About "Align Elements" Add-On


INTRODUCTION

This ArchiCAD Add-On can align the selected elements to a special line based on various definitions.


HOW TO INSTALL "Align Elements" ADD-ON?

To install "Align Elements" Add-On, copy "Align Elements" file into your designated Add-Ons folder (typically the Add-Ons folder in the ArchiCAD 11 folder). In this case, the add-on will be automatically loaded the next time you start ArchiCAD. Alternatively, you can save the Add-On anywhere on your hard disk, and load it through the Add-On Manager (Options menu).


HOW TO USE "Align Elements" ADD-ON?

Menu items

The menu items shall be enabled if and only if any elements are selected. If necessary the tool prompts for entering the alignment line: the user enters two vertices (it is preferable, but not necessary to accept the selection of an existing line [Mercedes-cursor]). Depending on the menu item selected either the origin or the nearest point of each element (see definition later) will be moved onto the alignment line.

Note:The menu items should be enabled only if the current view is the floor-plan view.

Alignment

This is the easy and simple solution for most of the cases.

These functions should work like Microsoft Word's alignment function (available from the Drawing toolbar).

Alignment line orientation: the alignment line can be also be either horizontal (top, center vertically or bottom alignment) or vertical (left, center horizontally, right alignment) in this case.

Alignment line position: it can be defined by the leftmost, rightmost, topmost or bottommost point of all bounding boxes (left, right, top or bottom alignment) or by the geometrical average of bounding box center points (center alignments).

Alignment: all elements can be moved (but not rotated) to fit with their bounding boxes to the alignment line (left, right, top and bottom alignment) or to fit with the center of their bounding boxes to the alignment line (center alignments).

"Align Elements to line" functions

In the first a dialog the user selects the desired mode: by center point, by nearest point or from one side; the default should be the first one (by center point).

After clicking the OK button of the dialog the user should define the alignment line either by selecting an existing line (Mercedes-cursor) or by drawing a new line on the fly.

Align by center point: center point (see definition below) of each element should be moved onto the alignment line. Elements should be moved using the shortest way (i.e. perpendicular to the alignment line and not horizontally as shown in the figure above).

Align by nearest point: nearest point (see definition below) of each element will be moved onto the alignment line, using the shortest path (see above).

Align from one side: the user can select one side of the alignment line by the eye-cursor to define the preferred side. If an element is not on the preferred side it should be first moved onto the other side of the line first then to the alignment line by its nearest point (of course elements on the "good" side should only be aligned to the line.

Center and nearest points

To avoid misunderstanding we should define the center and nearest point of each element type.


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