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Mesh Align Plus v1.0

For a high level overview of the addon's features, see landing page. For examples/tutorials/walkthroughs, see tutorials page

Welcome to the Mesh Align Plus wiki, a comprehensive reference manual for all of the features and options in the addon.

High Level Summary

Mesh Align plus provides precision alignment/transformation tools, both inside of meshes (while modeling), and between objects.

Pictured: Mesh Align Plus tools in the Align tab in the 3D View sidebar

The addon shows up in the 3D View sidebar (shorcut N). There are 10 panels, click the links below to go to the section for that tool/panel:

• Main align/transform tools:
  • Align Points
  • Align Lines
  • Align Planes
  • Axis Rotate
  • Directional Slide
  • Match Edge Scale
• Extra tools
  • Distribute Objects
  • Align Objects
• Helper panels
  • Calculate and Compose
  • Geometry Manager

Installation

Mesh Align Plus should only be installed from the mesh_mesh_align_plus.zip files found on the releases page, attached to the end of each release announcement (don't zip and download the repo). These zip files are specifically formatted to work with Blender's addon system.

Once you have the right file, use Blender's addon installation feature to load it (Edit > Preferences > Addons > Install), and check the checkbox next to the addon name to enable and use it.

How to use Mesh Align Plus

If you need a quickstart, jump to the Easy Mode and Expert Mode Examples below.

This section explains how the tools work, how they're designed, and how they're meant to be used.

Ingredients that all tools need

As noted on the landing page, all main tools need the same basic information to work:

• A source alignment key
• Maybe a destination alignment key (for when one thing is being aligned TO something else)
• A target(s)

Both easy mode and expert mode collect this information in different ways, with different workflows and steps.

Alignment keys, and why they're special

When you want to rotate around an edge, for example, you need to tell the addon which edge to use. Similarly, when you're aligning flat surfaces, you need to specify which surfaces to align. Alignment keys (also called transformation keys) tell the addon which surfaces (or edges, or other geometry) you want to align. They are always one of these (and they're editable in expert mode):

• Point (1 point)
• Line (2 points)
• Plane (3 points)

Typically, picking a key is as simple as selecting a few verts, and hitting a "Grab All" button to set all the key verts at once, like Grab Source in expert mode (easy mode sets your key automatically from the selected verts when you hit Start Alignment).

Pictured: Geometry editing and expanded/collapsed alignment keys in expert mode

It's common to use actual verts, edges, or faces as your keys, but it's important to understand that YOU DO NOT HAVE TO USE ACTUAL MESH GEOMETRY FOR YOUR KEYS!

A line key is made of two points, and you can grab them many different ways:

• Auto grab from any selected edge, or from any 2+ selected points
• Grab a face normal
• Independently set the line start and line end, by averaging the locations of two separate point clouds
• Anything else you can think of/imagine...

The same is true of all alignment keys in expert mode: they consist of constituent points that you can set independently in whatever way you choose. Just hit the triangle next to the key to expand it and set/grab its points all together, or one-by-one.

Grabbing Alignment Keys

As noted above, you can typically just select a few verts and use grab-all to set your alignment keys in one step. Easy mode automatically uses grab-all, as do the Grab Source and Grab Destination buttons in expert mode: This sets all the points in your key at once (2 verts for the start and end of a line, 3 for a plane, etc).

This example demonstrates how fast grab-all is in Easy Axis Rotate, by showing multiple rapid rotations around different edge keys:

Grab all is quick, easy and convenient, so it will likely serve your needs most of the time. It also works in multi-edit mode, with some limitations.

⚠️ Note: Using grab-all while multi-object-editing (defining a flat/planar surface from points on 3 different objects, for instance) may result in unexpected behavior. If you need to define an alignment key with verts from multiple meshes, it's best to use expert mode. Vert selection order is respected while using grab-all, unless the points come from multiple meshes, in which case the active object goes first, then other selected objects.

But when your alignments are complicated, it's better to use expert mode: You can control the vert order, and pick from multiple meshes, or from non-vert sources (like average point position, face normals, etc), as shown below (this example is from the expert mode section further down):

Geometry Editing Options

• Point editing (available on sub-points for all alignment keys types)
  • Grab Cursor: Grabs the 3D Cursor coordinates
  • Grab Average: Grabs the average position coordinates of all selected verts on the active object
  • Local Grab Coords: (Rarely needed) Grabs local vertex coords (coords in object-local space)
  • Grab Vertex Coords: Grabs vertex coordinates
• Line editing
  • Grab All: Grabs all points (both the line start and line end) from selected verts, ordered by first-selected
  • Local Grab All: (Rarely needed) Grabs local vertex coords for all points (both the line start and line end) from selected verts, ordered by first-selected
  • Grab Normal: Grabs all points (both the line start and line end) from the selected face normal
• Plane editing
  • Grab All: Grabs all points (Point A, Point B, Point C) from selected verts, ordered by first-selected
  • Local Grab All: (Rarely needed) Grabs local vertex coords for all points (Point A, Point B, Point C) from selected verts, ordered by first-selected

Easy Mode Example

Let's look at Easy Align Planes, for when you want to align faces or flat surfaces to each other.

• Step 1: Select three verts (on any active object) and click "Start Alignment".

  • Explanation: This sets the source alignment key, and sets the target object to the active object (the target is the thing that moves).

• Step 2: Select some other three verts (on any active object) and click "Align to Active"

  • Explanation: This sets the destination alignment key, and moves the target so that the source key aligns with the destination key.

Expert Mode Example

This expert mode example, for align lines, centers the axis of a cone onto the middle of the slanted face of a wedge.

• Step 1a: Expand the source key, to manually set the line start and line end
  • Step 1b: Set the source key line start, by selecting all the verts of the cone's base, and hitting the Grab Average Location button (on line start)
  • Step 1c: Set the source key line end, by selecting the tip of the cone, and hitting the Grab Vertex Coords button (on line end)
• Step 2a: Expand the destination key, to manually set the line start and line end
  • Step 2b: Set the dest key line start, by selecting the two bottom wedge verts, and hitting the Grab Average Location button (on line start)
  • Step 2c: Set the dest key line end, by selecting the two top wedge verts, and hitting the Grab Average Location button (on line end)
• Step 3: Select the cone as the target, and hit Apply to: Object

Working Inside a Mesh (Intra-Mesh/Mesh-Piece Alignments)

All main Mesh Align Plus tools work inside of a mesh while you're modeling, on mesh pieces/fragments. The workflow for intra-mesh alignment is similar to the workflow for objects, and the same basic information is collected in both cases:

• A source alignment key
• Maybe a destination alignment key (for when one thing is being aligned TO something else)
• A target(s)

For instance, when rotating around an axis inside of a mesh, MAPlus needs to know what the axis is (the source key), and which verts you want to move (the target, in this case, is the selected vertices). In expert mode, for Axis Rotate, the workflow will look similar to:

• Select 2 verts and hit Grab Source
• Enter an Angle in the Angle field (or use the angle finder tools to measure existing angles)
• Select the mesh piece you want to move (in other words, select the verts you want to move), and hit Apply to: Mesh Piece

Another example: When you're aligning flat surfaces inside a mesh, MAPlus needs to know the source key (what surface is going to move), the destination key (which surface should we align TOWARD), and the verts you want to move (the target in this case, again, is the selected verts).

Here's a demo clip showing how to do some sample alignments inside of a mesh, using expert mode:

Tools

Align Points

Ingredients this tool needs:

• A point source key
• A point destination key
• Target(s)

Description:

Aligns the target(s) so that the source point location matches the dest point location (it co-locates points).

Options:

• Flip Direction: Normally, align points moves the source point in the direction of the end point. Checking this option makes the source point move in the OPPOSITE direction of the dest point
• Set Length Equal to One: Normally, align points moves the source point toward the destination point by an amount equal to the distance between them. Checking this box makes the source point move toward the dest point by 1 unit instead
• Multiplier: Multiplies the move direction (normally 1.0x the distance between source and dest keys)

Align Lines

Ingredients this tool needs:

• A line source key
• A line destination key
• Target(s)

Description:

Aligns the target(s) so that the source line is "lined up with" or "shares the same line as" the destination line (it makes lines collinear). The starting point of the source line will match locations with the starting point of the destination line.

Options:

• Flip Direction: Flips the source line so it is aligned to the destination line, pointing the OPPOSITE direction instead of the same direction

Align Planes

Ingredients this tool needs:

• A plane source key
• A plane destination key
• Target(s)

Description:

Aligns the target(s) so that the source plane is flat against the destination plane (it makes faces, or flat surfaces, coplanar). The first two points of the source key form a leading edge, which will line up with the leading edge of the destination key (so, the location and rotation of the targets is determined by the first two verts from each key).

Options:

• Flip Direction: Flips the source plane during alignment, so it is aligned to the destination plane, but pointing the OPPOSITE direction (INWARD instead of OUTWARD)

Axis Rotate

Ingredients this tool needs:

• A line source key
• Target(s)

Description:

Rotates a target around the specified line/edge by the angle specified. Usually you use this with the angle finder to match measured angles between lines in your scene.

Options:

• Flip Direction: Changes the direction of rotation
• Angle: How much to rotate (degrees or radians depending on Blender's global angle unit settings...normally you shouldn't need to mess with the unit settings)

Directional Slide

Ingredients this tool needs:

• A line source key
• Target(s)

Description:

Moves the target in the direction and length equal to the supplied source line (it slides/translates targets).

Options:

• Flip Direction: Slides in the OPPOSITE direction of the supplied line (end point to start point direction instead of start to end point direction)
• Set Length Equal to One: Sets the move amount to 1 unit instead of the length of the supplied line (can be used with the multiplier to move an exact amount)
• Multiplier: Multiplies the move direction (normally 1.0x the distance between source and dest keys), can be used with "Set Length Equal to One" to move an exact amount

Match Edge Scale

Description:

Scales the target so that the source line length is equal to the destination line length. Pins the first point during scaling.

Options:

• Numeric Input Mode (Expert Mode): Scales to set the length of the input line EQUAL TO the number specified. Uses only the source key. Useful for setting the size of sub-features of your mesh or scale matching sub-features of objects.
• Auto Grab Target (Expert Mode): Sets the target to the active object

Distribute Objects (Extra Tool)

Description:

Distributes some objects between a chosen start object and a chosen end object. Useful for arranging objects in a scene.

Options:

• Start Offset: Moves the first object away from the starting point (in case you don't want the first object hugging the start point)
• End Offset: Moves the last object away from the end point (in case you don't want the last object hugging the end point)

Align Objects (Extra Tool)

Description:

A simple operator that aligns multiple objects: it matches the location and orientation of all selected objects to the active object (often the last clicked).

Calculate and Compose Panel (Helper Panel)

Description:

This panel is for measuring things in your scene, and making/modifying alignment keys that you can use in the expert mode tools (by using the copy/paste buttons), like:

• Line/Edge angle measurements
• Lengths & distances
• Normal vectors for faces (or for any 3 points)
• Lets you move axis vectors to new locations (useful if you want to rotate around an axis, but want to shift it from its current location, for instance)
• And more...

Quantities and alignment keys are auto-copied to the internal clipboard by default, so you can quickly paste angles for axis rotations, or paste keys into expert mode tools by expanding the source/dest key options.

This panel has two alignment key slots. Grab geometry in each slot and perform calculations, like finding angles, line/plane intersection point, line normals (line cross product), etc. What you load into the slots determines the available calculations...grab an edge (2 points) in each slot and you can find the angle between them...grab a plane and a line to get the plane/line intersection point, etc. Some calculations like line length only work on the item in the first slot.

Options:

• Copy to clipboard:
  • On by default. Copies results to the clipboard (numeric results go the the clipboard, alignment key results go to the internal clipboard, which can be pasted into expert mode keys by expanding the key/clicking the little triangle next to the key)
• Line length:
  • Finds length of supplied line in slot 1
• Angle of lines:
  • Finds angle between line in slot 1 and slot 2
• Nearest Point/Line:
  • Makes a new Point key that is the closest point to a given point on a supplied line
• Intersect Plane/Plane:
  • Makes a new Line key that is the intersection of two given planes
• Nearest Line/Line:
  • Makes a new Point key that is the closest point on two supplied lines
• New line from Origin:
  • Generates a new alignment key. Given a line, it makes a new key with that line at the origin. Copies
• Get plane normal (normalized):
  • Gets the plane normal, with a length of 1
• New line from point:
  • Makes a new alignment key from a point, starting at the world origin
• Distance between points:
  • Gives the distance between points (numeric result)
• New line at point:
  • Given a point and a line, moves the line so it starts at the point instead of where it was originally located
• New line from points:
  • Makes a new alignment key by creating a line from the two supplied points
• Add lines:
  • Makes a new alignment key by vector-adding the two supplied lines
• Subtract lines:
  • Makes a new alignment key by vector-subtracting line 2 from line 1
• Intersect line/plane:
  • Gives the intersection point between a line and a plane

Geometry Manager (Helper Panel)

Description:

This panel is for storing/saving alignment keys that can be copied/pasted back and forth into the expert mode source/dest key slots:

• Add/access reference keys (XY, XZ, YZ planes etc.) through the +Ref. button
• Store and save/grab/modify custom alignment keys that you need to keep for later

Displays a list of stored alignment keys. Add your own point/line/plane keys with the add buttons (right side of the list), or add reference keys with the +Ref. button.

Options:

• Copy: Copies the highlighted key in the list into the internal clipboard, so you can paste it into an expert mode source/dest alignment key
• Paste: Pastes from the internal clipboard into the active list item (if there's already a plane in the clipboard, make a new plane and paste into there, for instance)