Align and Distribute Objects Evenly around a Circular Path

How do I align objects and distribute evenly on a circular path? Especially if the objects are straight lines and I want them to be placed vertically and evenly around a circle. For example, the hash marks on a speedometer are vertical lines, but distributed evenly in a circular shape. I've gone throught the align/distribute video, but doesn't explain circular paths. I have Adobe CS3 for Windows XP.

I've done this many times and there's a simple trick to it as long as you want an even number of tick marks. Make the line, duplicate it, move one of the lines below the other, and align them horizontally. Group the lines and bring up the Transform dialog. Click on Preview so you can see what you're doing. Enter the number of copies you want and then the angle to rotate the copies. You should see a perfectly arranged circle of lines. Expand Appearance to work with the lines further.
Example: to make the tick marks for a clock face, make the first pair of lines, group them, make 5 copies, and rotate 30 degrees.

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Aligning and Distributing objects in InDesign

Hi,
I am using InDesign CS4. But I am having a trouble aligning objects. I know that in illustrator it is possible to align objects to a main object. For example, lets say I have several same square shapes on my page. I can make any one of the squares as the main object for others to get aligned or distributed to.
I wanted to do the same thing in InDesign but was never able to do that. I wonder if it is even possible to do that. InDesign doesn't seem to have that option. But it was such a handy tool.
Can you help me with the trick?

Thanks Peter Spier. I am sorry for the misleading information. You were right about the alignment and distribution tools. On my CS4, the Alignment option works with the locked object, but the Distribue Objects and Distribute with Set Space doesn't work with a locked object. I am trying to use the distribute with a set spacing around "the main object". In other words, it will make my work a lot easier if I first align an object at a certain point on the page and then use two other text frames on both sides of the object with an equal spacing (using the Distribute Spacing tool).
I hope it makes a sence. Thanks.

Moving, aligning, and distributing objects

This question was posted in response to the following article: http://help.adobe.com/en_US/illustrator/cs/using/WS714a382cdf7d304e7e07d0100196cbc5f-62f2a .html

@kisanbhat,
As I said, there isn't any direct way to make a point on one polygon snap onto a stroke on another polygon unless you move just the one point (which of course changes the shape of the path). But you can get very close visually.
I recommend turning on Outline mode (Ctrl-Y) so you won't be misled by stroke thickness or antialiasing.
If you want one apex to align perfectly with an apex on the second triangle, Smart Guides will snap the points together as you drag one triangle so that onecorner touches the other triangle's corner.
If you want the faces to align without any of their control points being on top of one another (as in my illustration in an earlier post), then you'll have to do without snapping. (With the Direct Select tool, you can snap a single point on the first object onto a second object's path, but the other points won't move.)
What I would do is turn OFF Smart Guides so there won't be any inconvenient snapping to verticals, horizontals, etc. Then zoom in, and drag the first triangle until one apex is visually aligned on the desired side of the second triangle.
Leave the first triangle selected. Click the Rotate tool (R), find the little "center of rotation marker", and drag the marker until it snaps onto the apex you just positioned.
Then click anywhere on the artboard and drag. This will rotate the first triangle around the marked apex, and you can visually align the side on top of the other triangle's side.
It would be nice if Smart Guides provided this kind of snapping, because then you'd get mathematically optimized alignment of the two points of the first triangle along the edge of the second triangle, but they don't work that way. I highly recommend visiting AstuteGraphics.com to try their "SubScribe" tool, which I believe is free. It should be updated for CS6 very soon now. (Their other vector tools are also quite amazing.)
I hope this helps. If you need more info, I made a short video: http://acobb.com/temp/rotateTriangle.wmv

How do you use align and distribute in PSE11?

I need a complete work-up on using align and distribute in Elements 11.

A mini tutorial describing the align and distribute options with the move tool:
http://blogs.itap.purdue.edu/learning/2011/10/06/tips-and-tricks-photoshop-align-distribut e-layers/
Here's an excert from the photoshop help:
(click on the screenshot for a bigger view)
http://help.adobe.com/en_US/photoshop/cs/using/WSAA03F5FB-2F22-49a1-A824-5BEB70A58951.html

Distribute lines evenly (around a circle)

Hi,
I've created a load of lines by duplicating them around a origin (Presses 'R' and 'alt' then copy until I have enough - 188 lines)
Although they were initialled spaced evenly (rotated by the angle: 360/ 188 = 1.91 degrees).
I have now changed the line weights of some of the lines, so the spacing is no longer even.
How can adjust the spacing across all the lines, but fast and accurate without having to re-draw it all again?
Referring to the attached you can see that the spaced are not even, due to changing the line weights.
Thank you

NStocks,
When you create the lines and change some of the Stroke Weights in 5) they should appear as lines of constant width, not tapered as shown in post #15.
The sum of all the line widths and all the spaces between them will match the length of the circumference of the circle (halfway out). If you want 30pt (midway or at the outer end of the lines), you will have to reduce the spacing in 7): this is the place where you set the relative widths/spaces.
To ensure thicknesses midway, each being half the thickness at the outer end, you may:
7a) Calculate the sum of the thicknesses,
7b) Calculate the circumference of the circle to be created in 9),
7c) Subtract 7a) from 7b) and divide the difference by 188 (the number of gaps).
At the same time you will have to keep the desired relation between lines and gaps, so you may have to try and fail a few times, and maybe settle for thinner thick lines or thinner thin lines or some other change of plan.
Or, if you want really thick thick lines, not too thin thin lines, and not too narrow gaps, you may have to simply use a larger circle; in that connexion, you may use longer lines or increase the Stroke Weight of the circle to be the ratio of the diameter of the circle to the length of the lines.
Edit:
Sorry for all the bother!
Which bother?

Is there a way to automatically align and make same size of check boxes/ radio-buttons like in the image below?

I create PDF forms on daily basis for multiple people around but still, I create a table in Word and then manually convert it to PDF. I'm using Acrobat X and then I manually create radio buttons or check boxes in each cell of the table so aligning those buttons or check-boxes in the same line is a problem. I know there would be some solution to this but can anyone guide me to that? Also, making the same size of the radio-buttons of check boxes likewise ? ? ?
Please see the image above and advise how to align them in the same line and how to make them same size using Acrobat X?
Your help appreciated.

You should create these fields using the Place Multiple Fields command, so that they are aligned properly and all the same size. Read about it here:
http://help.adobe.com/en_US/acrobat/X/pro/using/WS8C2DDC1C-C174-4ad1-893F-B14A1C0289B4.htm l
Read how to align and distribute fields here:
http://help.adobe.com/en_US/acrobat/X/pro/using/WS6D2D2BFC-6F69-4a8b-BDE6-8043D7EE240D.htm l

How does Illustrator allign and distribute work

Hi
I am trying to understand what is happening behind the align and distribute functions in Illustrator.
I am working on a PC with Illustrator CS5
I have taken a photograph of a stone wall in to Photoshop:
Converted it to grey scale
Reduced it with levels to black and white
Then selected the black and converted the selection to paths.
Exported the path as an illustrator
Imported it to Illustrator ( I know I could trace it in illustrator but I prefer t work this way round).
All objects are un grouped and on one layer in Illustrator.
Select all objects
Open the Align pallet
Set Align To Artboard
Apply distribute Horizontal Center
Apply Distribute Vertical Center
The objects are distributed across the Artboard
Select all objects
Horizontal Align Center
Vertical Align Center
Apply distribute Horizontal Center
Apply Distribute Vertical Center
The arrangement is different
Do the same exercise with 15 circles of the same size and a similar redistribution happens.
What is determining or influencing the re ordering?
it does not seem to be size or the layer order.

Thanks to everyone who has replied to my question.
Some interesting information and comments.
I am still unsure as to what logic Illustrator is using. I can understand that layer or other orders might effect the order. I started thinking about creation order and if this is different to layer order. So I exported my dots test file as .svg so I could look at this. I then re imported it at the distribution was more predictable. If I align to bottom, left then distribute h and v I got a diagonal line of dots. This is what I would have expected to get. I still need to test this out more.
before svg
after svg conversion
My main problem is that if I am going to use the distribute I need to know and understand what it is doing.

Distributed transactions, distributed objects

An observation and a conjecture about distributed transactions
and distributed object references:
Distributed non-service object references are persistent, and
a transaction can, in principle, propagate to the distributed
object through a method call from another partition.
However, in order to make the transaction propagate to the
object's partition the object must also have the
isTransactional attribute set to TRUE. The Forté runtime
system apparently uses the isTransactional property not only
for rollback of a distributed object's state, but also to
indicate whether it is desired that transactions propagate to
the object's partition. Thus, the behavior of a distributed
object reference with respect to distributed transactions can
be controlled by the value of the isTransactional attribute
in the same way that the behavior of an environment-visible
service object with respect to distributed transactions can
be controlled by the dialog duration.
Comments?
John Hodgson |Descartes Systems Group Inc.|Tel TBD
Systems Engineer|120 Randall Drive |Fax TBD
|Waterloo, Ontario |www.descartes.com
|CANADA N2V 1C6 |[email protected]
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http://transxtrail.sourceforge.net/

Distributing objects around circle

I am working on Mac OS 10.4.11 and Adobe CS3 ME.
I know it's possible to evenly distribute objects in a line. But I would like to evenly distribute objects in a circle shape. Can that be done in Indesign or Illustrator?

Yes, it can be done in either InDesign or Illustrator.
I'm going to give you the steps in InDesign, but Illustrator is almost identical.
First draw the shape that you want to distribute. Position it where you would want the top or 12 o'clock item.
Now, switch to the Rotate tool. As you do, a rotation center point appears inside the bounding box of the original object.
This center point needs to be moved to the center of the circle that you want to rotate the object around. (Or where the hands of the clock would originate from.)
Hold the Option or Alt key and click where the roatation center point needs to be.
A dialog box appears.
Enter the angle of roation. This is usually an amount that is created by dividing 360. For instance, if you want 10 objects around the circle, you would enter the rotation amount of 36 degrees.
If you wanted 12 objects, you would enter the rotation amount of 30 degrees. You figure out what you want.
Use the Preview amount to see what it would look like. When you like what you have, click the Copy button (not the OK button).
You will now have one new object in position. At this point you have "primed the pump" so to speak. InDesign now knows to make a copy at a certain rotation.
Go to Object > Transform Again > Transform Again. The keyboard shortcut is Cmd-Opt-3 or Control-Alt-3.
Each time you invoke the command, a new copy appears in position.
This is the classic way to distribute objects in a circle.
There are other ways to do it that would put the object around an actual circular object.
But you might as well learn this one first.

Auto align & distribute objects in a grid?

i love the align & distribute 'tools' i use them all the time.
but it has always appeared thay they are only good for a single row of objects.
is this correct or is it possible to select a 'grid' of objects and have them evenly aligned & distributed?

Yup it's here Christoph..
http://www.scriptsrus.talktalk.net/distLayers.htm

Distributing objects around a circle

Hi everyone,
I'm new here, so I'm sorry if I post it to a wrong section.
I'm a begginer with Illustrator and I've got a problem with distributing objects around a circle in Illustrator cs6.
What I'm trying to do is to have these acrhed lines (as per the top three curves you can see below) go around a circle, surrounding it (don't know if i explain myself good...). I was using both blend tool and rotate tool and it doesnt work for me the way I want it. All the time its sort of upside down at the bottom of the cirle and totaly twisted on the left and right... I guess im doing smth wrong, but I just can't find anything helpfull on web..
Would appreciate it a lot if you could helo me!
Thanks in advance and sorry for my English, its not my 1st language.

Cat Nat,
A completely different way, which may be (un)usable for your purpose is to create the circle with a Stroke Weight corresponding to the width of the arched lines and then in the Stroke palette/panel apply Dashed line with Round Caps and suitable Dash and Gap values (you may try different values until you get it right).
You may use the free Adjust Dashes script available here,
http://park12.wakwak.com/~shp/lc/et/en_aics_script.html
to get an even distribution/final adjustment.

How do I view page margins and drag objects around to fit?

How do I view page margins and drag objects around to fit?

Hi Sime,
Some ideas for workarounds now that Numbers 3 has lost Page Setup, Print View and Layout View.
1. Numbers 2.3 is still on your computer unless you deleted it. Look in your Applications folder for the iWork '09 folder. Drag the Numbers '09 (Numbers 2) icon to your Dock. It will become an Alias. Right click (or control click) on it then Options > Keep in Dock. You might actually enjoy running both versions at the same time, to compare features. Just be careful which version you are running before you edit and save.
2. Use Numbers 3 to export a document 'backwards' to Numbers 2. Be aware that features lost in Numbers 3 may not be restored by exporting 'backwards' to Numbers 2.
3. In Numbers 3 > Preferences > Rulers
Those Guides help you to align objects with each other.
4. Menu > View > Show Rulers. This will show zero for the top or right left margin. Then drag a ruler guide from top or left.
More hints on workarounds here:
https://discussions.apple.com/message/23622372#23622372
What has been GAINED in Numbers 3 is here:
https://discussions.apple.com/thread/5473882?start=45&tstart=0
If you want to see what has been lost in Numbers 3, go here:
https://discussions.apple.com/thread/5470448?start=240&tstart=0
Regards,
Ian.
Message was edited by: Yellowbox. Oops, This will show zero for the top or *right* margin. Mirror image this to *left* margin

I just plugged in my Iphone after 4 weeks of downloading music and adding contacts around 400 to be excact and it whipped all my data out and I have no photos nothing reset to factory defult and I cannot even listen to music I purchased because it skips

I just plugged in my Iphone after 4 weeks of downloading music and adding contacts around 400 to be excact. When I plugged it in my computer it started to sync with iTunes and it whipped all my data out. I have no photos contacts nothing, so I then in a rage reset to factory defult and I cannot even listen to music I purchased because it skips. I just want my phone back

Was this the very first time you ever plugged the phone into that computer?
Did you pay attention to the prompts you were given when you plugged it in?
Did you have iCloud backups turned on before you did this? I hope so... If you did, restore the phone from the last iCloud backup from before you wiped it. If not, then the photos, etc. are gone. Apps and music can be re-downloaded.

Align palette is blank even with two or more objects selected

InDesign CS3 (5.0.2), Mac OS 10.4.10
In InDesign, I will click on two or more ungrouped objects that need to be aligned, and get only a blank align palette. In the tool bar atop, sometimes the align options are showing, sometimes they disappear when I click a second or different object.
I have trashed my preferences twice since I first experienced the problem.
I did not have any align palette problems in CS2. Please advise.
Thanks!

Upgrade to 10.4.11? Open and close the palette? Undock and redock with surrounding palettes?

Been using LR since 2004. My raws are all of sudden jumping around in Develop module. Image does not stay, it goes forward and backwards randomly, even with magic mouse off. Can't edit. Using MacPro, currently everything. Canon 5dmk3 raws

Been using LR since 2004. My raws are all of sudden jumping around in Develop module. Image does not stay, it goes forward and backwards randomly, even with magic mouse off. Can't edit. Using MacPro, currently everything. Canon 5dmk3 raws

This sounds like a hardware issue. I haven't seen this particular problem reported before.

Align and Distribute Objects Evenly around a Circular Path

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