Centering Objects in a Region

[RayB]

After placing a pattern at one end of a project, I would like to center all of the remaining objects (horizontally) on the remainder of the board.

Is there a way to have the software to do this kind of alignment? If so, how?

Here is my project with the barber pole pattern on the left. I want to center both lines of text and the divider objects on the portion of the board to the right of barber pole.

Thanks in advance for any suggestions.

[Dan-Woodman]

Ray
It looks pretty close, is it the dashed line you want to center everything up to?
You can hold down CTRL and select all the items you want to look at or move them all as one object.
If you want to center with the dashed line ,select it and maybe place a dot where the center is ,then select the other items one at a time and line up the center with the dot.

later Daniel

[DrBob]

Hi Dave
You are doing it the right way,
I'll ad this though, now you know the length of the space with the dotted line take half that distance and set the middle dot of the words when you select them and attach that dot to the end of the board the distance that you got from half the dotted line lenght.

[DocWheeler]

I hope I'm not relaying really OLD news, but you can move a selected project part and move with the arrow keys. Sometimes this is handier than the mouse since I don't accidentally move in the wrong x/y axis.

[ChrisAlb]

After placing a pattern at one end of a project, I would like to center all of the remaining objects (horizontally) on the remainder of the board.

Is there a way to have the software to do this kind of alignment? If so, how?

Here is my project with the barber pole pattern on the left. I want to center both lines of text and the divider objects on the portion of the board to the right of barber pole.

Thanks in advance for any suggestions.

Yep, pretty simple really. Using attachments and a little basic math.

1) You have a 16-3/4 long board

2) The Right edge of your barber pole is 3-1/4" off the boards left edge leaving you 13-1/2" of board.

3) For easy math I made your top text box an even 12" long. (you had it at 12.260"). I made the bottom text box and even 6" long. (you had 5.604).

4) Attaching them to the center vertical line, the top text box is 12 and you have 13-1/2" of board. So 13.5 - 12 = 1.5". Attach the center of it 1.5" to the right of the vertical line.

5) Do the same with the bottom 6" long box and the little dot in the middle

6) Then you can position the groove lines from there.

Hope that helps. If not, here's the modified MPC file.

Chris

[AskBud]

After placing a pattern at one end of a project, I would like to center all of the remaining objects (horizontally) on the remainder of the board.

Is there a way to have the software to do this kind of alignment? If so, how?

Here is my project with the barber pole pattern on the left. I want to center both lines of text and the divider objects on the portion of the board to the right of barber pole.

Thanks in advance for any suggestions.
Hello RayB,
I played with your question and developed an AVI lesson with my possible solution.
Notice:
The following Zipped download of an AVI Lesson is 18.7 Mb in size and the download time will depend upon the speed of your ISP connection.
AskBud
Here is a Zipped AVI lesson on Centering Objects Within a Zone.
http://www2.wcoil.com/~nharbison/cw-center%20objects%20within%20a%20zone.zip
I hope it helps!
AskBud

[Digitalwoodshop]

Remember you can also use a Digital Marking Stick..... What is a DMS..... It's the Draw a rectangle feature.... I use this feature all the time. I draw a thin square box then type in the length. I use this to aid in positioning an object on the board. If I am using a carrier board with a 4 inch scrap piece, I use the DMS to make a block 4.5 inches long and position it on the right side of designer. I then position my object from edge of the 4.5 inch DMS.

This would work for centering and object. You make the DMS the diameter of your area. Position it in the area then use it's center marker to adjust the item positioned within a area. Circles work too along with a grid. You can make you grid 1/2 the diameter of your recess area making the center line show up in the middle.

AL

[AskBud]

Hello RayB,
I played with your question and developed an AVI lesson with my possible solution.
Notice:
The following Zipped download of an AVI Lesson is 18.7 Mb in size and the download time will depend upon the speed of your ISP connection.
AskBud
Here is a Zipped AVI lesson on Centering Objects Within a Zone.
http://www2.wcoil.com/~nharbison/cw-center%20objects%20within%20a%20zone.zip
I hope it helps!
AskBud
Notice:
The following Zipped download of an AVI Lesson is 16.9 Mb in size and the download time will depend upon the speed of your ISP connection.
AskBud
Here is a Zipped AVI lesson on Centering Objects Within a Zone - Part 2.
http://www2.wcoil.com/~nharbison/cw-center%20objects%20within%20a%20zone%20part%202.zi p
It shows one way to center within a Zone as you develop your items.
AskBud

[RayB]

Thanks to all who contributed comments on this issue, and especially Bud for creating the two movies ... they were quite helpful.

What is still bothersome is that the software does not provide the tool to do this alignment in an automated way. More specifically, after selecting multiple objects, there is a tool to align the top, bottom, left, and right edges based on the first object selected, but no tool to align the centers horizontally based on the first object selected (which I think would be the most common need). The only tools available are ones to center the entire group relative to the board, but not relative to each other ... even though the tool icons give the impression that they all work the same way (see screenshot).

Every drawing program that I have ever worked with has had a tool to align the centers of multiple objects, based on the first object selected. Maybe such a tool will be in a future release of the CarveWright software. Do the programmers read this forum?

For now, all I would have done differently if I were doing it again, is to make a vertical center reference line that was based on the center of my horizontal reference line, much as Bud describes in his second movie.

:)

[RayB]

It turns out that after the actual carving, I had significant chip out on the barber pole pattern, so I ended up cutting off that part of the sign. Then, in order to still have the text centered, I had to cut off a little of the other end.

I finished my walnut sign with some of my gunky Minwax Polyshades, letting it pool in the text. Anyway, here is how it turned out:

[Dan-Woodman]

Ray
Sorry to hear about your barber pole problem,have you ever tryed "draft" feature under
"carving"? Play around with it ,may help your pole issue. I know it helps a lot on letters chipping out.
The rest of the sign looks like it turned out very well, way to go.

later Daniel

[RayB]

Ray
Sorry to hear about your barber pole problem,have you ever tryed "draft" ... Only at an Irish pub.

But seriously, I am only about half-way through the software manual and I apparently haven't gotten to the "draft" section yet. I guess I will have to keep reading!

Thanks for the suggestion !! :)