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Align Tools

ADDON
📖3 min read
Latest Version: 5.2
Free Addons: Align Tools and Dolly Zoom by Saeed (Blender)

Introduction​

Align Tools is a built-in Blender addon that aligns selected objects to the active object, the last object in your selection. It covers location, rotation, and scale, which covers most placement work in scene assembly.

Key Takeaways​

Align Location

Match the position of selected objects to the active object along the chosen axes (X, Y, or Z), based on the object origins.

Align Rotation

Apply the rotation of the active object to all selected objects.

Align Scale

Resize selected objects to match the scale of the active object.

Installation​

The Align Tools add-on is included with Blender and needs to be enabled before use.

Step-by-step installation:

  1. Open Blender.
  2. Navigate to Edit in the top menu bar.
  3. Select Preferences.
  4. In the Preferences window, select the Add-ons tab.
  5. Use the search bar and input "align tools".
  6. Locate the entry for "Object: Align Tools" and enable it by checking the box.
  7. Close the Preferences window.

Usage​

Once enabled, the tools are accessible in the 3D Viewport.

Open the Align Tools Panel· sidebar

In the 3D Viewport, press N to open the Sidebar and select the Align Tools tab.

Select Objects· selection

Select the objects to align. The last object selected becomes the Active Object, which is the alignment target.

Choose an Alignment· panel

In the panel, pick the function: Align Location (e.g. Z-axis) to match position, Align Rotation All for orientation, or Align Scale for size.

Advanced Align (surface placement)· bounding box

For bounding-box alignment, select objects with the target surface as active, click Advanced Align, set the axis, and change the method from Pivot to Minimum to drop the object's lowest point onto the plane.

Limitations​

In an Investigation​

  • Placing evidence objects: put a reconstructed object exactly on a floor, a table, or another reference object with one operation instead of nudging values by hand.
  • Batch orientation: align a set of objects (tools, containers, markers) to a shared orientation so the scene stays consistent.
  • Surface placement: Advanced Align drops the lowest point of an object onto a target plane, useful for seating items on uneven reconstructed surfaces.

Limitations​

  • Alignment is relative to the active object. If none is set, the operation has no target.
  • Basic alignment uses object origins. Only Advanced Align uses bounding boxes for surface placement.

Resources​