original/3X/d/d/dd63a4212caa735d4c74caf61669ee246e381feb.jpeg)

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<div class="post-metadata">

**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:** [June 11, 2025, 4:37pm UTC](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/t/align-tool-one-axis-options/38319/10 "2025-06-11T16:37:49Z")

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> [@SCALEMODEL](#):
>
> Align or Translate will move, even rotate to align to the face.

Yes, of course, if you really need to lock one or two axis during movement this is the case.  
But before you show me your project with imported lots of parts already placed in 2d in right place I didn’t see such a big necessity.  
Just because even aligning with projection isn’t the big deal if you have only a couple of such parts. And in case you design every part yourself this isn’t the problem at all.

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Casper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Casper](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/u/Casper)\
**Post date:** [June 11, 2025, 4:43pm UTC](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/t/align-tool-one-axis-options/38319/11 "2025-06-11T16:43:17Z")

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Alex ask for me to show an example of how I use the measure tool to the line 2 bodies together. What was just for demonstration purposes.

The reason I want to be able constrain the align to one axis is, imagine in the example used that the cube I want to align to is quite larger then one being moved. The smaller cube is in the right area I just need to be touching. If I use the align tool as it is now the small cube will be touching the larger cube, but the smaller cube will now also be center of the larger cube, and that is something I usual don’t want.

Another example would be, I have 3 cubs, 2 large and 1 small. The 2 large cubs form a corner (90 degrees). I need the small cube to touch both of the large cubs. I need the align with 1 cube in the X axis, and the other cube in Z axis, but I want the small cube to maintain at it current Y axis. If there was an option to align in one axis I could simple select X cubs face and use the tool to have the small cube moved to the X cube. And then I could do the same action again and the smaller cube would align to the Z cube. And because am only move the small cube in the one axis it will always maintain its Y axis and its new X axis.

— Sean Theophil

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![SCALEMODEL](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/77aa72/32.png) [@SCALEMODEL](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/u/SCALEMODEL)\
**Post date:** [June 11, 2025, 4:58pm UTC](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/t/align-tool-one-axis-options/38319/12 "2025-06-11T16:58:39Z")

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I think even with the tool as you imaging it might require few more unforeseen steps.

Most simple solution is if Shapr3d let us copy and paste measurements from the measurements panel.

In another tool thats how I do it, I just measure the parallel distance and copy and paste it in the move tool.

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![SCALEMODEL](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/77aa72/32.png) [@SCALEMODEL](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/u/SCALEMODEL)\
**Post date:** [June 11, 2025, 5:16pm UTC](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/t/align-tool-one-axis-options/38319/13 "2025-06-11T17:16:28Z")

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> [@Xdrakosha](#):
>
> aligning with projection

Actually this is method I sometimes use since we can’t copy from Measurements Panel (I made feature request while back).

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<div class="post-metadata">

**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:** [June 11, 2025, 5:31pm UTC](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/t/align-tool-one-axis-options/38319/14 "2025-06-11T17:31:19Z")

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> [@Casper](#):
>
> Alex ask for me to show an example of how I use the measure tool to the line 2 bodies together. What was just for demonstration purposes.

If Alex is me, then I didn’t ask 🙂 I asked for real situations when only with measurements you can achieve result.

> [@Casper](#):
>
> Another example would be, I have 3 cubs, 2 large and 1 small. The 2 large cubs form a corner (90 degrees). I need the small cube to touch both of the large cubs. I need the align with 1 cube in the X axis, and the other cube in Z axis, but I want the small cube to maintain at it current Y axis.

Snapping to the edges sometimes help in this kind of situations.

But in general I agree that would be useful feature.

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![BKE](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex002/user_avatar/discourse.shapr3d.com/bke/32/31690_2.png) [@BKE](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/u/BKE)\
**Post date:** [June 11, 2025, 6:01pm UTC](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/t/align-tool-one-axis-options/38319/15 "2025-06-11T18:01:41Z")

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So close to work, the point even snaps to the custom axis as long as outside the bodies. If it just snapped to the surface…  
(Add to this an old suggestion thinning the custom axes from the present bloated entity.)

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![SCALEMODEL](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/77aa72/32.png) [@SCALEMODEL](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/u/SCALEMODEL)\
**Post date:** [June 11, 2025, 6:18pm UTC](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/t/align-tool-one-axis-options/38319/16 "2025-06-11T18:18:43Z")

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So i think this gets into how many steps is too much?

You still had to create the construction line that requires more than few clicks.

You can also project and translate, in the end this could be even less clicks.

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Casper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Casper](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/u/Casper)\
**Post date:** [June 11, 2025, 6:44pm UTC](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/t/align-tool-one-axis-options/38319/17 "2025-06-11T18:44:50Z")

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I’m sorry I’m dyslexic and I didn’t full understand what you wanted.

I can align bodies by hand with just the move tool, it is harder to do then if I used the measurement in conjunction with the move tool. Many times with the move tool, it snaps in place and the two bodies look aligned, but they’re actually a fraction of inch off. To get them to actually aligned, I have to zoom in like crazy to line them up.

When I was designing a workbench for myself, where some of parts were in metric and others in inches, it was very difficult to align bodies together. So much so that I came up with the measure tool method to come back the problem.

I hope that gives you more clarity on what I’m requesting. Also if you like I could upload my workbench model.

— Sean Theophil

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<div class="post-metadata">

**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:** [June 11, 2025, 6:54pm UTC](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/t/align-tool-one-axis-options/38319/18 "2025-06-11T18:54:53Z")

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> [@Casper](#):
>
> I didn’t full understand what you wanted.

Just wanted to see real life example. But I think other people already done that.

> [@Casper](#):
>
> Also if you like I could upload my workbench model.

Would be interesting to see 🙂

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![BKE](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex002/user_avatar/discourse.shapr3d.com/bke/32/31690_2.png) [@BKE](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/u/BKE)\
**Post date:** [June 11, 2025, 10:35pm UTC](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/t/align-tool-one-axis-options/38319/19 "2025-06-11T22:35:41Z")

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To add a custom axis only take two clicks.

My suggestion (if implemented); a total of 7 clicks.

Project variant; 9 clicks + 2 double clicks (and another 6 clicks to reveal and move the sketch if interfering with other’s on the same plane.)

But it is also the difference between a work-around (kludge) and a sane and straight forward logic procedure. IMHO.

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![SCALEMODEL](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/77aa72/32.png) [@SCALEMODEL](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/u/SCALEMODEL)\
**Post date:** [June 12, 2025, 1:07am UTC](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/t/align-tool-one-axis-options/38319/20 "2025-06-12T01:07:04Z")

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So the way your custom axis works. Apply the Axis and use translate to snap from axis to the other end of the axis?

Or maybe more elegant way would be just face snap like in Blender.

Also on your other thread Alex mentioned Assembly coming up, maybe that can help. This thread and the request I think just simple copy and paste from Measurement Panel might be the simple request that would work.

[Next page](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/t/align-tool-one-axis-options/38319.md?page=2)