Align & Distribute: overview
Updated
Align & Distribute adds fourteen layout commands to AutoCAD® software: they align any selection of objects to a shared edge or centre line, distribute them evenly, space them with an exact gap, or snap them to the drawing grid.
All commands work on the geometric bounding box of each object, so they behave the same for lines, blocks, text, hatches, or anything else with extents.
Three ways to run every command
Section titled “Three ways to run every command”- Ribbon: the Arrange panel on the MD Automation tab, with an Align and a Distribute drop-down. The button face remembers the last command you used.
- Right-click: select objects, right-click, and open the Arrange submenu.
- Command line: type the command name.
Command reference
Section titled “Command reference”| Command | What it does |
|---|---|
MDALIGN | Prompts for the edge (Left / Right / Top / Bottom / HorizontalCenters / VerticalCenters), then aligns. |
MDALIGNLEFT | Align to the leftmost edge of the selection. |
MDALIGNRIGHT | Align to the rightmost edge. |
MDALIGNTOP | Align to the top edge. |
MDALIGNBOTTOM | Align to the bottom edge. |
MDALIGNHCENTER | Align all horizontal centres on one vertical line. |
MDALIGNVCENTER | Align all vertical centres on one horizontal line. |
MDALIGNGRID | Snap each object’s centre to the nearest snap-grid point. |
Full details on the align commands →
Distribute
Section titled “Distribute”| Command | What it does |
|---|---|
MDDISTRIBUTE | Prompts for the axis (Horizontal / Vertical), then spaces object centres evenly. |
MDDISTRIBUTEH | Distribute horizontally, no prompt. |
MDDISTRIBUTEV | Distribute vertically, no prompt. |
MDDISTRIBUTEGAP | Prompts for axis and gap, then lays objects out with a fixed edge-to-edge gap. |
MDDISTRIBUTEGAPH | Gap-distribute horizontally (prompts only for the gap). |
MDDISTRIBUTEGAPV | Gap-distribute vertically (prompts only for the gap). |
Full details on the distribute commands →
Preferences
Section titled “Preferences”| Command | What it does |
|---|---|
MDALIGNDISTRIBUTESETTINGS | Walk every preference in one pass; see Settings below. |
Settings
Section titled “Settings”MDALIGNDISTRIBUTESETTINGS walks each preference in turn, defaulting to its current value, and
writes once at the end, so a run you abandon halfway changes nothing.
| Setting | Controls | Default |
|---|---|---|
| Ignore block attributes | Whether a block reference is measured by its geometry alone, ignoring its attribute text. Turn it off and two inserts of the same block whose attribute text differs are measured differently, so they no longer line up on the geometry they share. | Yes |
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