Sizing and Aligning with Smart Snaps

You can use Smart Snaps to center and size objects relative to each other or to their place on the page. The Smart Snaps appear as dotted lines on the page. Smart Snaps are on by default.

Alignment on the Page

As you move an object left or right, you will see a dotted line appear vertically to indicate that the object is aligned to the center of the page.

As you move an object up or down, you will see a dotted line appear horizontally to indicate that the object is aligned to the midpoint of the page.

Alignment Relative to Other Objects

When you have more than one object on the page:

As you move an object, you will see dotted lines appear to indicate that the selected object is aligned to the edges or midpoint of other objects on the page.

Smart Snaps, when used with some irregular objects, such as multigons, may not appear to display proper alignment relative to the edges of other objects. This is because the alignment is being calculated mathematically.

Resizing Relative to Other Objects

When you have more than one object on the page:

As you resize an object, you will see dotted lines with arrows on either end appear. These indicate that the selected object is the same width or height as other objects on the page.

Distributing Relative to Other Objects

When you have more than two objects on the page:

As you move an object above or below other objects, you will see dotted lines with arrows on either end appear. These indicate when the objects are distributed equally, relative to each other.

Smart Snap Settings

You can control the types of objects that work with Smart Snaps.

To Set Smart Snap Options:

1. Choose File | Configuration Center.
2. Under Measurements, on the Grids and Guides page of the Configuration Center, in the Smart Snaps section, enable or disable the following options:
• Visible Objects Only: When enabled, hidden objects will not trigger Smart Snaps to appear.
• Include Objects in Groups: When disabled, grouped objects will not trigger Smart Snaps to appear.

To Set the Smart Snaps Color:

1. Choose Layout | Smart Snaps | Smart Snap Settings...
2. In the Grids and Guides dialog, in the Smart Snaps section, choose a color from the Guide Color drop-down menu.
3. Press OK.

To Turn Smart Snaps On or Off:

With no objects selected, in the Grids and Guides section of the Properties bar, toggle the Smart Snaps checkbox.