Alignment Options

Control how shapes align to surfaces and custom planes for precise placement.

Basic Usage

Using Face Mode

Face Orientation

  1. Activate Block tool with Face alignment mode
  2. Hover cursor over target surface
  3. Shape preview aligns to face automatically
  4. Draw shape - it follows surface orientation
  5. Choose Edge or Planar orientation as needed

Using Custom Mode

Custom Orientation

  1. Activate Block tool with Custom alignment mode
  2. Press Space while hovering over surface to set plane
  3. Plane indicator appears at cursor location
  4. All subsequent shapes align to this plane
  5. Press Alt+Space to reposition plane

Alignment Modes

Face Mode

Align shapes to the face of objects under the cursor.

Orientation Types:

  • Edge: Align using the closest edge of the face for natural orientation
  • Planar: Align using the face normal and viewport up vector

How Edge Works:

  1. Detects closest edge to cursor
  2. Aligns shape X-axis along edge
  3. Y-axis perpendicular on face
  4. Z-axis follows face normal

How Planar Works:

  1. Uses face normal for Z-axis
  2. Projects viewport up to face
  3. Creates stable orientation
  4. Ignores edge directions

Custom Mode

Align shapes to a custom plane that you define.

Setting Custom Plane:

  1. Hover over desired surface
  2. Press Space to capture orientation
  3. Plane is set to picked location and orientation
  4. Visual indicator shows plane

Moving Custom Plane:

  1. Position cursor at new location
  2. Press Alt+Space
  3. Plane moves but keeps rotation
  4. Drawing uses new position

Parameters

Offset

Distance to offset the shape from the drawing plane.

Increments

Round shape dimensions to nearest increment value.

Absolute Increments

Enable absolute grid snapping for shape placement.

Solver

Boolean solver to use for operations.

Shortcuts

Key Action
Space Set custom plane
Alt+Space Move custom plane
D Open alignment options

See Also